Herrsäter Major's Residence

Bese, Bielke and Ulfsparre

Herrsäter farm lies between Linköping and Åtvidaberg in the County of Östergötland. Herrsäter was called Häradssäter as recently as the mid-seventeenth century and initially, in the mid-fourteenth century, was a village of several farms with various owners. Herrsäter was exempt from Crown taxation from the end of the fifteenth century, when its owner was probably the knight and privy councillor Johan Stensson Bese. His daughter Gunilla inherited the property and married the knight and privy councillor Erik Turesson Bielke. Herrsäter then continued to be inherited by the Bielke family. However, in 1605 Herrsäter was brought more under crown control and two years later was granted to governor Erik Jöransson Ulfsparre.

New main building from revised plan

1684 saw the property fully reclaimed by the crown as part of its process of land recovery. Herrsäter became a Major's Residence for the Second Life Grenadiers regiment. A new main building was constructed around 1820, following Anders Petter Boman's revisions to his standard plan for a colonel's residence. Boman's first version of a colonel's residence was designed with two floors.

Herrsäter was instead built on one floor with four rooms in the attic. Compare this with Frövi Colonel's Residence, which was built according to the unrevised design. From 1833 Herrsäter was used as the first Major's Residence.

Buildings from different times

The farm buildings were constructed in the twentieth century, with the exception of the cowshed, which is from 1874. The characteristic round barn at one end of the cowshed was added later, in 1911. The detached wing was probably built in the eighteenth century, but has undergone extensive changes since then. The main building still contains many original features - original tiled stoves, door and window joinery, etc. Herrsäter is now a tenant farm with a focus on milk production.

Herrsäter has been a national monument since 1993.