Construction of the hunting lodge, commissioned by Swedish philanthropist Carl Fredrik Liljevach, was complete in 1897 in Medstugan. Many hunters still visit the lodge, but pilgrims can also stay in the tenants’ old building. There are three bedrooms with a total of nine beds, and a small kitchen. Pilgrims take care of themselves as Mattias cannot always be there, but it works as long as everybody trusts each other.
– I make sure there is toilet paper and soap, and I check the cleaning, but apart from that many people sort themselves out here. We often take bookings over the phone, says Mattias Persson.
He himself lives on the family farm in Medstugan. He makes a living driving a lorry and other machines. But when he takes care of the maintenance of Medstugan’s property he does a bit of everything. Recently he changed the water piping, built walls, dug down pipes and delivered parcels.
Mattias’s family farm was built in 1902, but his family dates as far back as the 1600s. Mattias’s paternal grandfather’s aunt was the dairy maid at the dairy in Medstugan and pilgrims can see her on a photo in the kitchen of the accommodation. There is also a photo of Mattias’s grandfather. He drove a taxi in the area when he was alive.
– I’m not very good at English, but it is still fun to meet all the pilgrims. Most of them are happy to get a bed as summers are often fully booked. I meet people of many nationalities, mainly Dutch and German. Most people are really positive, but they usually say that this particular section where we are is not really the best. There are a lot of tarmac roads and traffic. Hopefully, in the future they will find a way to re-route this section, says Mattias Persson.
