The Man on the Roof - Exhibition at Smedjan

Welcome to the exhibition "The Man on the Roof"!

The title refers to the weather vane on the school building’s roof, featuring a rider we imagine was part of a farmstead in Gislöv.

In a troubled world, knowledge of history is essential for understanding the present. The farmstead system was part of the Indelningsverket, an organizational model within the Swedish state and military based on a form of taxation in kind. The military aspect was established by Charles XI in 1682. The system was funded by farmers and served as their tax to the state. It also functioned as a mechanism to prevent uprisings and build loyalty during a time when Skåne was to become Swedish.

A farmstead in the Indelningsverket was a farm whose tax obligation was replaced by the duty to maintain a mounted soldier for the cavalry. The owner of such a farm was called a rusthållare. The farmstead system in Gislöv has deep roots. As early as the 1684 land book, you can read about how it was organized. The approximately thirty farms were divided into ten farmsteads, which were maintained until the early 20th century when the Indelningsverket was abolished.

The items in the exhibition are on loan from a larger collection of blacksmithing artifacts that were previously part of the blacksmithing museum located in the school building. The collection is now managed by Österlens Museum. The Gislöv Blacksmith Museum and Village Association operates the museum, has a shared collection space, and land with origins in the crown’s supply system. Members held a study circle on local farmsteads during the winter of 2007-2008, and much of the material for the exhibition comes from that effort.

Visiting blacksmiths will keep the forge alive throughout the exhibition period. On September 12, Dick Harrysson will give a lecture, and the exhibition will be open with a blacksmith in the forge. For more information, see www.smidesmuseet.com.

July 20-21: Einar Svavarsson
July 27-28: Anders Hammar
August 3-4: Ola Winquist
August 10-11: Magnus Nilsson
September 12: Name to be announced

Contact: Gunnel Pettersson gunnel.pettersson@odlingen.org
Thanks to Österlens Museum, curator Ulrika Wallebom