The Torvsjö water mills and forest museum, 30 km outside Åsele in Lapland, are beautifully preserved cultural and historical gems.
The site consists of six water mills, a village, a sawmill and various other buildings dating from the mid 18th century, when the people who lived here joined forces to harness the power of water to ingeniously solve the problem of how to live and thrive in this environment. It couldn’t have been easy – forest work in the freezing winter months, farming in the warmer months. All beautifully captured and preserved in this unique environment.
The Torvsjö forest museum is a series of some ten timber buildings, including an exhibition space, dotted along a path through the forest that runs down to the waterside. Each one tells the story of how the foresters lived and worked and the hardships they faced.
While here enjoy a cup of coffee and local delicacies at Erik Johan’s log cabin. The Åsele tourism agency arranges guided tours of this fabulous place.