The Revitalisation of Cultural Heritage and Traditional Crafts : Lessons Learned from a Master Thatcher

Gamlegård farm at the Kulturens Östarp open-air museum, the von Echstedtska Manor farm at Värmland’s Museum, and Oktorpsgården farm at the Skansen open-air museum are three disparate farmhouses scattered across southern Sweden whose histories have very different trajectories. What unites them are their roofs, a craft, and a man. They are all buildings considered essential expressions of Swedish cultural heritage, with thatched roofs laid by the same thatcher. For museum visitors, thatched roofs represent a picturesque, somewhat romanticised image of the Swedish past. For the thatcher, roofs mean a livelihood and a crafting process dating back thousands of years. The authors argue that the relationship between the individual craftsperson, the material, and the crafting of traditional knowledge is central to the dynamics of intangible cultural heritage. This paper focuses on a thatcher and his role in engaging a broader public in a ‘fading’ craft and in creating renewed interest among people interested in sustainable living.