Smedstorp  

2007-05-30

This is a short summary made when the website was created in 2007.

But on the right of the page you will find links to a full description of the trail in English

Some Facts On The Name Smedstorp

Smedstorp is situated in the municipality of Tomelilla, some 15 km west of the town of Simrishamn. Smedstorp is a small village with approximately 350 inhabitants; the parish of the same name extends beyond the village itself to the surrounding farms and hamlets, and Smedstorp is also a postal district covering an even larger area.

On 1 January 2002 the current parish of Smedstorp was formed from the amalgamation of six small parishes Kverrestad, Smedstorp, Östra Ingelstad, Bollerup, Tosterup and Övraby.

The postal district of Smedstorp covers a geographical area that stretches beyond the village and the parish.

This website, www.smedstorp.se, focuses to a large extent on the actual village, but under the headings Företag ("Businesses") and Konst- och konsthantverk ("Arts and handicrafts") you will find all the companies, craftsmen and artists that have Smedstorp as their postal address.

Some General Information About The Village
of Smedstorp

Geographically Smedstorp is situated right in the middle of the area called Österlen, the south-east corner of Sweden. This area is bounded by Brösarp to the north, Simrishamn to the east, Tomelilla to the west and Sandhammaren to the south.

Smedstorp may be a small village but it is full of life, with many of its 350 inhabitants also working here. Smedstorp has a school, which boasts a day-care centre and a pre-school group in addition to classes from grade 1 to grade 6. Buses bring pupils from nearby villages. The school also houses the public library and next door is the outdoor public swimming pool.

It is easy and convenient to live in Smedstorp. We have a village shop which stocks a wide assortment of food and other products, as well as providing certain postal services. And If you need something that they don´t stock, they will order it for you. Home delivery can be arranged if needed.

The three hairdressers have quite a large and loyal customer base, and you are advised to make appointments in advance.

Smedstorp has a railway station, and commuting to Simrishamn and Ystad, and from Ystad on to Malmö and Copenhagen, is easy. There are up to 12 daily train departures in each direction.

The village hall is run and administered by the Smedstorp Village Society. The village hall is available for hire, and hosts a lot of activities, such as the traditional New Year´s Eve party and the Thursday luncheon for the retired people from the village and round about.

There is also a fire station with two fire engines. It is operated by the village´s voluntary fire brigade and each Monday at 16.10 the fire alarm sounds across the village and fields, as it is tested.

Every summer on the first Friday in July, the travelling merchants come to Smedstorp for the annual Smedstorp Fair. Local societies and associations arrange bric-a-brac stalls and jumble sales, and a traditional countryside auction. A small amusement park also sets up on the site.

Smedstorp is a vibrant and growing community; at present there are 22 lots for sale in and around the village which have been prepared and approved for housebuilding.
More information can be found on Tomelilla municipality´s webpage, www.tomelilla.se. Under the heading "Välj Ort" select "Smedstorp".

Public Transport

It is easy to get to Smedstorp by public transport. Malmö is just over an hour away by train and you can get to Lund in about the same time by bus. Copenhagen is just a quick, smooth train change away from Malmö over the bridge, and from there, Europe is your oyster. All shuttle services from Malmö to Copenhagen stop at Copenhagen International Airport before reaching the Danish capital´s central station.

The Simrishamn - Ystad stretch of railway was upgraded to take electric trains in 2003, and further substantial improvements were made to the track during 2005/2006. There is plenty of parking space available at Smedstorp station, and the newly-renovated area around the station makes commuting both pleasant and easy. The shuttle services are called "Pågatåg", and Pågatåg train number 6 that runs between Malmö and Simrishamn stops at Smedstorp station up to 12 times a day in each direction.

The "Skåneexpressen" bus (Number 5) goes between Lund and Simrishamn. It stops at the junction with the main road (Road No.11) on the edge of the village. There is park-and-ride car parking adjacent to the bus stop. The bus stops at Smedstorp 11 times on weekdays and 4-5 times on weekends.

For up-to-date timetables and other questions regarding public transport, contact Skånetrafiken www.skanetrafiken.se

History
Traces From Ancient Times

A large number of archaeological finds have been made at a location on a rise on the outskirts of Smedstorp called "Gårdlösåsen". Investigations of the area in 1949 led to the discovery of a young girl´s grave, which contained jewellery as well as the emains of the girl. The most famous piece is a silver item from the Third Century with inscriptions of letters from the oldest written language in this part of the world. The young girl was given the name "The Silver Girl". In the vicinity of the grave the remains of 56 houses have been found, dating back to between the Fifth and Tenth Centuries.

The Manor

The history of the village is closely linked to that of Smedstorp Manor. The manor house and grounds, which form one of the oldest large estates in the province of Skåne, are rich with old history. In the Fourteenth Century the estate belonged to the Danish family of Bing. In the latter part of the Sixteenth Century Anders Keldsen Bing built the manor house as we know it. After Anders Keldsen Bing´s death in 1589 the estate had a number of different owners. Eventually it was bought by one of the most noble men in Denmark, Joakim Gjersdorff. After the peace treaty of Roskilde between Denmark and Sweden in 1658, Gjersdorff sold all his estates to the king of
Denmark. In the year 1660 Smedstorp estate, with its castle, was one of 18 large estates in the southern parts of Sweden which were handed over to Sweden from Denmark in exchange for the island of Bornholm. The estate of Smedstorp then became a Swedish royal estate and for a long time served as home for persons with very high rank within the Swedish army.

Following a fire in 1930 only the main building of the manor is left, a two-storey house built in grey stone. Today the estate is privately owned and is not open to the public.

The Church

The church is situated close to Smedstorp Manor, and indeed it is likely that it was once a church belonging to the manor estate. During the 1860s the old medieval church was demolished and a new one was built. The new church was ready in 1867.
There is an impressive sculpture in the church, which was made to commemorate Anders Bing, the founder of Smedstorp Manor. The sculpture is considered to be one of the strangest pieces of art of the Nordic Renaissance; it is made out of blackstone, sandstone, marble and alabaster. There is also an altar in the church dating back to the 1590s.

Local myth says that there is a secret tunnel connecting the church
with the manor house...

The Railway

In the 18th Century there were only a handful of houses in the village of Smedstorp, inhabited mostly by craftsmen and farm workers owning no land. At this time the main road passed through the royal estate of Smedstorp, i.e. Smedstorp Manor estate.

During the early 19th Century more small houses were built. With the passing of the Farming Act in 1842 the fairly poor soil south of the main road started to be farmed, and by 1930 all land south of the main road had become farmed land.

In 1882 a privately owned railway service was in place and started a Simrishamn - Tomelilla service. The station of Smedstorp was built on a piece of land that previously had been grazing land for cattle - and the only house in the vicinity was a small cottage where a soldier lived. The railway and station attracted more people; more
houses were built and the village grew fast. In 1896 the railway company merged with the Tomelilla - Malmö railway - and thus direct access to Malmö from Smedstorp by train was introduced. The same year saw the constitution of the municipality of Smedstorp, and Smedstorp itself was given the status of a town - even though it was not a town per se. Smedstorp became the centre of the region.

At the turn of the century there were approximately ten stores in the town and around forty other businesses and craftsmen, including a distillery, a brewery and a dairy. The small original station building was torn down and replaced by an elegant new station in 1912 - which is the station house still standing today. Smedstorp remained an independent municipality until the passing of the Municipalities Act in 1972.

The Hero

In1859, member of the Swedish parliament Ola Månsson from Smedstorp emigrated, or rather fled, to the United States of America. He was facing a jail sentence due to financial troubles and marriage problems. He left Sweden with his 21-year-old mistress and their newly born son Karl-August, abandoning his wife and their seven children.

Månsson changed his name to Lindbergh and his son Karl-August assumed the more American sounding name Charles August. Charles August studied Law and was a member of Congress in the USA between 1907 and 1917. His son, Charles A. Lindbergh, born 4 February 4 1902, made the first ever non-stop crossing of the Atlantic in a single-seated aeroplane on 20-21 May 1927, thus becoming one of the greatest heroes in the history of aviation.

For those who would like to read more about Smedstorp, the following books are recommended (all in Swedish).

To Do
outdoor Swimmingpool

The newest outdoor swimming pool in the municipality of Tomelilla is located in Smedstorp. The pool is 25 metres long and there is also a toddlers´ pool. There are areas for playing and games, and when the facility is open (June-August) there is a small kiosk selling ice-cream, sweets and coffee.