Kungsgården Långvind (“King’s Mansion”) is a Hälsingland farmhouse (“Hälsingegård”) in the ironworks environment of Långvind, the only one of its kind in Hälsingland – and the world.
Kungsgården Långvind is one of Långvind’s oldest buildings. The farmhouse was previously the residence for four blacksmith families. The building stands at one end of the alley (picture) leading to the central part of the ironworks and the Baltic Sea.
Today the farm is a private hotel (bed and breakfast, B&B), part of the Swedish Tourist Association (STF). The Easterhouse (Österhuset) has a conference room for smaller group and five of the hotel rooms.
Kungsgården has probably been in Långvind since the early 1800s, perhaps even earlier. The house was until the mid-1890s standing next to the Långvind manor, in what was to become the manor park in 1896.
When the house was standing next to the manor, it was Kungsgården – not the manor – which had the ironwork‘s mansion clock, which shows the importance of the house.
When the Långvind manor was rebuilt in the mid-1890s – and got a county setting with English park, pond and gazebo – it didn’t want a simple blacksmith house as next neighbour.
The Långvinds bruk owner at that time, Wilhelm August Söderhjelm, decided that the house should be moved. He pointed out the farmhouse’s new location – the hill between the Långvind stream and the road to the ironworks – and named in “Kungsgården”.
Wilhelm August Söderhjelm chose a good place for the house.
Even before the farm got its present location, the bicentennial ironworks era was coming to an end. Långvind continued with farming and forestry, with Kungsgården as housing for farm workers and lumberjacks.
It’s been said for a long tome, that the Långvind manor was a former royal estate (“kungsgård”) relocated from the neighbouring parish of Norrala, which since the Middle Ages has been the seat of one of Norrland’s six royal estates. Research from the early 2000s shows that Långvind manor has never been moved – and that the oldest log was from 1799.
Anders Franzén, building experts and cultural historian from Uppsala, has literally drilled into the manor’s history. The analysis of the many drill samples shows that the mansion was built with new timber from Hälsingland forests in the years 1799–1805.
The rumor that Långvind houses a royal estate, however, can be quite accurate. But it’s Kungsgården – not the Långvind manor – which may have a history as a royal estate, something also Anders Franzén thinks is likely. He also gives an explanation: with time the fine heritage was transfered from the simple farmhouse to the Långvind manor.
Text and photo:
Jörgen Bengtson
Updated February 12, 2025