A very old shieling

In the 1663-64 shieling register, six farms from Vikarbyn are recorded as users of the Karl-Tövåsen shieling. The exact age of the shieling is unknown, but we do know that it has been in use every summer without interruption since 1663, when it was first mentioned in writing.

June 10, Swedish name day of Svante, was traditionally a cattle drive day, when animals and supplies were moved for a longer period of time. The date and time were decided collectively as it was important that no one got to the lush pasture before the others. In a cattle register from 1830 it says that there were 26 farms that used Karl-Tövåsen’s shieling as follows: Twenty farms in Vikarbyn brought 83 cows, 16 horses, and 291 sheep and goats. From six farms in Röjeråsen, Stumsnäs, Västbjörka and Öja came 18 cows, 5 horses and 72 sheep and goats. A total of 101 cows, 21 horses and 363 sheep and goats got to graze in the forest.

The name of the shieling has been spelled slightly differently over the centuries, for example Kall-Töfåsen, Kall-Täffåsen, Kal-Töfåsen, Carl-Töfåsen and Karl-Tövåsen. The name Kall is believed to refer to the mountain, which lies southwest of the pasture. The mountain is a Kallberg, a mountain where in ancient times a beacon was lit to warn the people of war and danger. In Rättvik dialect, kall means something that has been raised. The name Carl or Karl is from a later period and is believed to be a typo from the Great Partition of the 1830s.

Many buildings have disappeared over the years. Walking around the shieling you can see the remains of cottages, barns and cellars.

One cottage that still exists is “Budstugu”. It was once used as a cottage for the “lekunur”, herdspeople who were employed to take care of the animals and make products from the milk. There were two open fireplaces in the cottage, one for the cooking pot and the other for the whey butter pot. The cottage is believed to date from the late 17th century and is currently used as a coffee shop.