Kvarntorp, or Myllylä in Finnish, is one of the best-preserved Finnish settlements near the Norwegian border. Here you'll find both a smoke cottage (rökstuga) and a Swedish-style cottage, a sauna, a smithy, and outbuildings. The rökstuga is a traditional building without a chimney, where smoke gathers under the roof and is released through a hatch – an efficient source of heat during cold winters.
A long and rich history
The farm has a long and rich history. In the courtyard stands a stone marked with the year 1755, and the year 1774 is carved into the side of the smoke oven. However, much suggests that the farm is even older. The Kvarntorp mill was located along the nearby stream Kvarnälven, and many of the preserved tools date back to the 18th century.
In the 1840s, the rökstuga was expanded with a Swedish cottage and a farmhand’s dwelling, making Kvarntorp one of the more prosperous farms in the area. During the 1800s, the property changed hands several times, and in 1858, Henrik Larsen Liukkoinen moved in with his family. His granddaughter Klara Persson (1876–1950) was the last to manage the farm. Klara was a forward-thinking woman who, among other things, built a power station on the Kvarnälven and brought electricity to the farm – well ahead of her time.
Open from 20 June - 16 August, 11 am-6 pm every day.
Kvarntorp, Lekvattnet, 68591 Torsby
10 km SW of Lekvattnet, 30 km W of Torsby. Turn west from road 239 in Lekvattnet.
