Eremiten and it´s owner genealogist Anneli Andersson helps people find their ancestors.  She offers workshops in genealogy for those who want to learn how to do the research themselves and also takes on research projects. Many people have found their ancestors and sometimes living relatives and have been guided to their ancestor´s homesteads and the graves in the cemeteries. Anneli is also working to collect sources for research, such as old pictures and pictures of gravestones to make it possible for more people to find their family. Anneli Andersson works at the local museum in Mellerud and could be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Lästvik is an old farm that has been in the family since the 16th century. The beautiful farmhouse, situated on a hill with a view over lake Iväg, contains unique wallpaintings from 1859 with inspiring landscapes with castles and Swedish kings in historical settings. The old storehouse for grain from 1860 now contains an art gallery with high quality art and handicraft. Both local and international artists and craftsmen from many countries show their work. In the old barn you will find beautiful clothes, both old and new, from wellknown designers on sale. One of the owner Birgit Hanson´s passions is to collect beautiful and unique clothes and jewelry. Many of the farmhouses show influences from America, since Carl, the brother of Birgit´s great grandfather, for many years was a carpenter in the country over there before he returned to the family farm. The gallery and café is open every day except Mondays in July and every weekend in August, at 2-6 pm.  

www.lastviks-sateri.se

Why not show your friends your national heritage with your jewelry. Gunnar Börjesson in Dals Ed has designed beautiful silver earrings with the shape of the Swedish mainland.  The earring SILVIA is manufactured from certified silver. Send an e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or order on the website www.sweadesign.com

The castle was built in 1304 by dukes Erik and Valdemar, the sons of Magnus Ladulås. There were then destroyed during the Engelbrekt feud 130 years later. By the Treaty of Dalaborg of 1388, the nobles proclaimed Queen Margareta Sweden's “sovereign lady and rightful ruler” and granted her the main portion of Bo Jonsson Grip's vast domains. The moat, ramparts, a terrace and the cellar of a blockhouse still survive. A model of Dalaborg before it was destroyed can be seen at the museum in Mellerud.

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People started taking the waters in Dals Rostock as early as the 18th century, but it was not until around 1770 that wellhouses and baths were built at the spring. In the mid-19th century, Dals Rostock was of a significant size and was reported to have had 60 furnished rooms. Nowadays it is a museum, and you can see interesting collections here from its well era in an authentic environment. The herb garden nearby is also well worth a visit. This is open throughout the plant season. There is also a café here.

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Learn what it looked like in the old days! The area shows both larger farm houses and small cottages from the province of Dalsland. Take a walk on the paths in one of the biggest folklore parks in Sweden on the hill high up above the town of Bengtsfors. This open-air museum shows what the larger farms looked like in northern Dalsland in the early 19th century. There are more than 20 buildings to look into and guided tours are offered.

www.gammelgarden.com

The Gäserud farmhouse is the oldest secular farmhouse in Dalsland that is still preserved. It was built in late 1600s. During the 1700s, the house was built higher and got the appearance it still has today. Since 1930, when the local history association in Håbol took care of the house, it has been restored with old building techniques. Many members of the parliament and priests have been born on this old family farm. There have also been authors, professors, musicians and artists in the family. Some of the more wellknown are the composers Wilhelm Pettersson Berger (1867-1942 born in Ed) and Wilhelm Stenhammar (1871-1927), author Anna-Maria Lenngren (1754-1817), Rosa Bågenholm Carlén,  daughter of author Emelie Flygare Carlén, and artist George Suttner (born 1922.) The house contains more than 1400 objects, collected by the local history association, such as a 8-9000 year old pick. The house is open during the summer. Visit the local tourist bureau for more information.

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Halmens Hus is the only straw museum in Sweden. Visit the permanent exhibition, which provides you with the essential background facts concerning the history of straw and straw manufacturing. There are also a few temporary exhibits. At Halmens Hus you can purchase a wide variety of beautiful straw products. In addition you can find local, high quality products, made of other common materials and techniques, such as ceramics, textiles and woodwork.

www.halmenshus.com

Karl XII museum is the oldest building in the village of Ed, build in the 18th century. It contains a large variety of objects telling us about the history of Ed. The house was once the main building on the farm Västra Ed. Stories say that the king Karl XII spent some nights in the old farmhouse but that house was destroyed in a fire afterwards. The house as it is today, was rebuilt during the late 18th century. Today the house has a folklore museum and tourist information.

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A number of rooms depict various living and working environments. Here is also a model of the old Dalaborg fort which was distroyed during the Engelbrekt feud in 1434. There are plenty of opportunities to research your family tree. The museum has parish registers on microfilm, showing the names of people who were born, married and died in Dalsland and the parishes nearby, as well as registers from parish catechetical meetings dating from the early 18th century up to the 1920s.

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The storehouse in Sikhall was built in 1874 of brick from the brick works in Sikhall. During the 1880s the farming in Dalsland expanded largely, caused by the high oats price and the export to England. The farmers went with their grain to the buyers at the storehouse in Sikhall. They then transported the oats by ship to Gothenburg. The shipping ended in 1880, when the intense farming caused smaller harvests. This resulted in famine and the large emigration to American and Norway.

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Skållerud is a red-painted wooden church on the beach of Lake Nären. The chapel is the old 16th century church, which was extended in 1679 and to which a tower was added in 1746. The soapstone font dates back to the 13th century and is of Norwegian type. The paintings on the front of the lectern and ceiling are by Erik Eriksson Grijs and date back to the late 17th century. Richly carved and colourful baroque fittings by wood carver Isak Schullström, among others. Tape recorders in the church describe it in a variety of languages.

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The first church in this place was build in the 13th century. The place is a crossroads where the different parts of the parish come together. In the cemetery are people buried who lived here from  1200 until 1900. The paintings in the ceiling are made in 1748 by Hans-Georg Schuffner. The pulpit is from the 17th century and the benches are from 1824. The organ was built by Peter Strand in 1795. People have come to church in this place for more than 700 years.  Since there is no heating the church is only used in the summertime.

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The folklore museum in Vinnsäter is a genuine Dalsland farm with the characteristic farmhouse in the center. The barn has a school museum, showing what schools looked like in 1930. Close to the farm there is a soldier´s homestead with cottage and barn and many other nice sights. The folklore museum is open every day during the summer.

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