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Gustavsberg in Värmdö - in the footsteps of the porcelain factory

Gustavsberg is a lovely little town in Värmdö municipality in Stockholm, best known for the Gustavsberg porcelain factory. We took a map-based walk along the waterfront and discovered everything from factory history to castles and mansions.

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Gustavsberg in Värmdö municipality

We visited Värmdö municipality when we tested the municipality's new cultural trail Pilhamn, located on the island of Ingarö. The cultural trail was nice and interesting but only 1.7 kilometres long, so we had time and energy for more "discovery". We then chose to go to the municipality's central town Gustavsberg and follow one of the municipality's ready-made "walks".

Gustavsberg

Gustavsberg is located in Värmdö municipality, 22 kilometres east of central Stockholm. The town is located at the far end of Farstaviken, on the western part of Värmdön.

City walk in Gustavsberg

On Värmdö municipality's website we found information about "Recreational trails and hiking paths" and on that page you could download a pdf with "Three walks in Gustavsberg - through history, nature and culture". Fun with a little culture and history as a change to all the nature experiences, we thought!

Promenader i Gustavsberg

We chose the walk called "Fabriksområdet and Farsta", which focuses on the history of the porcelain factory and the Farsta neighbourhood, where you can find several beautiful manor houses.

Gustavsbergs hamn

Gustavsberg church

Gustavsberg church is not on this particular walk, but we saw it in the distance. The church is built in neo-Gothic style and was inaugurated in 1907, five years after Gustavsberg became its own parish. In the foreground you can see a nice houseboat lying along the quay.

World House and Stone House

The walk starts at the Värdshuset and Stenhuset. The inn was completed in 1882 and served as an inn and clubhouse for the "Gustavsberg Workers' Club". The factory management thought that the workers drank too much alcohol, and therefore wanted a clubhouse with alternative activities.

Värdshuset i Gustavsberf

The Stone House is a residential barracks for factory workers from 1857. At the time, the house contained 32 single rooms with a stove.

Stenhuset i Gustavsberg

The factory area in Gustavsberg

The walk then continues along the waterfront, past the factory area in Gustavsberg. Many different buildings are marked on the map, but it is not easy to understand which building is which from the map. You pass by:

  • Old mud house - This is where the long process of mixing porcelain paste started. Mills and machines were driven by steam power.
  • The old workshop - Here the porcelain mass was transformed into objects. Craftsmen turned or pressed the mass against plaster moulds.
  • Drying house - The former Torkuset now houses the Gustavsberg Porcelain Museum. In the past, the porcelain was dried here before firing. Midsummer was celebrated every year in front of the house.
  • The furnace house - Originally there were even more kilns, and now a house from 1853 remains. The kilns were packed full of porcelain in a process that was both difficult and risky.
  • Yellow building - This first office building was completed in 1826, the same year the factory was founded. It has also housed apartments and a hall that served as a church hall.

In the pictures above you can see, among other things, the "Yellow Building". The first picture below shows the beautiful Drying House.

Odelberg's sculpture

The next stop is the Odelberg sculpture by Carl Milles. Mill owner Wilhelm Odelberg ran the factory and the community from 1869 to 1924. In 1900, he had around 800 employees, all of whom were provided with housing, medical care, pensions and child allowances and schooling for their children.

Odelbergs skulptur i Gustavsberg

Headquarters - Tornhuset

The Tower House is a grand, medieval-inspired building. The ground floor once housed the customs office, post office and waiting room for boat travellers.

Stadsvandring i Gustavsberg

Kattholmen power station

The power station at Kattholmen was opened in 1905. It had two large steam turbines that were used to provide electricity to all the factory's machines. In 1921, the power station was closed down and the factory was connected to the Älvkarleby electricity grid.

Kattholmens kraftstation i Gustavsberg

Farstavik

As you continue your walk through Gustavsberg to the area called Farsta, you encounter several beautiful buildings. First you come to Farstavik. Samuel Godenius, who was a mill owner from 1852 to 1869, gave the house to his daughter Hilma when she married the future mill owner Wilhelm Odelberg in 1869.

Farstavik

Farstaudde

Right next door is Farstaudde. Mill owner Wilhelm Odelberg had the house built in 1911 for his daughter Maria Bennich, who had been widowed with several children. The magnificent villa is beautifully situated, but it didn't feel like you could get that close.

Farstaudde i Gustavsberg

Farsta Castle

The most magnificent building in the area is Farsta Castle, which belonged to the nobility in the 17th century. When Maria De la Gardie became the widow of Gustaf Gabriel Oxenstierna, she renamed the property Gustafsberg after her husband. This then became the name of the town! The castle was rebuilt in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Farsta slott i Gustavsberg

English Park

At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, English parks were in vogue, and they didn't want to be inferior here. The mighty oak forest in the park is really nice.

Iron Age settlement

After the English Park, the walk goes back towards the centre of Gustavsberg, but now a bit above the water. You first pass an Iron Age settlement, where the original Farsta farm was located 1000 years ago.

Stables

You then pass the stables, built in 1888, which housed horses and oxen used to transport porcelain.

Stallet

Porcelain factories

At the end of the walk you come back to the porcelain factory, but now you pass other buildings. Now you pass by:

  • The hall of measurement - Here, painters sat in long rows and painted or decorated porcelain.
  • The house of Kåge - In this house, they developed new tableware and experimented with artefacts.
  • The boiler centre - Heating centre from 1940.
  • Sanitary porcelain factory - A remnant of the 1939 factory, then the most modern in the world.
  • Household china factory - In the 1940s, the Cooperative Union invested heavily in this modern factory.
Porslinsfabriken i Gustavsberg

The water wheel

Outside the porcelain factory is a water wheel from 1894. This was the factory's first source of energy. With the advent of the steam engine, it was replaced by water power.

Gustavsberg porcelain factory today

Gustavsbergs porslinsfabrik is an all-Swedish company, which has been in continuous operation since its foundation in 1825. All production today takes place in the brick building of the household porcelain factory in Gustavsberg, and a large part of the production is done by hand.

Gustavsberg is the only porcelain factory in the Nordic region to produce bone china. It makes porcelain and stoneware for both private customers and professional kitchens. All products are stamped with an anchor stamp and the text "MADE IN GUSTAVSBERG SWEDEN".

Porslinsfabriken i Gustavsberg

Gustavsberg porcelain museum and shop

The Gustavsberg Porcelain Museum has large collections of porcelain and ceramics. In 2018, the National Museum took over the operation and the museum is currently closed for renovation.

In Gustavsberg's own shop, located at Odelbergs väg 1 C, you will find second-hand products and other items for the table. There is also an online shop.

Gustavsberg

More to see and do in Gustavsberg

It's nice to just stroll along the waterfront in Gustavsberg, and those arriving by boat can stay in the guest harbour. If you want to follow ready-made walks, there are two more:

  • The oldest utility streets, with industrial buildings from the end of the 19th century.
  • Tallåsen and Hästhagen, with buildings from the 20th century

Many people also talk about the Artipelag cultural centre, which includes sculptures in an archipelago setting and is located nearby. "We've never been there, but we've thought about visiting it when the time comes.

Gustavsberg

Have you been to Gustavsberg or Värmdö? What are your best tips?

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Facts about Gustavsberg

  • Name: Gustavsberg, previously spelt Gustafsberg
  • Landscape: Uppland
  • County: Stockholm County
  • Municipality: Värmdö municipality
  • District: Gustavsberg district
  • Population: Approximately 24 000 (2019). 45 000 people live in the entire municipality (2019).
  • Areas: Höjdhagen, Hästhagen, Porslinskvarteren, Munkmora, Lugnet, Björnkärret, Bortre Hästhagen, Holmviksskogen, Ösbydalen and Farsta Castle.

Attractions in Gustavsberg

  • Gustavsberg church from 1907
  • Farsta with the farms Farstavik, Farstaudde and Farsta castle
  • Porcelain factories with all its different buildings
  • Round house is a library built by architect Gustav Thunberg. Nicknamed 'The Lemon Press'.

What to do in Gustavsberg

  • Photo parks is a permanent outdoor photo exhibition
  • Grisslinge sea baths is a popular swimming spot between Gustavsberg and Hemmesta.
  • Gustavsbergsbadet has a swimming pool, water park and relaxation area.
  • Gustavsberg Art Centre with contemporary arts and crafts
  • Gustavsberg Porcelain Museum is run by the National Museum and is currently being renovated

Excursions in Värmdö municipality

  • Artipelag is an arts and culture centre in the archipelago.
  • Björnö nature reserve is surrounded by water
  • Fredriksborg Fortress from the 18th century at Oxdjupet
  • Gällnö is an island in the middle archipelago
  • Möja is an island with beautiful nature and old farms.
  • Runmarö is an island with cosy little villages and orchids.
  • Sand Island is another island, with fine sandy beaches.
  • Säby burial ground is an Iron Age cemetery with 150 graves.

Getting to Gustavsberg

  • Car: From Stockholm, take road 222 towards Gustavsberg and Värmdö. The road is about 27 kilometres, driving time about 35 minutes.
  • Bus: Buses run from Slussen to Gustavsberg. You can take bus 474 towards Hemmesta, and get off at Gustavsberg centre. At certain times, other buses also run, such as bus 425 towards Gustavsbergs Lugnet. The bus journey takes about 25-30 minutes.
  • Boat: During the summer you can take Gustavsberg VII to Gustavsberg Harbour. Read more at Strömma Canal Company.
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