The parish granary on Visingsö

The parish granary is located north of the former premises of Visingsö Sparbank. Its origins lie in an initiative by Per Brahe the Younger, who, according to a deed of gift dated 1666, established a granary on the island at Lundaträdgården.

The aim was to help the common people in times of hardship. At that time, the granary contained 3,000 barrels of grain and 200 barrels of salt

However, stocks dwindled sharply under the management of the stewards appointed by the crown – by the 1760s, only a few hundred barrels of grain remained, with stores of salt depleted entirely. The parishioners of Visingsö then decided to take matters into their own hands. They took over what remained of the stores and also obtained timber from the old granary at Lundaträdgården for the construction of a new building.

In 1770, instructions for the granary were drawn up, and a granary clerk and three granary managers were appointed. Through levies on smallholders, a new store was gradually built up, which by 1797 contained 700 barrels of grain. In 1805, the operation was given new and more detailed instructions and, on the proposal of P. I. Liljenroth, a special household board was appointed to take charge of the stores.

The granary was likely of great benefit, particularly in times of need, but the operation also gave rise to many disputes. There are numerous pages of minutes that bear witness to conflicts surrounding the Visingsö grain store. At the end of the 19th century, the store’s stock was liquidated, but the operation was not dissolved until 1965. The granary building itself, however, still stands today

Administrator: Visingsö Local Heritage Society