Back in the 17th century, it was very peaceful in the Nacka area in Stockholm. There were a few summer stugas, but the only roads were tracks through the woods and meadows and the only traffic were horses and carts. Except on the water. There were row boats and sailing ships there but that was it. There was a lot of wildlife including those modern strangers, songbirds.
In around 1740, the wealthy merchant Claes Grill* and his cousin and wife, Anna Johanna, hired the Stockholm born architect, Carl Hårleman to build them a summer stuga in the Nacka area, a place called Svindersvik.
In 2025, there are roads, cars, high rise flats, noise, all the trappings of the civilised. And there is very little birdsong. There are a few ducks down by the water and the usual crows picking at the almost finished plates of café visitors, but that’s it.
If you are deaf, a visit to Svindersvik viewed from the right direction, would be like a glimpse into the past. I’m not deaf, so I found the traffic noise all pervasive and very annoying. I think the silence of Trosa has spoiled me.
Anyway, the reason I’m talking about Svindersvik is because we visited it today. It’s a part of the Nordiska Museet collection of properties.
The house was built for the summer months when Claes and Anna Johanna decided it was too hot, and the tourists were too predominant, on Gamla Stan, where they lived for the other three seasons. They would pack up their summer gear and the servants and head off, out of the city.
They were quite keen on the Rococo period if the house is anything to go by. Or maybe Carl the Architect was. It’s a bit swirly for me, but at least it’s not Baroque.
That makes the house sound a bit la-di-da but it’s far from it. Like most summer stugas, Svindersvik was quite plain. Well, if you ignore the hand painted wallpaper in each room.
Actually, the stuga is quite modest. There’s only four rooms and a vestibule, and no upper floor. Okay, there is a staircase that leads up to a room that contains a very old billiard table, but, that’s it.
Along with the wallpaper, most impressive was the dining room with eight doors and the extendable bed oin the bedroom. Especially the bed because it looked quite tiny. I know the average height of people was shorter in the 18th century but the bed would dangle a 12 year olds legs, let alone a fully-grown successful merchant and his cousin/wife.
The summer stuga is not the only building on the property. There is also the kitchen and the pavilion. The kitchen, for obvious reasons was far enough away to allow only kitchen staff to burn if a fire broke out. It comprises a couple of rooms and the world’s biggest skafferi. I was dead jealous.
But the biggest surprise came when we entered the Pavilion. Seriously, an audible gasp was heard from everyone as the door opened and we stepped through.
Originally, it was built when the Grills lived there but no-one knows what it was used for or why. Then, in the 1780’s, when Baroness Catharina Charlotta De Geer moved in, she turned it into a magnificent ballroom with guest bedrooms off to the sides. She only used the stuga for seven years because she died.
A very impressive feature of the pavilion is the tiled fire place which, the guidebook claims, is one of the tallest in Sweden. And, yes, it’s easily the biggest I’ve ever seen.
Of course, the entire tour was in Swedish, but we were given very helpful Guide Notes in English which made things an awful lot easier for us.
All in all, we had a lovely time at Svindersvik. If you ignore the noise and smell of the traffic and the unexpected appearance of Miss Cranky Pants for a bit. And can I just say that, while we had to wait a long time for them, the ham and cheese rolls made fresh at the Svindersvik café are delicious. If anyone reading this is lured to visit, try one, you will not be disappointed.
And, talking about food, tonight we were back on the International Cuisine Quest. At first we thought we’d found a British pub with real British food (sausages and mash, for instance which is a personal favourite) and, to be fair, we did find it only the kitchen closed shortly before we arrived. We had a couple of drinks then decided to try the really, really popular restaurant across the road from the flat.
Every night, there is a queue at Dersch. I tried to book for dinner but every slot had ‘Waiting list’ written on it unless you wanted to eat at 9-9:30pm. Having missed out at the British pub, we decided to give it a shot at Dersch. And were shown a table straight away and had the most delicious schnitzel served with really nice mashed potato.
So that takes our international tally to nine: Spanish, Peruvian, French, Italian, Thai, Greek, Lebanese, Japanese and Austrian. Who knows what tomorrow may bring?
* Incidentally, Claes died on my birthday, back in 1767. And he only had one eye, which is why he only ever allowed his portrait to be painted from the left side only.
