Take a self-guided city walk in Trosa with the help of this audio guide. Listen, read, and view historical images while exploring the central parts of Trosa city. It takes about 1 hour to complete, and along the way, you’ll pass several shops, cafes, restaurants, and beautiful views. This is where the beloved german tv-series “Inga Lindström” has been filmed since 2003.
Content
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1. Trosa square: Trosa - A city with ancient origins
Trosa is a city with ancient origins. It is mentioned in texts as early as the 14th century. The medieval town of Trosa was located five kilometers towards Vagnhärad. The river was navigable all the way there at that time. Medieval records show that the town extended on both sides of the Trosa River and was connected by a bridge. Sometime in the 16th century, this town began to decline due to land uplift. The inhabitants could no longer reach it with their boats. Fortunately, Trosa is growing again, where it is located today, and the city was granted city rights by King Karl IX in 1610.
1. Trosa square: Market Bridge
This is Trosa’s oldest bridge. It was originally called the town bridge. Trosa River flows beneath the bridge. It is possible to travel all the way from Åkers Styckebruk to Trosa through various waterways and lakes.
1. Trosa square: A market town
As early as 1582, the first market was held in Trosa Square. It was a bustling market town until the 1880s. The largest market took place in September, known as the fish market. During this event, Trosa’s islanders sold the summer’s catch of herring and cod. When the fish market ceased, the tradition continued with small and large market days.
Down at the harbor, there was a livestock market on the big market day. The location was well chosen as many animals were transported by steamboats.
Markets are still organized in Trosa today.
2. Trosa square: The Town Hall
Trosa was granted city privileges in 1610 by Karl IX. The city’s first town hall was built on this site in 1711, but it was burned by the Russians in 1719. The second town hall was erected on the same site in 1725. This town hall was demolished in 1883. The town hall tower was preserved and placed on the newly built police station at that time.
Instead of a town hall, a schoolhouse was constructed, which is why the park outside is called Skolparken (The School Park). The current building here was erected in 1985 and is a replica of the 1725 town hall. Today, the building houses a tourist center and a library.
3. Trosa square: The School park
In 1884, the new elementary school was inaugurated. It was located at this site where the library stands today. Placed prominently near the square, it was a beautiful building adorned with intricate woodwork. Visitors often thought it was the town hall, which is not surprising given its grand appearance. It served as the city’s educational institution until 1952, and on a stormy December night in 1976, the building burned down. The park next to it is still called School Park to this day.
4. Västra Ågatan: The Green Square
Where the park is located today, there used to be a coppersmith’s workshop. The block was destroyed by fire in 1863, and unfortunately, the owner lacked insurance. The city then acquired two plots, which were transformed into a small square. The area was initially called “Little Market Square,” but after landscaping around the year 1900, the park is now known as “Green Square.”
5. Västra Ågatan: The place name Trosa
Trosa is mentioned in writing for the first time in a medieval document from the year 1383. Evidence of people living in the area even earlier is known thanks to the numerous ancient remains in the vicinity.
According to place-name researchers, the name is likely connected to the Old Norse word “trauður” (slow, reluctant) and refers to the calm and unhurried flow of the river. Another explanation suggests that Trosa is derived from the word “os,” meaning river mouth.
6. Västra Ågatan: The Brewer's Bridge
This bridge has been named after the Trosa Brewery, which was located on the eastern side, with their storage facility on the western side. Brewmaster Moser was German, and at this brewery, they produced Nuremberg beer, Hamburg pilsner, and, most notably, a mild alcoholic beverage known as “svagdricka.” The water was likely sourced from the Trosa River, and svagdricka was widely renowned for its robust flavor. The brewery operated until 1901.
7. Västra Ågatan/Krukmakaregränd: Smäckbron
The bridge is playfully named after a man who lived nearby and was said to have difficulty lifting his “smäck” (a dialectal term for hat). Well, a more likely explanation is that “smäck” is an Old Norse word for a ford or wading place. Here, the river is very shallow, which is evident during low tide.
8. Västra Ågatan: Kings Bridge (Kungsbron/Frälsisbron)
The name Kings Bridge comes from the fact that the western side was called Kungsbacken (the King’s Slope). The nickname Frälsis Bridge comes from the large gray building on the eastern side, built for the Salvation Army in 1890 and in operation until 1980. Today, it serves as a private residence.
9. Västra Långgatan 40: The Tannery (Garvaregården)
Garvaregården is a craft courtyard from the 18th century. Tanning operations were carried out here until the early 1900s. At Garvaregården in Trosa, you’ll find the old tannery with roots dating back to the 18th century. We know for sure that there was a tannery here throughout the 19th century.
The last tanner, Karl Jacob Dahlbom, lived at Garvaregården with his family, apprentices, maids, and farmhands. He arrived in Trosa in 1826, and seven years later, he married Kristina. Together, they added a floor to the residence, a necessary expansion given that they had 14 children, of which 9 reached adulthood.
Garvaregården houses the tanner’s residence and workshop, as well as a café and craft shop during the summer.
9. Garvaregården: The traditional costume
The costume has been developed based on details found in probate inventories from the locality dating between 1770 and 1820. The patterns discovered have been compiled to create the costume now known as the Trosa-Vagnhärad Costume.
10. Kyrkgränd: The Church
The Church took a long time to build, approximately four years. Townspeople traveled far and wide to collect funds. The church is built in the Carolinian Baroque style and was inaugurated in 1711.
During the Russian invasions in 1719, the church is said to have been used as a stable, which may explain why it was not burned down. Take note of the incredibly beautiful glass in the church windows. Have you seen the beautiful door? And the bell tower? Check out the roof of the bell tower; it is truly amazing!
11. Västra Långgatan and Trosa Punsch
This is the oldest part of Trosa, where the streets are named after the craftsmen who lived along the alleyways. On one of the buildings between Punschgränd and the square, you’ll find the inscription “Punschhandlaren 17-19” (The Punch Merchant 17-19). Trosa Punch was produced here by Trosa Spirituosa Aktiebolag. The punch was known as Trosa yellow, Trosa green, and Trosa blue. It was served to members of Trosa’s bathing society, i.e., Trosa’s tourists around the turn of the century.
12. Västra Långgatan 19: Trosa Stadshotell (town hotel)
Here at the square is Trosa Stadshotell. The building has served as the town hall and, from 1871, also as a courthouse.
In 1872, a cellar business was opened here, eventually taking over and becoming Trosa Stadshotell. Its lush park and picturesque punch verandas formed the hub of the social life of the bathing society. The hotel was also a popular meeting place for writers from the early 1900s onwards. Many films have been shot here as well.
At the turn of the century, when Trosa’s bathing society gathered here, they raised the flag for the punch served that day. Do you remember? Trosa yellow, Trosa blue, and Trosa green. Guests could sit here, sip, and contemplate which color was their favorite. An excellent marketing trick, as all the bottles contained the same content.
13. Västra Långgatan 9: Old Police and Fire Station
The tower is, in fact, the original tower from Trosa’s old town hall on the square. It was placed here because this was a highly significant building. The house was built in the mid-1800s and has served as a police and fire station and later as a pastry shop (Today, it houses a restaurant).
14. Västra Långgatan/Villagatan: The Town Hall Park (Rådhusparken)
The park here is called Town Hall Park after the yellow building that served as the town hall from the early 1900s. Opposite the yellow house is the old infirmary, which also functioned as a maternity ward. It was in operation until the 1960s. Next to the yellow house is a smaller yellow building, the milk shed, where people used to get milk. Both buildings now house offices for Trosa municipality.
Behind Town Hall Park is Rönnebo, a turn-of-the-century house built in 1895. From the 1930s to the 1970s, Rönnebo served as a guesthouse. Today, it is a private residence and is one of the municipality’s five listed buildings.
15. The Villa bridge (Villabron)
Villa Bridge was constructed in the early 1900s as more and more villas were built in the new villa town on the western side, namely Villagatan and the surrounding streets. It was also a crucial link across the river for summer guests strolling along the river.
This is the last bridge downstream over the river. From the bridge, you can see several beautiful buildings with punch verandas. The grandest and perhaps the most photographed in Trosa is Villa Brogården, the large yellow house on the western side upstream from the bridge.
15. Villabron: Trosa Bathing Society
As fishing slowly declined in the latter part of the 19th century, they came up with the idea of bringing visitors to Trosa using the already established steamboat traffic from Stockholm. At the turn of the century, Trosa’s bathing resort life flourished. In 1900, approximately 600 people lived in Trosa, and over 300 summer guests arrived. They played at being Venice, and several places in Trosa were renamed with more Italian-sounding names. Trosa River was called Canal Grande, houses along the river were named Tusculana, Trianon, Ritiro, and Miramare. The boat docks in the river were adorned with tall, colorful posts with candy-cane stripes. Gondolas were, of course, absent, but for 50 öre, one could get a rowing tour round trip to the mill.
To accommodate all the visitors coming to Trosa, a bath manager was hired. This role existed until the 1940s and can be compared to a tourist bureau of that time. The bath manager’s task was to gather information and find out which of the Trosa residents wanted to rent out their houses or just rooms to the summer guests. It also involved distributing these when the summer guests arrived.
16. Östra Långgatan 10: Åbladstugan
Åbladstugan is one of Trosa’s oldest buildings. It was erected after the 1719 fire and is Trosa’s only preserved islander’s cottage. Axel Åblad, who lived here, was one of the last islanders. Islanders were the fishermen who lived in the town and moved with their families far out to the archipelago, returning in the autumn with their salted and dried fish. They lived along Östra Långgatan.
The significance of fishing for Trosa increased throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Fishing steadily increased from the 1750s. Besides their own consumption, 1500-2000 barrels of herring and 100 barrels of cod could be sold from Trosa every year.
The fish, primarily herring but also significant amounts of cod, were placed in tightly-packed and crowned barrels made by the fishermen themselves. The crowning was done by specific salters and was simultaneously an approval of the product.
This way of fishing, settling in the archipelago during the summer, ceased in the 1860s when more modern fishing gear came into play.
17. Östra Långgatan 7: Ågården
Mortimer Haerén was a medical doctor in 19th-century Trosa and operated from here at Ågården (now Two Small Pigs BnB). Haerén was one of those who contributed to making Trosa a popular summer resort, partly through extensive plantings, and he was even honored with a royal medal for his efforts.
18. Östra Ågatan: Styva Lasse
Take note of the sign above the window that reads “Styva Lasse.” His real name was Carl Larsson, but he was called Styva Lasse. The year was 1863, and he was elected to the city council, proving to be a worthy representative for his professional group, the islanders. As a member of the city council, he seized the opportunity to flaunt his elevation and intelligence. He considered himself as adept a jurist as the mayor.
He lived on Ågatan with his wife. When influential townspeople passed their gate, he could speak up and call to her:
“Go in, my dear, and prepare my writing tools. I have some writing to do on behalf of the city.”
The amusing part of the story was that he was illiterate, like most islanders. They used their bookmarks instead of letters when they had to “write.”
19. Östra Hamnplan and the Old Smokehouse
At Östra Hamnplan, much still testifies to the city’s old main industry, fishing. Boman’s harbor warehouse was originally a kind of transshipment point for the islanders and later professional fishermen. When fishing was at its peak, even into the mid-20th century, there could be 25-30 fishing boats in the harbor. The islanders were fishermen in the summer and townspeople in the other seasons. They made a living from fishing and agriculture. Pasture for the animals was located on Västra and Östra Fän.
On the old smokehouse site today is Fina Fisken, a restaurant that started in 1974. It was operated in connection with the now-closed herring smokehouse. Fine, fatty herring was needed for the herring smokehouse, and in Trosa, the finest and fattest herring in the Baltic Sea could be found.
The first groundbreaking for the smokehouse was in 1940, and the year after, it was ready for use. At its peak, the smokehouse smoked 2-3 tons of herring per day. The smokehouse closed down in 1979.
20. Fiskebryggan: The Love Path
Yes, that’s what the fishing pier is called when you walk from Östra Hamnplan down towards Suckarnas Bridge. The pier leads out to the World’s End or Smörbyttan. Summer romances between bathers and locals occurred. When they had to part ways, and the bather took the steamboat home to Stockholm, there were loud sighs at the bridge. Another, perhaps less romantic, explanation for the name is said to be that the fisherman’s wife sighed when her husband still hadn’t come home from fishing. Who knows what’s true?
21. Hamnpiren: Fishermen (Skärborgare)
The importance of herring fishing, in particular, is reflected in the city’s seal, which was determined to be a boat with two oars under a crescent moon. The city privileges specify the fishing grounds between Oxelösund and Tälje as the Trosa residents’ crown fishing waters. Furthermore, it is determined that there may be two goldsmiths, four furriers, four shoemakers, four tailors, and four carpenters in the city, as well as bakers and meat manglers as needed.
Islanders were thus called the fishermen who, during the summer, moved with their families far out to the skerries and returned in the fall with their salted and dried fish. They lived along Östra Långgatan.
This way of fishing, settling in the archipelago in the summer, ceased in the 1860s.
21. The Butter Bucket/ World's End (Smörbyttan)
“You travel around in life
and trot here and there
Now you can stop wandering
You’ve only come here”
Now you won’t go any further. You’ve reached the World’s End! Yes, that’s what the outermost pier in Trosa guest harbor is called. It’s also called Smörbyttan after its shape.
You’ve probably heard that Trosa is called the World’s End. It’s not a new invention or a municipal slogan, as some may think, but something that has been around for a long time. It is believed to come from Trosa being located at the end of the road. Perhaps someone misheard? In the past, there was only one road to Trosa. Perhaps it felt like traveling to the world’s end because the road was so long.
The heritage trail as a brochure
It is possible to get a brochure at most of the hotel, our Info Point, Trosa library or of course at the tourist office.
The brochure is available in multiple languages:
Promenade culturelle en français
Un paseo cutural por Trosa en español
Intinerario culturale in Italiano
Enjoy!
