Kungsladugårdarna på Visingsö

The unique and beautiful barns near Brahekyrkan on Visingsö are worth passing by, whether you’re cycling, walking, or riding the island’s traditional horse-drawn wagons, known as remmalag. Experience a historic landmark with traces of the past.

Kungsladugårdarna, also known as the Royal Barns or Ryssladorna, were constructed between 1729 and 1740 by tenant, Count, and Lieutenant General Johan August Meijerfelt. At the time, the barns were part of Kungsgården, a royal estate located on the site. If you look closely at the ground, you can see traces of a larger farm complex that once existed, originally consisting of four barns.

Today, Kungsladugårdarna serve as stables for the remmalag horses. To respect the horses housed there, the barns are not open to the public, but you can easily walk or cycle past the buildings. The traditional Kumlabyturen remmalag route also passes by the barns.

Built with Scandinavian influences

The distinctive and beautiful white barns with dark timber frames were constructed using half-timbering in a German-inspired style.

Johan August Meijerfelt likely built Kungsladugårdarna in this unique style, unusual for the region, due to a timber shortage at the time. Meijerfelt had previously managed estates in Skåne, where this construction method is much more common.

The northern barn, built in 1729, was originally used as an ox barn and later for storing oak bark. The eastern barn, built in 1732, was then and still is used as a stable. In 1935, the barns were declared protected cultural heritage sites.

The truth about Kungsladugårdarna – a story of myths

Johan August Meijerfelt leased Visingsborg’s royal estate from 1720 until his death in 1749 and oversaw the construction of the barns during his tenure.

Locally, the barns are sometimes referred to as Ryssladorna, referencing the myth that Russian prisoners of war, once held at Visingsborg Castle, built them. However, the prisoners were no longer on the island when the barns were constructed. They may have contributed to earlier structures on the site but not the so-called Ryssladorna.

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