Ornäs loft

The loft where Gustav Vasa hid away

Ornäs Loft on Ornäs farm lies in Borlänge Municipality in Dalarna. The farm is first mentioned in writing in 1368.

The loft is best known for the role it played during Gustav Vasa's adventures in Dalarna. When in 1521 Gustav Vasa was on the run from the Danes, he hid at Ornäs. Betrayed by the farm's owner Arent Persson, the future king was saved by the farmer's wife Barbro Stigsdotter and, so the story goes, he managed to avoid his pursuers by squeezing his way out through the privy.

Unique late-Medieval timber architecture

Ornäs Loft, perhaps the best example in Sweden of late Medieval timber architecture, was previously part of a major settlement.

The building was made a museum by Jakob Brandberg in 1753, which makes it Sweden's oldest museum. Ornäs Loft became a national monument in 1935.

Borlänge Municipality is now responsible for the site as a visitor attraction. As visitor numbers reach 14,000 a year, there has long been a need for better service and staff areas. With this in mind, in 1998 a competition was launched to design new premises in the form of a kiosk and service building. The winning entry came from architects J. Hidemark & M. Stintzing Arkitekter AB.

In brief

• Address: Ornäs, Borlänge
• Built: Late 15th century
• Manager: Bengt Skoglund, National Property Board, Phone +46 18 56 48 02/+46 70 211 99 10, E-mail bengt.skoglund@sfv.se

How to find your way

• Eniros map (in Swedish)

External link

Borlänge Municipality