© Gammelstads Kyrkstad
What is a Church Town and what do you do there?
The Church Town tradition — overnight accommodation
The farmers in the outlying villages built their church cottages in order to be able to stay the night there in connection with attending church, court sessions, parish meetings and markets. The Church Town was the parishioners´ accepted meeting place where they took the opportunity to meet friends and acquaintances from villages other than their own. Religious feasts eventually became divided into old people´s and young people´s feasts. Young people´s feasts often led to new acquaintances and perhaps marriage.
Living tradition
The church cottages are still privately owned and the church cottage owners and other parishioners come here several times a year for religious feasts, markets, lectures, courses and for the traditional Confirmation studies before Midsummer, when young people often stay the night in their church cottages.
Church Towns
Out of a total of 71 Church Towns in Sweden, there are now only 16. In most cases, only fragments remain. Gammelstad has Sweden´s biggest and best preserved Church Town with 408 cottages containing 553 rooms.
