After the loud, lively city of Stockholm, the whole family was in the mood for some sea air. So we slowly made our way along the east coast towards Hälsingland and spent the night in Rullsanden, the "Swedish Riviera". It was already very cold here and swimming was only for the hardy - so definitely something for Rie. I'm always surprised at how dramatic the sky can be here, how quickly the weather changes and how wrong weather forecasts can be.
We only touch on the stronghold of Swedish linen production - Hälsingland is worth a trip of its own, especially when all the museums are actually open. We didn't realise that the shops here had already closed in mid-August. Having become rich through linen processing in the 18th and 19th centuries, the farmers invested their money in beautiful large farms, the so-called Hälsing farms - richly painted walls and wallpaper, carved decorations on roofs and windows, no wonder that 7 buildings were added to the World Heritage List in 2012. https://www.halsingelinnevaveri.se/
Wealth through linen
In the visitor centre you could read that between 1843 and 1847, 255 tonnes of flax and 1.5 million metres of linen fabric in all qualities were sold from Hälsingland every year.
In order not only to grow these large quantities, but also to be able to process them into fibres, the priest Olof Johan Broman had the idea in Hudiksvall around 1700 of using the power of water wheels for the two most strenuous steps in processing - crushing and swinging. Over 1000 of these water-powered production facilities exist in Hälsingland. A good dozen of them still exist today. You can visit one of them near Växbo. You can find out more about the plant HERE read more.
Växbo Lin upholds the tradition in Hälsingland
Right in the neighbourhood of Trolldalen Mill is Växbo Lin https://www.vaxbolin.se/ one of Sweden's four pure linen weaving mills. Founded by Rolf Åkerlund in 1990, when all other textile companies were moving out of Sweden, the young couple Hanna and Jacob Bruce took over the business in 2006. The beautifully designed showroom is a tempting place to browse and buy, and visitors can simply walk into the production area and listen to the machines rattling away.
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