Jakriborg i Skåne - inspirerat av medeltiden

Writer: Helena Bergström

Jakriborg is a residential area on the Scanian plain, just south of Lund, that looks like a cross between a medieval Hanseatic city and a modern fairytale town. Here, colourful houses with steep roofs, cobbled streets and signs for 'specerier' and 'charkuterier' meet.

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Jakriborg

Jakriborg is sometimes described as a 'pastiche', that is, something clearly inspired by an older style. And that's certainly the feeling you get when you drive through the Scanian plains. In the middle of 'nothing' rises a residential area that looks like something out of a film about a late medieval Hanseatic city. Only the sea and the ships are missing ...

Jakriborg is located between Lund and Malmö in Skåne, with about 6 kilometres to central Lund and about 10 kilometres to central Malmö.

One night at Rovelyckan Garden & Ställplats

We are on a motorhome trip that will take us from western Skåne and up along the west coast of Sweden. Our first stop in Skåne was at Rovelyckans Trädgård & Ställplats in Höör. This visit was a stroke of luck! The site is fantastically nice and well maintained, with the opportunity to fill and empty tanks.

We immediately felt the love and care behind the place, with beautiful flower boxes, brochures on display and the opportunity to swipe for an ice cream. In the evening, the owner came by to offer home-grown tomatoes and welcomed us to take a look at the beautiful garden. The price was 140 SEK/day without electricity or 170 SEK/day with electricity.

Trolleholm Castle

The next morning we set off and made a first stop at Trolleholm Castle in Svalöv. There has been a castle here since the Middle Ages, and the current castle was built in the 1760s. It got its current fairytale appearance at the end of the 19th century, when it was renovated in Renaissance style.

Trolleholm Castle is very beautiful, but it is completely private so you can't get any closer than the gate. At least not unless you are a company that has booked an exclusive conference.

A visit to Jakriborg

Then it was time to visit Jakriborg! We parked the motorhome just outside the residential area and walked into the cobblestone streets. The houses that line the streets have steeply sloping roofs and are painted in soft tones of beige, yellow, orange, red, green, blue and grey.

The houses are reminiscent of towns in Denmark and northern Germany, rather than Sweden, and both squares and streets have a medieval feel.

There is a sign in the shape of a comb outside the hairdresser's and a pretzel outside the bakery. On the walls of grocery stores you can read 'charcuterie' and 'spices'.

Behind Jakriborg is the main railway line, and to protect the neighbourhood from noise and dust, a 'city wall' has been built, which of course looks like it's straight out of the Middle Ages.

In fact, the neighbourhood is not very old. Architects Robin Manger and Marcus Axelsson, through the property company Jakri AB, realised their idea sometime in the 1990s, and the first tenants moved in in 1999.

The project has received both praise and criticism, both in terms of style and maintenance. We don't know what it's like to live here. What we do know is that it feels a bit like stepping into a fairy tale when you come here as a tourist.

It was very quiet on the streets when we were here, and we only saw a few people walking, cycling or popping into a shop. But at Christmas time, there is apparently a Christmas market organised in Jakriborg, and that sounds nice!

The gables of Måntorp

After our visit to Jakriborg, we sought out a few more places that were on our "list". Peter likes ruins and so the motorhome rolled to the gables of Månstorp in Vellinge in south-west Skåne. Månstorp is a former manor house dating back to the Middle Ages. In the 16th century, a Renaissance castle was built here, with a five-metre high circular rampart and moat.

Borgeby Castle

We made one more stop before it was time to roll towards Landskronanamely Borgeby Castle in the municipality of Lomma. There was probably a fortress in the area as early as the 11th century and a stone house was built on the site in the 12th century. Since at least 1410 the castle belonged to the Archbishop of Lund.

The castle was burned both in 1452 and 1678, and has been rebuilt and restored several times. Today, it is home to a café and conference centre, and the place felt very pleasant with a shop, museum and canoe rental in the Kävlinge River.

More to see and do near Jakriborg

From Jakriborg you are close to both exciting Lund and to lovely Malmö. In Lund, we can recommend a visit to Lund Cathedral and a visit to the open-air museum Cultures. Nearby are also nature areas such as Skrylle, Dalby quarry and Dalby Söderskog National Park.

Facts about Jakriborg

Landscape: Skåne
County: Skåne County
Municipality: Staffanstorp
Urban centre: Cereals
Location: Near the village of Uppåkra, a few kilometres south of Lund.
Style: Inspired by pre-industrial style, Hanseatic coastal towns and medieval buildings. Jakriborg is considered a Swedish example of neo-urbanism.
Architects: Robin Manger and Marcus Axelsson
Construction of property companies: Jakri AB, founded in 1983 by Jan and Krister Berggren.
First occupation: 1999

READ MORE: Campsites and pitches in Skåne
READ MORE: Things to do in Skåne - sights and experiences
READ MORE: Holidays in Sweden - your guide to Sweden's best destinations

11 Comments

Add yours →

Marias memoarer says:

Jakriborg looks really cool, fun when someone dares to invest in something very different and also does it wholeheartedly 😊👍 The other places you visited also look very nice.

14 August 2021 - 9:00

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Very special place! We also like the idea, fun when someone dares to do something different!
  
  14 August 2021 - 16:27
  
Nils-Åke+Hansson says:

This is a major railway project between Lund and Malmö that will have 4 tracks. and part of the stretch, Åkarp-Hjärup, will be built below ground level to reduce noise disturbance, and more and better passages will be built over the tracks to increase accessibility in the communities.

14 August 2021 - 9:58

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Ah ok we understand! Thanks for the info!
  
  14 August 2021 - 16:27
  
Ninnie says:

I actually visited Jakriborg as recently as Monday! It felt like I had arrived abroad - a very cosy place! But desolate, we did not see many people and everything seemed closed and blocked. But nice to stroll around there on streets and in narrow alleys between the nice houses. Lots of flowers and trees. Seems to be a very cosy and quiet place to live, and yet so close to two major cities. We were there when we spent a few days in Lund - your hometown Helena - me and my sister. My first visit to Lund - liked the city a lot!

14 August 2021 - 10:12

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  But how funny that you were also here just now!!! We agree that there were very few people and felt a bit sleepy. We have no idea what life is like there, but it was very charming and nice! And how fun that you visited Lund - and that you liked the city!!! 🙂
  
  14 August 2021 - 16:30
  
Monica says:

How nice! And exciting and fun to see! Imagine how many different environments there are in Sweden and how much to see and experience.
Strange that it was so crowded as someone wrote about Jakriborg but may be holiday yet and accommodation elsewhere.
Glad you got tomatoes and always so nice with kindness. I, don't know if you can say it out loud or even worse write it but I think Stockholm is a pretty boring city and I like big cities but others in Europe are so much more fun and charming. And with a little less attitude ... And now that there are such nice places even here, maybe you should move people out, haha. I have long thought we should have another big city in northern Sweden.

14 August 2021 - 15:36

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Surely there is a lot to see in Sweden!!! And friendliness means a lot! 🙂 Of course you can think that Stockholm is a boring city. We actually like Stockholm and think it's a nice city, but there are lots of other nice cities and places too, both in Sweden and around Europe. That many people choose to live in the big cities is partly due to job opportunities, but maybe it can be a little easier to live elsewhere when more and more people work digitally!
  
  15 August 2021 - 7:57
  
BP says:

I remember Jakriborg very well. The neighbourhood was featured in one of "my" trade magazines, I think it was 2005 or 2006. The houses were completely innovative at the time, with different ways of considering the environment and sustainability. The architect received various awards as well. We wrote one over five pages about Jakriborg. I loved the houses then and I still do.
http://www.arkitekturupproret.se/2016/07/18/jakriborg-en-nyurbanistisk-medeltida-hansastad-utanfor-lund/

14 August 2021 - 20:43

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  How nice that you remember Jakriborg so well! And interesting to look at the article you showed! On it, there were lots of people on the streets! I guess it was in connection with some event, but it looked very different from the almost empty streets we saw now. But a fantastic little "town" it really is, I agree!!!
  
  15 August 2021 - 7:58
  
Lena - gott för själen says:

Have seen pictures of Jakri borg a number of times. So heavenly delicious place. Beautiful in some way.

Hug Lena

17 August 2021 - 6:24

Jakriborg in Skåne - inspired by the Middle Ages

Writer: Helena Bergström

Jakriborg

One night at Rovelyckan Garden & Ställplats

Trolleholm Castle

A visit to Jakriborg

The gables of Måntorp

Borgeby Castle

More to see and do near Jakriborg

Facts about Jakriborg

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11 Comments

Marias memoarer says:

Helena says:

Nils-Åke+Hansson says:

Helena says:

Ninnie says:

Helena says:

Monica says:

Helena says:

BP says:

Helena says:

Lena - gott för själen says:

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