Bexell Cottage
Encyclopedia
The Bexell Cottage is a small cottage in Varberg
, Sweden
.
The Bexell Cottage was originally built in 1785 in Harplinge
. In 1876, it was bought by politician, member of parliament
and land tenure Alfred Bexell, from its owner Jöns Jönsson (born 1828) together with all movable. Jönsson was only allowed to retain his day dress, according to the purchase agreement. Even Jönsson's snuff
box passed to the ownership of Bexell. Alfred Bexell was the first in Sweden who bought and protected a Swedish peasant's home for museal
purpose. He inspired Arthur Hazelius to etablish the open air museum Skansen
in Stockholm
.
In 1906, the cottage was moved to Varberg. In the 20th century, it was called bålastugan, a Halland
ic name of the type of cottage. In 2003, it became a part of Varberg County Museum
. Today it's named Bexell Cottage after Alfred Bexell.
In Bexell Cottage there are furniture
s and painted wall tapestry
from the 19th century. The tapestry cover the walls and ceiling of the cottage. Originally, they were only used for Christmas
, but today they are posted all the year around.
Bexell Cottage can be visited by the public at the shows of the cottage that are arranged by Varberg County Museum.
Varberg
Varberg is a locality and the seat of Varberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden with 26,041 inhabitants in 2005.Varberg and all of Halland are well known for their 'typical west coast' sandy beaches. In Varberg the coast changes from wide sandy beaches to rocky terrain that continues north into...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
The Bexell Cottage was originally built in 1785 in Harplinge
Harplinge
Harplinge is a locality situated in Halmstad Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 1,454 inhabitants in 2005....
. In 1876, it was bought by politician, member of parliament
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
and land tenure Alfred Bexell, from its owner Jöns Jönsson (born 1828) together with all movable. Jönsson was only allowed to retain his day dress, according to the purchase agreement. Even Jönsson's snuff
Snuff
Snuff is a product made from ground or pulverised tobacco leaves. It is an example of smokeless tobacco. It originated in the Americas and was in common use in Europe by the 17th century...
box passed to the ownership of Bexell. Alfred Bexell was the first in Sweden who bought and protected a Swedish peasant's home for museal
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
purpose. He inspired Arthur Hazelius to etablish the open air museum Skansen
Skansen
Skansen is the first open air museum and zoo in Sweden and is located on the island Djurgården in Stockholm, Sweden. It was founded in 1891 by Artur Hazelius to show the way of life in the different parts of Sweden before the industrial era....
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
.
In 1906, the cottage was moved to Varberg. In the 20th century, it was called bålastugan, a Halland
Halland
' is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden , on the western coast of Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Scania and the sea of Kattegat.-Administration:...
ic name of the type of cottage. In 2003, it became a part of Varberg County Museum
Varberg County Museum
Halland Museum of Cultural History is a museum of cultural history in Varberg, Sweden. It is situated at Varberg Fortress. The museum was formerly known as Varberg County Museum...
. Today it's named Bexell Cottage after Alfred Bexell.
In Bexell Cottage there are furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
s and painted wall tapestry
Tapestry
Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven on a vertical loom, however it can also be woven on a floor loom as well. It is composed of two sets of interlaced threads, those running parallel to the length and those parallel to the width ; the warp threads are set up under tension on a...
from the 19th century. The tapestry cover the walls and ceiling of the cottage. Originally, they were only used for Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, but today they are posted all the year around.
Bexell Cottage can be visited by the public at the shows of the cottage that are arranged by Varberg County Museum.