Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland

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The Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland: A Unique Blend of Folk Art and Noble Styles

The Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012, offer a captivating glimpse into the rich cultural heritage of eastern Sweden. This collection of seven timber houses, built between the late 18th and early 20th centuries, stands as testament to the prosperity and artistic ambitions of the region's independent farmers during the 19th century.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

Seven timber houses are listed in this site located in the east of Sweden, representing the zenith of a regional timber building tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages. They reflect the prosperity of independent farmers who in the 19th century used their wealth to build substantial new homes with elaborately decorated ancillary houses or suites of rooms reserved for festivities. The paintings represent a fusion of folk art with the styles favoured by the landed gentry of the time, including Baroque and Rococo. Decorated by painters, including known and unknown itinerant artists, the listed properties represent the final flowering of a long cultural tradition.

UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site

The nominated property is considered to be of Outstanding Universal Value as a cultural property for the following reasons:

·         The selected decorative farmhouses of Hälsingland represent an outstanding collection of some 1,000 well preserved farmhouses with around 400 decorative rooms still in situ.

·         The density of intact preserved decorated rooms is unparalleled within the entire Northern Taiga.

·         The seven selected farms, dating from 1800 to 1870 which constitute the peak of this cultural expression, are outstanding examples of how independent farmers within a small geographical area combined a highly developed building tradition with a rich folk art tradition in the form of decoratively painted interiors in rooms used for celebrations.

·         These decorated farms bear witness to a culture that has disappeared today but has been preserved in an exceptional way.

Encyclopedia Record: Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland

The Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland is a World Heritage Site inscribed on 1 July 2012 as Sweden's fifteenth entry on the list. Seven farmhouses erected in the 19th century were eventually selected to represent the most distinguished and well preserved examples of local architectural and decorative tradition.

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