• Beautiful hiking in idyllic Årsta.
• Knowledgeable guide who shares Stockholm's hidden sides.
• Hear fascinating stories about one of Stockholm's most talked about women.

Hands on the hike

“Welcome to my beloved Årsta,” says the guide. This is what Märta Helena Reenstierna aka Årstafrun probably also said in her day. But there were no squares and so many buildings here then. Today you can admire a neighborhood that was planned and shaped in the 1940s — a very own designed intimate square for community and joy. In the year 2023, the square will celebrate 70 years. Here the sculptures of the artist Bror Marklund came to adorn the square, it gives a sense of creativity and beauty. There is also a fountain to the great joy of all children.

When we see the old EPA houses, we are reminded of our upbringing and new types of houses and homes. These designs were conceived for the department store EPA staff, and stand steadily to this day.

The hike continues towards Sköntorp where you discover a well-preserved dance track and colorful colonial lots. We stop at one of the lots and tell you about Årstafrun's interest in forests and land. She grew both useful plants and decorative plants where, surrounded by friends and neighbors, she shared the same passion for nature.

But the most poignant moment comes when we reach the rift valley leading down towards Årstaviken. “Årstafrun” becomes serious when she talks about Årsta gård, the residence where she lived from 1775 until her death in 1841. What I had owned and lost, she says with her voice almost broken with emotion.It was a time of peace and joy, a time when the Årstaskogen was still an unspoiled paradise with butterflies dancing over flowering meadows.” You listen to Årstaafrun's words as we read some of her most poignant and tender experiences. The words are like a time capsule that takes you back to a bygone era, where love and sorrow intertwine in a symphony of human emotions.

She dreamed of sharing her life with others through her diary. Today, there is also a Facebook account opened in her name. There we can continue reading about her love for Årsta and relive her everyday life.

The city walk ends at Storängsparken, where you can listen to what happened when Årstafrun invited you to the big hay beer.

You leave with a heart filled with stories and emotions, and with a deeper understanding of the beautiful Årsta neighborhood and its beloved wife who so generously shared her memories with you. This city walk, with its romance and tranquil nature, will forever remain in your memory as an inseparable part of your own history.

More about Årstafrun

The so-called Årstafrun wrote a diary about 18th- and 19th-century Stockholm and her depictions have become popular reading even in the present day. The diaries provide an exciting insight into life in Stockholm and in particular about life as a manor wife.

**Årstafrun was an exciting woman! **
She lived at Årsta Gård with about 20 employees and a large tobacco plantation. In addition, she had 8 children.
In her circle of friends was Carl Michael Bellman and she is said to have helped him with his debts and poverty. Her husband died in 1811 and her son tragically died in a drowning accident the following year. After these tragic events, she was allowed to run the farm herself. Despite this, she continued to write her diary well into her years, even when she was nearly blind.