One of the top things to see and do in Lund is the open-air museum Kulturen Lund. It is located in centre of the city and receives around 200,000 visitors each year. Kulturen Lund opened in 1892, making it the second open air museum in Sweden, just after Skansen in Stockholm that opened only a few months earlier.

The first houses

In the open air museum you can find authentic buildings from all over Sweden. The association bought houses and moved them to Lund to preserve the culture. The founder of the association was Georg Karlin and he took the initiative to buy the houses. The first houses that were bought were Herrehuset and Lusthuset. They bought these houses together with the big courtyard. These houses are still in their original place. Blekingegården was the first house that was purchased and moved to Lund. Also Borgarhuset, Uranäsboden and Måketorpsboden were part of the first collection of Kulturen Lund.

In 1894 the Bosebo church was moved to Kulturen. With this church they had a building of all the layers from the old society: nobility, priests, citizens and farmers. The following years there were many other historic buildings added to the collection.

Bosebokyrka

The Church of Bosebo is a wooden church from 1652. The church stood in Bosebo in Småland until 1984. The Bishop of Småland, Esaias Tegner, ordered to replace a lot of wooden churches by larger (stones) churches. Kulturen Lund could therefore buy the church for a bargain. The wooden church was demolished, transported by train to Lund and rebuilt. Most wall paintings and the pulpit are the work of Sven Nilsson Morin from Gnosjö. The church is still used for weddings, baptisms and concerts.

Events in Kulturen Lund

Throughout the year you can see how they used to live in the houses. There are also a lot of events. In May there is a folk music festival. In June they celebrate the national day (on the 6th of June) and the midsummer festival (on the Friday closest to the 21th of June). On the eve of St. Lucia there is a special ceremony in the old Bosebo church

Hökeriet

The old grocery Hökeriet is also part of Kulturen. You won’t find Hökeriet in the open air museum but on the corner of Tomegapsgatan and St. Annegatan. The house dates back to 1827. The store opened in 1855. Until 1957 it was the local grocer. In 1962 Kulturen bought the building and now volunteers run Hökeriet. You can also go to Hökeriet for fika.

Practical information

For up to date opening times of Kulturen in Lund you can have a look on their website. Under 18 admission is free. They regularly organize special activities for children. During the summer months there are more things to experience in Kulturen Lund so I would recommend to go then but in the winter it is definitely worth a visit as well. I was there the first time when there was a little snow. The museum at the entry learns you more about the history and culture of Skåne. At the entrance you can find rune stones. Just outside Lund, in Östarp you can visit a second museum run by Kulturen in an old farmhouse.

The Botanical Garden in Lund (Botaniska trädgården) is part of the university. The garden is centrally located in Lund, the university town in southern Sweden. When I was there for the first time, it was snowing. The garden was covered in white and looked so lovely! A few months later I went back when the flowers were in full bloom. Also Café Botan was opened at this second visit (from the Easter holidays until September).

Botanical garden of the university of Lund

The Botanical Garden in Lund has a unique collection of more than 7,000 different plants, flowers and trees and is part of the University of Lund. The garden has been constructed in 1690 in another place (where now the main building of Lund’s University stands) and moved some 100 years later to its current location along Östra Vallgatan, in Tornalyckan district. By 1868 the main part of the plants were moved already.

In the vast (8 ha) garden you’ll find some university buildings, the Botanical Museum (Botaniska museet) and Gula villan. There are also a number of art works by Swedish artists. The garden still serves as a research area for the university of Lund.

The greenhouse

In the middle of the botanical garden of Lund you will find a conservatory greenhouse with over 2,000 species of plants and trees from nine different climate zones. You will find plants from the desert and from the rainforest. The greenhouse dates back to 1865. They regularly hold plant-related exhibitions in the adjacent Orangerie. When I was there in the winter I liked feeling in the tropics while outside it was snowing. Definitely search for the palmtree of more than 100 years!

Good to know:

The garden opens every morning at 6am and stays open until 20h (winter) or 21:30 (summer months). Access, even to the greenhouse, is free. The greenhouse is open daily between 11am and 15h.
In the middle of the garden, next to the conservatory you will find Café Botan. This is a great place for fika or simply to give your legs some rest while wandering around. They are only open during the summer months. Café Botan is part of the well known Patisseriet.