Mårbacka
Encyclopedia
Mårbacka is a mansion
in Sunne Municipality
in Värmland
, Sweden
. Author Selma Lagerlöf
was born and raised at Mårbacka.
The main building was constructed in 1793 and rebuilt in 1921-1923, designed by architect Isak Gustaf Clason
.
The estate was owned from about 1720 by the assistant vicar Olof Morell and then was inherited by two of his successors in office. In 1801 it was inherited by the Lagerlöf family and when Selma Lagerlöf's father Lieutenant
Gustaf Lagerlöf died in 1885 his son Johan took over, but he was unsuccessful running the farm and went bankrupt. He moved to America and the mansion had to be sold. The family lost the ownership of the estate in 1889. Selma Lagerlöf bought back the main building in 1907 and in 1910, she could buy back the whole estate with the help of the prize money she received from the Nobel Prize in Literature
in 1909. A few years later, when she had the building reconstructed, not much of the original appearance of her childhood home remained. The original red-painted cottage was extended eastward, a new floor and an attic were added and the grand facade completed its transformation into an elegant mansion.
Mårbacka is now kept as a memorial estate, as a result of the author writing in her testament that Mårbacka should be preserved and shown to the public in the condition it was at her death.
By paid entrance, visitors can get a guided tour of the main building and next to the building is also a garden, a cafe and a bookstore. In the barn there is a memorial exhibition of Lagerlöf's life and writings.
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
in Sunne Municipality
Sunne Municipality
Sunne Municipality is a municipality in Värmland County in west central Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Sunne.The present municipality was created in 1971 when the market town Sunne was amalgamated with Gräsmark and Lysvik.-Localities:*Lysvik*Rottneros*Sunne *Uddheden*Västra...
in Värmland
Värmland
' is a historical province or landskap in the west of middle Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland and Närke. It is also bounded by Norway in the west. Latin name versions are Vermelandia and Wermelandia. Although the province's land originally was Götaland, the...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Author Selma Lagerlöf
Selma Lagerlöf
Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf was a Swedish author. She was the first female writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, and most widely known for her children's book Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige ....
was born and raised at Mårbacka.
The main building was constructed in 1793 and rebuilt in 1921-1923, designed by architect Isak Gustaf Clason
Isak Gustaf Clason
Isak Gustaf Clason was a Swedish architect.- Biography :Clason studied engineering and later architecture at the Institute of Technology in Stockholm, where he was a student of A. T. Gellerstedt, and later at the architectural school of the Academy of Arts, at the time headed by Fredrik Wilhelm...
.
The estate was owned from about 1720 by the assistant vicar Olof Morell and then was inherited by two of his successors in office. In 1801 it was inherited by the Lagerlöf family and when Selma Lagerlöf's father Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Gustaf Lagerlöf died in 1885 his son Johan took over, but he was unsuccessful running the farm and went bankrupt. He moved to America and the mansion had to be sold. The family lost the ownership of the estate in 1889. Selma Lagerlöf bought back the main building in 1907 and in 1910, she could buy back the whole estate with the help of the prize money she received from the Nobel Prize in Literature
Nobel Prize in Literature
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
in 1909. A few years later, when she had the building reconstructed, not much of the original appearance of her childhood home remained. The original red-painted cottage was extended eastward, a new floor and an attic were added and the grand facade completed its transformation into an elegant mansion.
Mårbacka is now kept as a memorial estate, as a result of the author writing in her testament that Mårbacka should be preserved and shown to the public in the condition it was at her death.
By paid entrance, visitors can get a guided tour of the main building and next to the building is also a garden, a cafe and a bookstore. In the barn there is a memorial exhibition of Lagerlöf's life and writings.