Discover Gemla: Toy-Making History and Landscape

Gemla brings together an uninterrupted tradition of toy-making that continues to this day, the history of Pär Lagerkvist, and cycling routes and paths through the landscape. If you are considering Gemla as a base for your hotel stay, you can choose your focus based on whether you are interested in local history, a cycling tour, or walking and activity trails. Local points of interest range from the museum at Gemla Hembygdsgård to trails with specified lengths and facilities at Gemla Folkpark and Stocköparken.

Toy-Making History and Pär Lagerkvist

The Gemla Toy Museum is housed in the “undantagsstugan” at Gemla Hembygdsgård. Gemla has had an uninterrupted tradition of toy-making since the first factory was founded in 1866. This year thus marks the beginning of a local industrial history that continues to the present day. The life and work of the writer and Nobel Prize laureate Pär Lagerkvist are also documented at the Hembygdsgård. Here, the history of toy-making and Gemla’s literary history meet in one place.

The cycling tour through Gemla passes through the areas where Pär Lagerkvist spent his childhood. Guided tours of the Gemla Toy Museum and talks about Pär Lagerkvist are available for groups of 4 to 50 people. Arrange these in advance of your trip.

Cycling Through History and Landscape

The cycling tour through Gemla passes through the areas where Pär Lagerkvist spent his childhood and offers views of the Helige å river and the embanked meadows. Its literary connections and landscape views provide different points of interest along the tour. A 36-kilometre cycling experience is also associated with Gemla.

Choose Trails by Length and Setting

The illuminated Gemla elljusspår trail is about 1.3 kilometres long. Additional detours from Leksaksvägen and Folkets park extend it to approximately 1.6 kilometres. These two figures help you gauge the approximate distance, with or without the detours. Since April 2021, twelve Aktivitetsrundan – puls och styrka signs have been installed along the illuminated trail.

Gemlasjöspåret offers a different kind of orientation: the trail passes near Gemlasjön, known for its diverse birdlife, and alternates between forest paths and country roads. When planning, you can therefore choose between the measured route options of Gemla elljusspår and the landscape features along Gemlasjöspåret. One route is defined by approximate distances; the other by its lakeside setting and changing types of paths.

Gemla Folkpark and Stocköparken

Gemla Folkpark has two stages. The larger outdoor stage has several benches in front, and there is also a large dance floor. Stocköparken has a zip line, a balance course, a table tennis table, and a trampoline. There is also a modernised football pitch with new goals. The modernisation was completed on 23 May 2024. The listed facilities clearly distinguish the two places: Folkpark centres on stages and a dance floor, while Stocköparken offers the play and sports facilities listed above.

Getting to Gemla

Gemla is easily reached from both Alvesta and Växjö; the train journey takes just a few minutes. Gemla Folkpark is about 1 kilometre from the railway station and is easy to reach on foot. These details provide useful reference points for travelling from the places mentioned and for getting to Folkpark. Together with the different cultural and landscape themes, they can help you plan a stay that suits your interests.

Discover more destinations: Växjö, Vederslöv, Ryd, Värends Nöbbele, Ingelstad, Jät, Lammhult, Rottne

Return to the main travel overview: Växjö.