Junibakken - Astrid Lindgren Museum in Stockholm. Description and reviews

Inside the book: The World of Astrid Lindgren Park
Astrid Lindgren was born and spent her childhood in the small town of Vimmerby, two hours drive from Stockholm. Today, the main attraction of the city is a literary theme park, in which spaces from the writer’s books are recreated. There is the village of Kathult, the castle and forest of Matisse, the castle of the dragoness Katla, the villa “Chicken”, the barn of Rasmus, the roofs of Stockholm, three houses from Bullerby. We spent the entire first day of our trip here: we fed real sheep, climbed and rolled off roofs, climbed walls and went down into the underground passages of castles, and walked around a miniature model of Vimmerby from the time of Astrid Lindgren. And of course, we watched the performances. In each of these spaces, half-hour events are played throughout the day. theatrical performances in Swedish. For our children, language did not become a hindrance - the actors’ actions were understandable without translation.

Oddly enough, it was the performances (unknown stories in an incomprehensible language) that became the most powerful impression of this day for the children. At the evening summing up of the day, everyone said this. They were amazed by the songs and dances of the robbers, and the battle with the dragon, the “real” Ida on a real flagpole and Pippi, who easily took the viewer of any age into her arms. “I was inside a book,” someone said in the evening, and the others echoed: yes, yes, I never imagined how robbers dance! Someone liked Carlson's toilet the most - it turns out that the creators of the park thought about this too, placing the restroom in a tiny extension to the house on the roof.

About melancholy, despair and death: Astrid Lindgren's estate in Vimmerby
Next to the park is the Nas estate, where Astrid Lindgren was born and raised. The writer’s sister still lives here, but most of the estate has been turned into a museum and is open to the public. Nas was one of the most important Swedish discoveries for me. Imagine an idyllic rural life: apple orchards, hundred-year-old chestnut trees (the same ones that became the prototypes of Pippi’s lemonade tree), which Astrid herself climbed both in childhood and in old age. Bees in hives, hay, streams, swings and benches, quotes from books scattered throughout the park...

Walking through a wonderful park, you notice a lonely bench in a shady corner, where there are no special “views”, but there is just a stream, just a tree and just sun in the leaves. The inscription says: this is a “bench for melancholy.” It turns out that Astrid Lindgren really valued melancholy - a feeling of both sadness and joy caused by the transience of life. And many of her books describe this feeling.

Walking a little further, you find yourself in front of a small area painted white. She looks like a bald spot on a green meadow. On this white “floor” there are five dry trunks with bare branches. This is "Despair", an installation by a contemporary Swedish artist. Books by Astrid Lindgren whose characters experience this feeling are also listed here: “Mio, my Mio”, “The Lionheart Brothers”, “Rasmus the Tramp”.

In the “children’s” books of the writer, which almost all Russian children know, there is neither melancholy nor despair. But in those of her fairy tales that are addressed to teenagers, difficult feelings and difficult situations of choice appear.

Just the other day I finished reading “Roni, the Robber’s Daughter” to the children. The last pages of the story are dedicated to the death of one of the heroes, Bald Feather: there is a description of the dying man’s appearance, a homemade coffin that accompanied Per all his life, Matisse’s grief, and a detailed, literally minute-by-minute description of the dying process itself. My children, like Roni in the book, had never had to deal with death. I didn't know how they would react to this text. “Death is not very scary,” summed up the youngest, Plato. Of course - because the great Astrid does everything right. She plunges the reader into the depths of grief and despair and then helps to emerge from this depth into the light. Yes, death is grief, and there are no words of consolation. But... “Spring always comes, regardless of whether someone has died or not.”

This is what Astrid Lindgren's estate is about; tells with texts, images, language contemporary art And museum exhibition. Perhaps this is what attracts teenage and adult audiences here. After all, her fairy tales are not only about pranks and mischief, but about a carefree childhood life with family and friends. These are also stories of growing up, becoming, finding oneself. They say that each of us has the right to despair, hopelessness, and fear. And that these feelings can be overcome. Because next to the bare trees there is a flowering meadow, and after winter spring certainly comes. Even if someone close to you couldn’t survive the winter.

Train to a distant land: Junibacken in Stockholm
Astrid Lindgren lived most of her life in Stockholm. Memorial plaques mark the houses in which she rented apartments, and on “ museum island» In the late 1990s, the children's fairy tale museum "Junibacken" was created in Djurgården. It is divided into two parts: interactive play spaces based on famous Swedish children's books (Petson's house, Mulle Meck's plane, Pippi the wooden horse and much more) and huge decorations for six of the most famous books Astrid Lindgren, past whom the viewer rides in a special open carriage (by the way, it is stylized as the trains in which Astrid herself traveled to Vimmerby). This trip is accompanied by an audio recording of the excursion. Her text, "A fabulous ride from Junibacken to Nangilima" is the last thing Astrid wrote. Published on different languages, "Fairytale Ride", short guide around the museum, sold in the museum store.

The trailer passes by Junibacken, where Madiken and Lisabeth live, past the Kathult farm, where the peasants of Småland are sitting at a huge table, soars over Stockholm and enters Carlson's house, goes down under the crib to visit little Nils Carlson, rushes past the Bear Cave in Matisse's forest ... And then the trailer drives up to Nangiyala - a fairy-tale land where children go when they die. This is how it ends last story, told by Astrid Lindgren: “The dragon Katla burned Jonathan with her fiery breath, and he could no longer move at all. Look, there they are sitting there, on the rock above the abyss. Jonathan talks about another beautiful country - Nangilim. Do you remember what Suharik did? He threw his brother on his back and jumped with him into the abyss, there, towards the light, into Nangilima.”

Dot. The journey on the Fairytale Train is over. Strange ending, isn't it? But for Astrid Lindgren it is completely natural. Because she tells children exactly this: about the possibility of getting out of the deepest dead ends, about hope, about overcoming fear.

At the very beginning of our trip, the children received work folders, on the cover of which I placed a photograph of elderly Astrid Lindgren climbing a tree. I asked the guys: who is this? What character traits might this person have? And someone said: this is Baba Yaga, only with a good smile. I think this is an accurate definition.

Read other articles by Anna Rapoport from the series “Traveling with Children”:

The Astrid Lindgren Museum in Stockholm is located on the island of Djurgården. It is in the very center of the Swedish capital. It's called Junibakken. But this museum is completely different from what we are used to. There are no decorous shelves with exhibits, no signs “do not run” or “do not touch with hands.” Children's museums in Sweden, and especially Junibakken, are completely different. They are more like entertainment centers. Everything here is dedicated to making sure the kids have fun. Children can run, jump, have fun and grab everything with their hands. This is what the writer herself wished. Therefore, Junibakken is not only dedicated to Astrid Lindgren. But let's talk about this in more detail.

Astrid Lindgren Museum in Stockholm: how to get there

The island of Djurgården has a lot of greenery. There are several museums here - for example, Vasa, dedicated to ships, and an exposition of the northern countries, where there is a real shamanic drum. All of them are located in a green area called Galerparken. Most visitors get to children's museum on foot. After all, most often tourists come there who walk around the center of Stockholm. When you get to the island, you should turn right. And there you can easily find the Astrid Lindgren Museum following numerous signs.

Books famous writer became the main topic interesting exhibition. In addition, there is a monument to her in front of the entrance. Public transport stops near the island, as well as tourist buses. And you can get to the island itself by boat (river bus). The museum is open all year round. It is open from ten in the morning to five in the evening. In July, when the white nights arrive, the exhibition is extended until six in the afternoon.

Where fairy tales live

The Astrid Lindgren Museum in Stockholm was opened in 1996. More than four hundred thousand people come here every year. The museum is a real square with street lamps, But unusual houses. The heroes of fairy tales live there. But not only Astrid Lindgren's characters have a place there. There are the Moomins, Carlson, Pippi Longstocking, and other heroes of stories created by Swedish and Scandinavian fairy tale writers, for example, the Jack of All Trades, talking kitten Findus, and many others. Children can go into any house and meet all the characters, if they are at home, of course. They are not forbidden to cook in Mummy Mama's kitchen. And here they offer little visitors to ride on roller coasters, sit on a fairy tale throne, fly on an airplane and ride a Mulle Meka scooter. Here children often read the books themselves and look at illustrations for them made by the best artists, and are a little distracted from Internet games.

Train

Of course, children do not come to this museum alone, but with their parents. And if they already know all the fairy tales by heart or visited the Astrid Lindgren Museum in Stockholm a long time ago, when they were still kids, then they help their offspring by standing in line for them on a special train. He's fabulous too. This train is considered the most interesting museum attraction. Its carriages give you the opportunity to travel to real world, created by a Swedish writer. They go up, down and turn so that little passengers can visit different scenes from the books. They are created from drawings famous artist, who was a friend of Astrid Lindgren and illustrated her fairy tales. But be aware that photography is not allowed here. During the trip, the guide reveals secrets fairyland. He speaks twelve different languages, including Russian.

Pippi Longstocking's House

After the train excursion, the Astrid Lindgren Museum in Stockholm offers another interesting place for children. This is Villa "Chicken". This famous house, where Pippi Longstocking lives. There they can ride a horse with capital letters. After all, that's her name. The horse is the embodiment of Pippi's dream. This girl has amazing physical strength, and when she drinks coffee in the garden, she carries the animal with her. The horse lives on the terrace. There is also a theater in the house called “Junibakken”. Here the actors present different fairy tales and history.

Exhibitions, shops and restaurant

The Junibakken Museum, like all institutions this kind, has many additional interesting places. These are exhibitions. Unlike permanent exhibition they change and, as a rule, are playful. The restaurant, where parents and children grab a bite to eat after a busy excursion, looks like a traveling circus. In addition, they serve an excellent raspberry drink and delicious homemade buns. And from here it opens amazing view to Stockholm and its canals. What can visitors to a place like the Astrid Lindgren Museum take away with them? Books by the writer, of course, but there are also toys, various souvenirs, films, posters.

Astrid Lindgren Museum in Stockholm: reviews

People who come to Sweden with children often come here. Many tourists, including from Russia, who visited Junibakken, write that it has one and only drawback. These are huge queues. And the Swedish mentality is such that you can’t take a seat. If for some reason you had to move away, you must stand at the end again. But in all other aspects, this museum is, according to visitors, simply a fabulous paradise for children. Here, adults can plunge headlong into the world of Scandinavian fantasy. But they feel a little sad, because they understand that they can’t get their childhood back. And the kids are just happy here. It is very difficult for mothers to take their children away from here after excursions. Children are ready to spend the whole day here and are completely delighted. The park around the museum is also very beautiful, especially in summer. Flowering trees, bushes,

Astrid Lindgren's World is a park located five kilometers from Astrid Lindgren's hometown of Vimmerby, Sweden. On its 130,000 m2 you can find famous characters from her works. All entertainment is based on the descriptions given in the books, and gives children the opportunity to immerse themselves in the beloved worlds of Pippi Longstocking, Emil from Lenneberga, Carlson, who lives on the roof, and many other favorite characters of the Swedish writer.

It was here that the famous Swedish storyteller was born and raised. “I don’t want to write for adults,” said Astrid Lindgren, and until the end of her life she was faithful to this credo. The writer completely shared the great French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s belief that all people come from childhood. Thematic amusement park “The World of Astrid Lindgren” for the little people and for all those who have childhood alive in their souls. The park is huge. It is located on an area of 8 hectares. It is divided into several zones. They are all located around a single center - a large circular street. This can be seen on the map:

Astrid Lindgren's World is open from May until the first weekend of November. During summer season performances continue all day. It all starts with a small skit at the entrance to the park and continues with the main stage shows with music, singing and dancing. But what is most appreciated by visitors is meeting their favorite characters who communicate with children in both Swedish and English.

The pearl of the park is a miniature model of some of the main streets of Wimmerbrü from the time of the writer’s childhood. All houses are playhouses, they are slightly larger than a child. The windows open, you can go into every house, and in almost every one you can see a scene from your favorite fairy tales. Small benches, lanterns, small squares, alleys... Children's world, the world of childhood.

You can also visit the world of giants and feel very, very small.

Visit the cave where the pirates hid the looted treasures...

Or in a castle...

Or find a real secret underground passage! If you see this house, inside, in the closet, there is a secret descent down into a tunnel that runs under the castle wall and goes straight into the forest.

In addition, in the park there are other places of characters from Astrid Lindgren’s works: Carlson’s house, Rasmus the tramp’s barn, Villa “Chicken” (Pippi’s house) and many others. Indeed, during her creative career, more than eighty works were published from the pen of the storyteller. Each of them is a masterpiece in its own way.

The park has a lot of attractions, but these are not the usual roller coasters and teacups. This is a huge slide that you can explore (by the way, it takes children about half an hour), various corridors, different passages, here you can walk with Carlson on the roofs... In the park you can visit a real ferry across the pond. Children can independently or with the help of a parent pull a rope and swim from one bank of the stream to the other on a wooden raft. There is also a mini-zoo where animals that live in this region of Sweden live.

This park real theater. And not only on stages (and there are many of them in the park). Performances take place every minute. The actors get used to their roles and improvise. For children, it is happiness to touch familiar and beloved characters. And when they start playing and talking with them... The star of the park is Pippi Longstocking. A real little anarchist entertains children and puts on a real show. “The work is very hard. We perform in rain or heat, 8 hours a day. But it’s a real pleasure to work with such a wonderful team,” says Lasso Johnson, who plays the role of the elderly bandit Per Coot from the fairy tale “Ronya, the Robber’s Daughter.”

The park consciously tries to avoid commercialization. Like any theme park, there are places to eat. The food here is all homemade, prepared on site, not frozen. The park's organizers are sensitive to children's food. There are 12 different cafes on the territory of the park: snack bars, ice cream, and almost restaurants. Mostly they are located near the entrance to the park. "We offer the best ice cream best brands and Pepsi, but the labels can only be seen in refrigerators and freezers; everything is sold in our own containers,” says Nils-Magnus Angantyr, the park’s general sales manager. “Several years ago we decided not to sell hamburgers in the park. We continue to sell sausages, but only because Emil, Pippi and all the other kids love them.” In addition, everywhere in the park there are trays with sweets and other little things - the delicacies of life.

A visit to the park is not the whole part of the program. You can stroll through the streets of Vimmerby itself and be surprised to learn that the wonderful town has hardly changed over a century, and the houses that are presented in the park still stand today. After strolling along the streets, you can stop by for a cup of coffee and a portion of homemade meatballs with lingonberry sauce in one of the cozy local cafes. If you wish, you can also visit the Astrid Lingren Museum in the town, which, unlike the park, is open all year round.

The writer, who gave children the amazingly charming character Carlson and the cute extravagant Pippi Longstocking, became dear to all the children of the world. It’s hard to find a family where they haven’t read Astrid Lindgren’s kind and fascinating books. The Swedish writer, like no one else, unraveled the child's soul and found a path to it. In simple words she outlined the main problems and fears of little people, reminding adults of what they once knew but forgot.

Childhood and youth

Astrid Anna Emilia Eriksson, that's what it sounds like full name writer before marriage, born in November 1907 in Sweden, on the Nes farm. The future writer spent his childhood years on the farm estate. Closeness to nature, the measured age of the “horse and convertible” contributed to spiritual openness and development creativity young Swede.

Love and harmony reigned in the Ericsson house. Astrid's parents met at the market when her mother was 7 and her father 13 years old. Children's friendship grew into sympathy, and later into love. Samuel August and Hannah had four children: the first-born son Gunnar and three daughters, the eldest of whom was Astrid Anna Emilia.

Astrid Lindgren with her parents, brother and sisters

The children were surrounded peasant life And pristine nature. The boys helped their parents with housework, and free time rushed around the outskirts of the farm in search of adventure. In the family, according to Astrid Lindgren, there was a surprisingly kind atmosphere: adults did not hesitate to show warm feelings towards each other and children, which peasant families was rare.

Little Astrid Lindgren loved listening to folklore - stories and legends that were often told to children on the farm. Astrid, who had not yet learned to read, first heard a “book” fairy tale at a friend’s house. Her mother read it to her children in the kitchen. The impressionable girl listened and became immersed in Magic world and took a long time to return to reality. Soon Lindgren learned to read and write, and reading became her favorite pastime forever. Already in primary school the future writer demonstrated literary abilities, for which she was jokingly called Selma Lagerlöf (the first Nobel laureate on literature).

After graduation high school A 16-year-old girl got a job as a junior reporter at a local periodical. 2 years later, pregnant by a married man, Lindgren left Vimmerblue and went to the capital, wanting to get lost in a city of millions where no one knew her. In Stockholm, Astrid Lindgren trained as a secretary and worked at the Royal Automobile Club before the birth of her child.

Literature

After 5 years, Astrid Lindgren, now a married lady, became a housewife. In 1941, the family, which now had two children growing up, settled in an apartment in Stockholm, from the windows of which the picturesque Vasa Park was visible. This is where the woman wrote all her works. At first, Astrid Lindgren sharpened her pen while working as a secretary. Then she became interested in writing short fairy tales and short guides for family and children's magazines.

According to the storyteller, the first character in the children's adventure story was born thanks to little Karin. A daughter with pneumonia, accustomed to mother's fairy tales at night, asked Astrid to tell the story about Pippi Longstocking. The girl made up the name of the character. Lindgren fulfilled the baby's wish and composed a fairy tale. Her daughter liked it so much that her mother extended the continuation to dozens of other evenings.

At this time, Astrid Lindgren's thoughts were occupied by heated discussions about raising the younger generation. One part of society advocated respect for the child’s personality and the necessary freedom of action, the second – for classical, puritanical education and restriction of freedom. Astrid was on the side of the “liberals” in pedagogy, which dictated the character of her Pippi.

Each subsequent short story about a freedom-loving red-haired madwoman in multi-colored stockings demanded a continuation. In five years short stories"grew" into a story. When Astrid Lindgren's daughter turned 10, her mother gave her an anniversary gift: she illustrated a manuscript of several stories about Pippi and turned it into a book.

Lindgren took the handwritten duplicate with the adventures of the red-haired daredevil to the large Swedish publishing house Bonnierkoncernen. But the publisher was in no hurry to publish a book that went beyond the usual boundaries of children's literature. After thinking, Bonierconcern returned the manuscript to Astrid. The writer was depressed, but did not give up: she saw the impression the stories about Pippi made on her daughter, and she knew for sure that she would continue to write for children.

In 1944, a Swedish writer heard about a competition held by the newly founded publishing house Raben and Sjögren. The authors were given the task of writing a book for girls. Three best essays The publishers promised to publish it. Astrid Lindgren presented the story “Britt-Marie pours out her soul” to the jury and took second place. This is how her creative biography began.

IN next year Raben and Sjögren invited Astrid to work. Lindgren gladly took the chair of editor of children's literature and worked in this position until 1970, leaving it upon reaching retirement age.

In the same happy year for the writer, 1945, Raben and Sjögren published the first book about Pippi - “Pippi Settles in the Chicken Villa.” The young Swedes liked the story so much that it was immediately sold out. Soon the work was translated into dozens of languages and sold millions of copies around the world. In 1946 and 1948, children's audiences waited for continuations of the story.

In 1946, Astrid Lindgren gave young readers a story about the adventures of detective Kalle Blumkvist. In 1951, children read the second part of Kalle’s adventures, and 2 years later the final part of the trilogy, called “Kalle Blumkvist and Rasmus,” was published. Having invented a good detective, Lindgren offered an alternative to the thrillers that had become fashionable, to which the younger generation was also drawn.

In the mid-1950s, Astrid Lindgren presented readers with the first part of the trilogy “Mio, my Mio!” This is a fabulous and sad story about a boy who was left without parental warmth. There were many orphaned children after the war, and Astrid’s mother’s heart was concerned about their fate. With her writing, she gave such children hope and consolation, helped them cope with difficulties and instill faith in a happy tomorrow.

A year later, in 1955, the first book of the trilogy about the “moderately well-fed” attic tenant Carlson and sad baby, a boy from an ordinary family, whose busy parents don’t get around to it. An infantile sweet lover with a propeller on his back flies in to entertain and console the Baby.

Illustration for Astrid Lindgren's fairy tale "The Kid and Carlson"

The book was a resounding success, comparable to the adventures of Pippi. In 1962, the second part of the trilogy was released, and 6 years later the third. Translation fairy tale story Lilianna Lungina wrote about Malysh and Carlson for Russian readers. The first part appeared 2 years after publication in Sweden, the third - in 1974.

From 1963 to 1986, Astrid Lindgren wrote a series of 6 books for children about the little tomboy, stubborn and resourceful Emil Svenson. The 6-year-old prankster regularly gets into trouble, but he is incredibly smart and often tells his father unexpected decisions in farming and business.

Another bright and loved by millions for children, Lindgren's fantasy tale “Roni, the Robber's Daughter” appeared in the early 1980s. This is an instructive and good story about children's wisdom that adults should learn from. Roni is the daughter of Ataman Mattis, who is at odds with and competes with the robber Borka, whose son Birk is growing up. The offspring of sworn enemies develop sympathy and become friends. And when their warring parents forbid them to be friends, they run away from them into the forest.

The works of the Swedish storyteller have been filmed and staged dozens of times. theater stage countries of Europe, America and Asia. The story about Blumkvist appeared on screens for the first time: the film premiered in 1947 during the Christmas holidays. Two years later, little TV viewers saw a film adaptation of Pippi’s adventures.

In the Soviet Union, Astrid Lindgren's work was widely known and loved. In 1976, the children of the USSR saw on the screens the film “The Adventures of Calle the Detective”, in 1978 – the film “Rasmus the Tramp”, 6 years later – “Pippi Longstocking” and “The Tricks of a Tomboy”. Cartoons about Carlson were released in 1968 and 1970.

Astrid Lindgren was showered with all sorts of awards during her lifetime. In 1958, she was awarded a medal, which is equivalent to the Nobel Prize in children's literature.

Personal life

Astrid Lindgren's first love turned out to be unhappy. Her lover, editor of Vimmerby magazine Axel Blumberg, was married. An 18-year-old journalist became pregnant by a man 30 years older when he was getting a divorce. And if at the trial they found out that Bloomberg had cheated on his wife Olivia, his bank account would be empty. Therefore, pregnant Astrid left the city.

In Denmark you were allowed to leave your name biological father in secret, so the young woman gave birth to a boy, Lars, in Copenhagen. Until the age of 5, Lars was raised in the family of adoptive parents, the Stevensons.

In Stockholm, Astrid met Nils Sture Lindgren. After the wedding in 1931, Lindgren took her son, and 3 years later gave birth to a daughter, Karin. Nils adopted Lars and gave him his last name. The couple lived in happy marriage 21 years old.

Death

In 1952, the writer's husband died. In 1961, my mother passed away, and 8 years later my father passed away. 1974 turned out to be tragic for Astrid: her brother and childhood friends left forever. And real grief befell the woman in 1986, when her son died.

Lindgren often thought about the mystery of leaving for another world, but, unlike her Lutheran parents, who believed in eternal life, Astrid was a supporter of agnosticism. Astrid Lindgren died in January 2002 at the ripe old age of 94.

Memory

In the year of Astrid Lindgren's death, the Swedish government established a prize in memory of the famous writer in the amount of 5 million crowns, which is awarded every year to the best children's writer. In 2016, it was awarded to Briton Meg Rosoff.
In the spring of 2015, the Swedish bank issued new series 20-krona banknotes featuring Astrid Lindgren.

The Swedes carefully protect the apartment in Stockholm where the famous writer lived and died for 60 years. The home became a museum in the winter of 2015, when Sweden celebrated Astrid Lindgren's 108th birthday.
The apartment-museum contains a souvenir dish, which was presented to Astrid in 1997.

Bibliography

1945 – “Pippi moves into the villa “Chicken””
1946 – “Pippi hits the road”
1948 – “Pippi in the Land of Merry”
1946 – “The famous detective Kalle Blumkvist”
1951 – “The famous detective Kalle Blumkvist takes risks”
1953 – “Kalle Blumkvist and Rasmus”
1947 – “We are all from Bullerby”
1949 – “Again about the children from Bullerby”
1955 – “The Kid and Carlson, who lives on the roof”
1962 – “Carlson, who lives on the roof, has arrived again”
1968 – “Carlson, who lives on the roof, plays pranks again”
1963 – “Emil from Lenneberga”
1966 – “New tricks of Emil from Lenneberga”
1954 – “Mio, my Mio”
1981 – “Roni, the Robber’s Daughter”

Who among us did not grow up with the famous collection “Fairy Tales of Scandinavian Writers” or the cartoon about Carlson? Sweden has given us perhaps the most famous children's writers in the world - Selma Lagerlöf, Elsa Beskow, Maria Gripe and, of course, Astrid Lindgren. Modern Swedish writers are also not inferior to their predecessors: the works of Ulf Stark, Annika Thor and Moni Nilsson are popular all over the world. The youngest readers are crazy about “Petson and Findus” by Sven Nordqvist.

Together with Visit Sweden we offer routes famous heroes children's books.

By places Astrid Lindgren

During her life, Lindgren managed to create about 80 works, many of which are well known and loved in Russia.
Astrid passed away in 2002, having lived long life, but only a year ago, on November 15, 2015, her apartment in the center of Stockholm became accessible to visitors. The apartment overlooking Vasa Park is located on the second floor of the building at Dalagatan 46. The spacious apartment is replete with awards, figurines, souvenirs and illustrations; there are even bookshelves in the dining room. This is where Peppy Long Stocking, Carlson and other Lindgren heroes, who thundered throughout the world, were born.

But despite the fact that Astrid Lindgren was a children's writer, you can only visit her apartment from the age of 15. The fact is that the heirs want to preserve the atmosphere as it was during the writer’s life, and most children’s museums in Stockholm are interactive and allow you to touch everything that the child can reach. In addition, getting there is not so easy: tours are led by members of the Astrid Lindgren Society on a volunteer basis, and there are not many visits, so it is worth booking in advance.

Apartment Astrid Lindgren

Official website: Astrid Lindgren Society
Address: Dalagatan 46
Price: SEK 150 (approx. EUR 15)
Tour duration: about 30 minutes

Walking with Carlson

Where is this street that we have heard about since childhood? Here's what Lindgren writes:
“Carlson lives very close to my house, on the other side of the park, which is under my windows. This is Vulkanusgatan street, 12. My life began there family life. And when I began to write about him, I only thought about the roof of the house where my husband and I lived as newlyweds. Above us, on the floor above, there was a balcony - that’s where I first saw it. Even now he flies in to see me any time he wants, and we chat about this and that.”

Alas, Carlson’s house on Vulkanusgatan street does not exist - verified by Russian tourists. But it’s still possible to walk on the rooftops of Stockholm somewhere in the neighborhood of a moderately well-fed person in the prime of his life: not so long ago, enterprising excursion organizers conducted a trip along the rooftops on Riddarholmen - the island of knights, which is about half an hour’s walk from the place indicated in book. The view from there will be much more interesting.

At an altitude of 43 meters above the old parliament building in the historical part of the city, you can admire the views of Stockholm for almost 1.5 hours. You will be provided with special equipment and safety instructions.

Still from the cartoon "Kid and Carlson (1968)"

Journey across the rooftops to Riddarholmen

Official website: takvandring.com
Address: Norra Riddarholmen 5, Stockholm
Price: SEK 595
Tour duration: about 80 minutes
Conducted in several languages, including English and Russian

Sweden's book heart - Jynibakken Museum

One of the most important children's book museums in the world has been open for 20 years now. Of course, it is primarily dedicated to the legacy of Astrid Lindgren, but at her own insistence it included literary heroes and other Scandinavian writers. It is also located in the historical part of the city on the island of Djurgården, next to the Vasa ship museum and the world's largest ethnographic museum under open air in Skansen park. If museums are not enough for you and your child, then you can also find the Nordic Museum nearby.

Unibakken is a name invented by the writer for her heroine Madiken from the book of the same name. Inside the seemingly small building, a huge children's world awaits you: first you will take a train ride past stunning paintings from Astrid Lindgren's books based on illustrations by Björn Berg (remember how Emil lifts little Ida up the flagpole?) and (she often designed Lindgren's books, but in Russia is known only from a small collection of poems “You are the most beloved of all!”).

Junibakken Museum

The journey will be accompanied by a story about its characters from Astrid Lindgren herself - the audio is recorded in 12 languages, including Russian (Astrid herself reads Swedish, but you can ride the train in entrance ticket only once: once again for an additional 20 CZK). The text “Fairytale Ride” was the last thing Astrid Lindgren wrote in her life. By the way, the director of the museum himself rides this train almost every day.

The train will take you to Fairy Tale Square, where guests will find the signature blue and red house of the Finnish neighbors Moomins, the workshop of old man Petson and his cat Findus, the motorcycle of Mulle Mek - a skilled person, the inquisitive cow Mama Mu, the giant orange of Elsa Beskow, and much more .

A separate hall is reserved for performances - here you will find a two-story villa “Chicken”, which adults can also climb into with pleasure, the famous faithful horse Pippi - a horse covered in dapples, and a beautiful view of the Nybroviken canal in floor-to-ceiling windows.
Not all exhibitions here are permanent - perhaps on your next visit you will meet new characters from children's books.

Junibakken Museum

Junibakken cafe

After exploring the museum, refresh yourself at Junibakken's atmospheric café, which offers traditional Swedish meatballs and cinnamon buns, as well as gluten-free, casein-free and vegetarian options.

Monument to Astrid Lindgren

It is absolutely impossible for a real book lover to ignore the largest children's bookstore in Sweden, right there: best books in different languages (and in Russian), character clothing, calendars, toys, posters. It will be difficult to leave empty-handed.
To say goodbye to this beautiful place, you can take a photo with the monument to the famous writer, which also stands next to Junibakken.

Official website: junibacken.se
Address: Junibacken Galärvarvsvägen 8, Stockholm
Price: children under 2 years old - free, children 2–15 years old - SEK 139, adults - SEK 159
Opening hours: daily, 10:00–18:00 (July to August 16), 10:00–17:00 (August 17 to December and April - June); from January to March the museum is closed

We are all from Vimmerby

For a complete immersion in the world of Astrid Lindgren, feel free to go to Vimmerby, which is about 300 kilometers from Stockholm. You can get there by train in 3.5 hours. Why there? Despite the fact that almost all of my adult life Lindgren lived in Stockholm, and many of her books were based on warm memories of her childhood, which the writer spent on a farm in Vimmerby in the province of Småland.

Cover of the book “We are all from Bullerby”

By the way, the founder of the IKEA concern Ingvar Kamprad and the lead singer of the ABBA group Agneta Fältskog were born in Småland (and the consonant “Bullerby” is translated from Swedish as “noisy village”).

Lindgren's childhood home

Here, in Vimmerby, where the writer spent her childhood, her house has been preserved, open to the public since 2007. Next door to it is now the headquarters of Astrid Lindgren's legacy on the Näs estate. There you can not only look into Astrid's childhood home, but also enjoy the beautiful garden and dine in the restaurant.

Astrid Lindgren's childhood home

Lindgren's childhood home. Illustration by Elon Wikland

Official website: astridlindgrensnas.se
Address: Prästgårdsgatan 24 S-598 36 Vimmerby
Admission: adults - SEK 170, pensioners - SEK 150, students - SEK 140, children 0-15 years old - free admission

Park "The World of Astrid Lindgren"

For children in Vimmerby there is a real paradise - a whole entertainment park of heroes “Astrid Lindgren’s World”, which has existed since 1981.

Here you will find a tiny town with streets and lanterns, as it was 100 years ago, a mini-zoo (there are many animals in Lindgren’s works) and several attractions (here you can also climb on Carlson’s roofs), of course, the “Chicken” villa and a large theater an open-air area where productions of Lindgren’s works are constantly shown.

The children's park is open during the warm season from mid-May to the end of August, and opens on weekends from September to November. And those who travel from afar can stay in cozy guest houses.

Astrid Lindgren Heritage Headquarters

Park "The World of Astrid Lindgren"

Official website: alv.se
Address: Vimmerby, Småland, Sweden
Price: children under 2 years old - free, children 3–12 years old - SEK 185, adults - SEK 260, pensioners 65+ - SEK 155; autumn: children - 95 SEK, adults from 15 years - 155 SEK
How to get there: for example, by train: Stockholm - Vimmerby, with one change in Linkoping, travel time - 3.5 hours, approximate cost - 85 euros

Detective places in Sweden

But it’s not only in Stockholm and Vimmerby that Lindgren’s heroes meet. For example, the famous detective Kalle Blumkvist and his true friends lived in the city of Lilkoping, which is located 290 kilometers southwest of Stockholm and 110 kilometers northeast of Gothenburg. It would be possible to make a map of the hero’s routes, as modern publishers of children’s detective stories by the Petrini twins did based on the books of Morten Sanden - alas, not translated into Russian. Following their adventures in 20 volumes there are three routes: in Stockholm, Lund, where the author himself grew up, and in Österlen.

By the way, Jan Olof Ekholm, who is mainly known for “Tutte Karlsson” and “Ludvik the Fourteenth”, for a long time worked only in the detective genre and in 1975 was elected chairman of the Swedish Detective Academy.

And fans of the dark detective trilogy “Millennium” by Stieg Larsson, as well as its acclaimed Hollywood film adaptation by David Fincher with Daniel Craig in leading role, can go on a literary excursion to the island of Södermalm to look at the house of Mikael Blomkvist, visit the cafes mentioned in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and, of course, look at the informal hacker Lisbeth Salander, on whose apartment door, by the way, there is a sign V. Kulla, i.e. “Villa Chicken”.

The house of the main character Mikael Blomkvist

For those who want to take a walk through Larsson's places on their own, the Stockholm Museum has published a detailed illustrated “Millennium Map”. You can buy it for 40 crowns in almost every city kiosk. There are even maps in Russian at the airport and museum.

You can book a two-hour tour at the museum: stadsmuseum.stockholm.se
Preliminary cost: 150 euros

To the village to grandpa Petson

We and our parents grew up with Lindgren, but the main modern children's book characters in Sweden can be called farmer Petson and his restless kitten Findus in the famous green pants. A series of books about them is written by Sven Nordqvist, who also draws detailed illustrations that can be looked at for hours. In total, the world knows more than a dozen stories that have fallen in love with Russian readers over the past 10 years. Cartoons are made based on the book, plays are staged, cooking and crafts are done.

Sven Nordqvist recently celebrated his 70th birthday, annually receives prestigious book awards and actively takes part in the creation of the interactive space of Pettson and Findus, like Lindgren's.

In addition to the Pettson house itself in Junibakken, the heroes also have a small mansion on a farm in Julita, which is part of the heritage complex of the Nordic Museum. Nordkvist helped decorate his character's house - he made furniture for the living room and Petson's handicraft workshop.

True, you won’t be able to celebrate Christmas in Petson’s house - you can catch the heroes mainly in the warm summer period from June 13 to August 14, but at this time you can certainly try the signature pancakes under Viennese waltzes, feed the chickens and look for the mysterious mukles.

Pettson's house in Junibakken

Official website: nordiskamuseet.se
Price: adults - SEK 100, children/teenagers 0-18 years old - SEK 20 (from 13 June to 14 August, free on other days)
How to get there: Julita is located on Lake Oljaren, about 25 km northwest of Katrineholm Södermaland

Island in the sea and skerries of Gothenburg

Another of modern Sweden's leading writers is Annika Thor, whose tetralogy about refugee girls Steffi and Nelly, sheltered and rescued from Jewish pogroms by neutral Sweden during World War II, was included in school curriculum Sweden.
Annika Thor was born and raised in Gothenburg, and, despite the fact that she now lives in Stockholm, the heroines of her books ended up in a seaside fishing village closer to Gothenburg. This is how it is described in the book:

“The steamer stopped at a wooden pier. Along the shore stood rows of painted White color fishing barges with low masts and swollen sides. Along the pier there were red and gray boat sheds facing the sea. Behind them could be seen low houses painted in light colors. The houses seemed to be built right on the rocks. An endless leaden-gray sea stretched out before them. Dark clouds were akin to the ceiling above the floor of the sea. Brown rocks in the skerries protruded above the surface of the water. The waves crashed against them, scattering shreds of white foam. In the distance a dark red sail appeared, reaching from the water to the heavens. Behind him the horizon was visible as a bright stripe.”.

Skerries are archipelagos consisting of many stone islands. Some of them look out of the water only with their tops, others are so large that small fishing villages are located on them. Directly from the city center from the port of Lilla Boomen, ships leave for a walk along the skerries. Typically such a journey lasts about three hours. Gothenburg is located at the mouth of the Göta River, but it is not difficult to get to the sea beaches: by public transport you can reach any of them in just 20 minutes. Take tram number 11 and get off at the Saltholmen terminus, where you will find a picturesque typically Scandinavian beach in the skerries. Boats also depart from Saltholmen to the islands.

Free admission
Website: sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slottsskogen Address: DOVHJORTSSTIGEN 10 413 11 Gothenburg, Sweden

To the Swedish south with wild geese

If you are planning big Adventure across Sweden, you can visit the places of Selma Lagerlöf and Nils with wild geese, because the book was originally conceived as a fascinating textbook on the geography of Sweden for students junior school. But “Nils” is published quite rarely in Russian without abbreviations, often omitting the abundance of geographical details of the Swedish suburbs. And yet, this does not prevent you from visiting the city where the journey of the famous lazy and poor student Nils begins - this is Karlskrona in the very south of Sweden.

There you can easily meet characters from the chapter “Bronze and Wood” who have real prototypes. “Bronze” - monument to King Charles XI:

“...Nils looked around. At this late hour there was not a single person in the square, except for the person bronze statue, standing on a high stone pedestal. “Who could it be?” thought Nils, pacing around the cabinet. Bronze looked very important - a long camisole, shoes with buckles, and a cocked hat on his head. He put one leg forward, as if he was about to step off the pedestal, and in his hand he held a thick stick. If it weren't made of bronze, he probably would have used this stick long ago. It was written on his face that he would not let anyone down: his nose was hooked, his eyebrows were furrowed, his lips were pursed..."

“Wooden” - sculpture by Mate Hindiksson Rosenbom:

“...This man was made of wood from head to toe. And he had a wooden beard, and a wooden nose, and wooden eyes. The wooden man had a wooden hat on his head, a wooden jacket tied with a wooden belt on his shoulders, and wooden stockings and wooden shoes on his feet. The wooden man had one cheek red and the other gray. This is because the paint had peeled off on one cheek, but was still holding on to the other. A wooden plank hung on his wooden chest. Beautiful letters, decorated with various curlicues, it was written on it: “Passerby!” I stand humbly on your path. Place a coin in a mug - and you will be in heaven! “In his left hand, Derevyanny held a large mug - also wooden...”

Monument to King Charles XI

Sculpture by Mate Hindiksson Rosenbom

The sculpture is made of wood, there is also a piggy bank - it is under the hat.
Not long ago, a tiny monument to Nils was erected - on a pedestal he seems to be running out of Lagerlöf’s book, and the height of the figure is only about 10 centimeters.

Lagerlöf herself grew up on Morback's estate in Värmland. She lost the estate because she went bankrupt, but she managed to buy back the family home thanks to the fee from the Nobel Prize (the first time awarded to a woman) and lived there until the end of her days. Now her villa is open to visitors (among the exhibits you can find a map of Nils's journey with the wild geese).

In the café you can enjoy homemade cakes and juice from the Lagerlöf farm, and you can also purchase Lagerlöf's works in the Morback bookstore. However, you can only visit the estate as part of a group.

Address: Morbaka 42
Price: adults - 125 CZK, children (5–15 years old) - 50 CZK, students - 105 CZK, family (2 adults + 2 children) - 300 CZK, groups (per person) - 90 CZK.

Sama Lagerlöf estate in Värmland

The nature of Sweden can be studied for a long time using brilliant atlases about trees, berries, mushrooms and flowers, which were written by another outstanding Swedish writer - Stefan Kasta. The ant Sophie acts as a guide to the world of flora. And the book “All Year Round” by Lena Anderson and Ulf Svedberg will help answer a thousand children’s questions about the animals and plants of Sweden, the guide in which will be the girl Maya in funny round glasses - you will definitely find her doll in Junibakken.

In the material, we did not cover Nangiyala, mentioned in Lindgren’s works, where the Lionheart brothers go, the distant country where Bosse-Mio fled, and the forest lands of Ronya the Robber, but you can only get there in your dreams. In addition, these countries very vaguely resemble Sweden.