Finnish farm Ritamäki

Open every day. 11.00 - 18.00
from june to last of august.

For booking and info call
Bodil Nordquist 
0730-53 68 42

Map

Ritamäki (Ritaberg on Swedish) lies 1 kilometre from the Norwegian boundary.

From the church in Lekvattnet, follow the rising road southwest, approximately 6 kilometres where a small road joins to the west at Lomstorp. In front of the most northern point of Lake Lomsen lies a path going northwards 2 kilometres through the forest up to the farm.

When one comes up the mountain slope, you will find a settlement in an opening in the forest. As you approach, you will see the gray buildings silhouette against the sky: the smoke house, the beast house, the barn and the sauna. The smoke house is similar to the one in Kvarntorp, but is smaller and lacks the Swede part. The house is of the smaller type with only a big smoke room and a small stove of the ordinary model.

The smoke house is dominated by the big smoke oven; when it was used the smoke poured out from the oven opening and stayed up under the roof; when necessary, the smoke was released out through an opening in the roof. It is remarkable that the oven was used this way until the last owner moved in 1964. In other respect, the house is furnished with old -style furniture. Modern facilities, such as running water and electricity have never been installed. The other buildings are entirely unchanged and contain old household utensils and tools. 

All buildings are of unchanged timber. Ritamäki gives therefore an unique and extraordinary picture of a Forest-Finn Farm in past times. Ritamäki is the best preserved Forest-Finn Farm in Värmland. Ritamäki lies on a hill in an opening in the forest, and this location with cleared woodland around the farm were typical for the Finnish settlement. The farm was donated to the rural culture society by the last owner Henrik Jansson. Since 1967, it has been registered as an historic building according to the law of 1960 and will be preserved unchanged for the future.