Tempelgården

Tempelgården on Visingsö is a unique cultural and historical site, created by the artist Olle Krantz (1906–1999).

For much of the 20th century, he worked here on his lifelong dream: to build an open artists’ estate where art, architecture and nature coexist.

At Tempelgården, Olle Krantz collected and reconstructed buildings from five different centuries – buildings that would otherwise have been lost. At the centre stands the Temple, a building from 1913 with links to the theosophical movement and its leader, Madame Katherine Tingley. The building was later used as an art gallery.

The area also features sculptures, paintings, parkland and fruit trees – all created or carefully designed by Krantz himself. Tempelgården is unique in that it is the life’s work of a single individual and demonstrates how a private artist’s vision can become an enduring part of Sweden’s cultural heritage.

Today, Tempelgården is an important part of Visingsö’s history and a clear example of how art, the history of ideas and personal commitment shaped local environments during the 20th century

Owner: Tempelgården AB