Grangärde Church Village

On a peninsula between the two beautiful lakes Bysjön and Björken stands Grangärde Church. The very first small church was built here in the 15th century. To provide the priest with a place to live, a parsonage was also constructed.
Occasionally, the bishop would visit the church to ensure that everything was in order. A record from one such visitation mentions that the Grangärde parsonage had as many as 25 economic buildings “to meet all the needs and purposes of a parsonage.”
 

People have lived in this area for over a thousand years. On Korsnäsudden, located on the western shore of Lake Björken, there are remains of a Stone Age settlement and a burial ground from the Vendel Period.
However, it was during the 18th and 19th centuries, when the furnaces and ironworks were at their most productive and shipping was bustling, that the church village experienced its golden age.
 

In the past, transporting iron by boat was the simplest way to distribute it globally. From Grangärde Church Village, there is an extensive waterway system with five navigable lakes stretching southward. Thanks to this, the church village became one of several centers for mining in Bergslagen.
 

The old country road runs through the church village along the ridge where houses are gathered around the church. Many well-preserved miner’s farms, a manor, and even two town squares can still be found here. Around one square are shops, while the other was once the administrative center. This is where Gästgivargården stands, which also served as a courthouse and a meeting place for those governing the parish—responsible for hiring the clerk and priest, as well as maintaining the church and its properties.
Next to the parish hall is Finnstugan, where people from the Finnmark region could stay overnight when attending church.
 

Right by the lakeshore stands a large, beautiful warehouse built of slag stone. Farmers would load their grain through the front doors, and boats would pick it up from the lakeside.
 

MÅRTENS & KULLEN CHURCH PATHS
The church and priest were important in the 18th century. At least once a month, everyone had to attend church—ironmasters with their families and everyone else, including tenant farmers and day laborers from the ironworks, even if they had a long way to travel.
In summer, they used church paths, which also served as routes to work in the furnaces or forests. To keep these paths clear, nearby farms helped maintain them. In winter, the routes were shortened as they could traverse frozen waterways or marshes.
 

Facts
Grangärde Church Village is an old center for miners. The church dates back to the 15th century. Explore the village on your own; it is well signposted.
In Grangärde, two old church paths, Mårtens and Kullens Church Paths, are preserved.
Mårtens and Kullens Church Paths wind through dense forests, alongside bubbling streams, and occasionally open up to breathtaking views.
You can start from Kullen in the north or Dalkarlsberg in the west to reach Grangärde Church via Norrbo. The path is hilly and stretches 30 kilometers.