Astrid Lindgren's World

In Vimmerby, the Smaland town where Astrid Lindgren grew up, a theme park brings her stories to life: the villages, farms and houses of Pippi Longstocking, Emil, the Bullerby children and more, with actors playing the characters through the day. It is a gentle, story-led park aimed squarely at children and families.

Background

The park opened in 1981 under the name Sagobyn, or Fairytale Village, and its first building that year was Katthult, made at 1:3 scale. Settings added in later years used the same 1:3 scale. The grounds now cover 180,000 square metres, and every setting follows the descriptions in the books, letting children enter the worlds of Emil i Lönneberga, Pippi Longstocking, Karlsson-on-the-Roof and other characters. The season runs from May to August. A small stage near the entrance and the main stage present scenes written for the park, with music, singing and dancing, and Pippi performs at her home, Villa Villekulla. Lodging, picnic spots, coffeehouses and restaurants are also on site.

Source: Wikipedia, "Astrid Lindgren's World"

What you'll find

• Villa Villekulla - Pippi Longstocking's house, climbable and explorable.
• Emil's Katthult - the farm and workshop of Emil of Lonneberga.
• Live performances - actors playing the beloved characters through the day.
• The story villages - the built settings from Lindgren's many tales.

When to go

The summer season, roughly June to August, when the park is open and the performances run; it closes outside the warm months. Weekdays are calmer than weekends.

Practical notes

It is a gentle, imagination-led park with performances rather than thrill rides, so its magic is for young children and readers of the stories. It is seasonal and in rural Smaland, a real journey. The performances are largely in Swedish, though the settings speak for themselves.

Nearby

Vimmerby and the Smaland lakes and glassworks are around; Kalmar and Oland lie to the south-east.

Key facts