Skattungbyn is a small village located outside Orsa in Dalarna. Situated on top of the large Siljan crater, the village offers a magnificent view of vast, deep forests stretching for miles. Small winding roads lead down into the valley where the Ore River rushes through.

The Village's Folk High School Course

"The Skattunge Course" which is part of Mora Folk High School, has attracted many people since its inception in the late 1970s. Many have chosen to stay in the village to pursue farming or start projects within the local community.

In the village, in addition to the folk high school, there is an independent school, a cooperatively owned country store, and the small eco-shop Slåttergubben, which is run on a volunteer basis by a purchasing cooperative. Skattungbyn also has a large freeshop at Hansensgården, which has served as the village’s community center and meeting place for many years. Activities at Hansensgården slowed down during the pandemic, but the freeshop has now reopened and is run by volunteers.

Many non-profit associations collaborate in Skattungbyn, including the cultural associations Lyran and ECCE, Bystugan, the Water Association, and the Village Development Association, to name a few.

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For many years, Skattungbyn has hosted an epic music festival called Inspirationsfestivalen, attracting musicians and workshop leaders from near and far. I have personally performed children's theater and played at the festival three times.

Inspirationsfestivalen film

Links to active projects i Skattungbyn:

https://skattungbyn.se/

I first came to Skattungbyn in 2005 when some friends and I cycled from Dalarna to Hälsingland. On our way to the Delsbo spelmansstämma (folk music gathering), we passed through Skattungbyn and stayed for a few nights at the schoolhouse Ollars.

Several years passed before I returned to the village.

In 2012, the Nordic Ting gathering brought me back to Skattungbyn. The gathering was held near a fäbod (mountain pasture) just outside the village, creating a magical meeting where many gnomes, trolls, and elves came together for the first time.

The Ting seamlessly transitioned into Inspirationsfestivalen, and Hansensgården, located in the heart of the village, became a headquarters where alternative culture began to flourish.

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After spending a few years in Järna, I decided to move to Skattungbyn. I settled into a wagon at the collective farm Skogmans, a few kilometers outside the village, and walked into Skattungbyn almost every day to engage in the activities at Hansensgården, the village’s hub and meeting place.

We were a group of dedicated souls who devoted our lives to keeping Hansensgården alive. We held monday meetings to plan the week’s activities, dumpster-dived for food in Orsa and served community meals on Saturdays. We organized craft nights, movie nights, lectures, cultural events, a bike repair workshop, jam sessions, vision circles, and heart-sharing circles on Sunday evenings. On Wednesdays, we cleaned and sorted donations in the free store.

Since my living conditions in the wagon in the woods were so simple, I was able to fully dedicate myself to creating and holding space for gatherings at Hanséns and the processes that emerged from running a collective meeting place together.

When conflicts arose, we tried to resolve them through sharing circles and deep listening, though patience and acceptance were often put to the test.

Hansensgården was run by the NBV study association, making it a sober and drug-free space for the community.

When I left Skattungbyn, new dedicated souls stepped in to keep the activities at Hansensgården alive. However, after the pandemic, things gradually began to slow down.

Today, a 4H program operates on the farm, but I suspect that Hansensgården no longer serves the same function as a hub and meeting place where alternative culture could flourish through spontaneous gatherings, celebrations, and community events.

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Affischer, flyers och veckoscheman på Hanséns

Skogmans is the farm where I lived in my wagon from 2015 to 2017. It is one of Skattungbyn’s larger collective farms and has served as a landing place for many who have moved to the village.

Skogmans has no electricity or running water, and during the summer, meals are often prepared at the outdoor kitchen on the edge of the forest.

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Living at Skogmans was like an initiation into the simple life. Carrying water, chopping wood, navigating in the dark, making fires, and gardening were daily activities that brought me closer to the natural forces that nurtured my inner troll.

In 2018, I moved to Uddebo, but after five years, I decided to return to Skattungbyn once again to attend Skattungekursen. During the course, I had the opportunity to focus on earthly activities such as farming, ceramics, woodwork, blacksmithing, construction, weaving, plant-dyeing yarn, and sewing. Additionally, we worked on community organization, group dynamics, and transitioning.

My in-depth project during the course was a project I called "Alternative Village Communities." I presented my own life journey and experiences in three different alternative village communities in sweden: Skattungbyn, Skogsnäs, and Uddebo. Each village received a background story and an insight into what is happening there today. The fruits of this work, I now share here on the website.

I also invited people to the community hall to hold a workshop I call "Embodying Society". Together, we created bubble maps and discussed how the various institutions of society can collaborate like organs in the giant body of society. This workshop will soon be available to read more about here on the site.

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