Söderbärke Church Village

According to legend, it was Saint David, the apostle of Västmanland, who built Söderbärke’s first church. He was an English monk who came to Sweden in the 11th century to spread Christianity among the people around Lake Mälaren. During the day, he wandered through villages and farms, preaching the word of God and performing many miracles.
One stormy winter day, as he was walking on the frozen Lake Barken, he suddenly fell through a hole in the ice. Gripped by fear, he vowed that if he survived, he would build a church on the headland extending into the lake. And indeed, he managed to grab hold of a log floating in the rushing water and was saved.
According to legend, Saint David kept his promise and built Söderbärke’s first small wooden church here.
 

Söderbärke Church Village is located by Lake Barken. The name Söderbärke is believed to come from the Old Norse word “barki,” meaning “throat,” referring to the narrow strait between southern and northern Barken. Farmers had already lived here since the Stone Age.
 

The beautiful current church, built in 1729, stands on the same site as the old stone church from the 14th century—on a narrow isthmus in the southern part of Lake Barken.
Like many churches in Bergslagen, Söderbärke Church was largely funded by an ironworks owner, Jacob Tersemden the Elder from Larsbo Ironworks.
 

Stepping inside and seeing the grand interior, one might wonder how such a small village as Söderbärke today could have such a large church. But in the 1600s, many Finnish settlers moved into the forests around the church village for iron trade. In the 1800s, when mining was at its peak and Strömsholm Canal had opened, the population grew so much that the church had to be expanded.
There was even a plan to turn the village, with its strategic location by Lake Barken, into a town with a central square. A city plan was drawn up, but it never came to fruition.
 

Strömsholm Canal led to the rise of several shipyards along the waterway. The most common boats here were the colorful “jakts,” roughly 15-meter-long cargo ships with sails and two masts that could be lowered to pass under the many low, non-opening bridges.
From the 1860s onward, steamships slowly replaced the jakts. The last jakt built along the canal came from the Söderbärke shipyard in 1905: *Elida.* She operated on the canal for 23 years but has rested at the bottom of Southern Barken since 1928.
By the strait separating the Barken lakes, you will also find the Baggström Estate, Söderbärke’s heritage museum. This is a traditional Bergslagen manor painted in deep Falu red. The estate’s buildings are arranged around a courtyard, where the main house and farm buildings are distinctly separated.
The main house, built around 1800, features eight rooms and a kitchen. Two of the upstairs rooms have beautifully hand-painted wallpaper and decorative overmantels.
Outside, there is also a characteristic loft barn. At an angle to the main house stands *Lill-stugan*, a 1700s cottage that has been used as both a brewhouse and a bakery.
 

FACTS
Church village, heritage museum, Paul Eriksson exhibition, handicrafts.
Open during summer with a café serving homemade goods.
The craft shop is open at the same time.
“Möljan” is a large annual market held here at the end of July.
A short walk from the estate, near the old parsonage in the former parish office, you can view an interesting collection of naïve-style wooden sculptures by local artist Paul Eriksson (1883–1939) from Saxe. A religious crisis sparked a deep Christian faith in him, and towards the end of his life, he created biblical artworks, including several altarpieces.
The church village can be visited independently—feel free to bring the walking guide available via the link below.