Skå: Cultural History on Färingsö

Skå on Färingsö combines a rural landscape with church, school and social history. Skå Church adds a clearly dated medieval building to this setting.

Church, Landscape and Directions

Skå Church is on Färingsö, surrounded by open farmland and woodland, and was built between 1170 and 1180. By car, it is accessible via Route 261, Drottningholmsvägen, and then Färentunavägen. Drive 10.4 km on Route 261; at the roundabout, take the first exit towards Färentuna/Stenhamra and continue for 6.6 km on Färentunavägen. The church thus combines a medieval construction date with clearly described driving directions and a setting of farmland and woodland.

Early Traces and School History

The parish centre of Skå has roots in the Late Iron Age. Tunagravfältet includes one of the parish’s large burial mounds and is one of the features of Skå’s nationally significant cultural environment. Two scales sit side by side here: the roots of a parish centre and a specific burial mound, together with its place within the cultural environment. This extends the historical and thematic perspective beyond the medieval church building to include both the history of the parish centre and archaeological heritage.

Kyrkskolan comprises four buildings from different periods. The school buildings in the parish centre of Skå show how rural schools developed from the introduction of the compulsory elementary school system to the present day. One of the buildings also formerly served as a verger’s residence. Understanding the history of the school therefore involves both the long arc of its development and the specific former functions of individual buildings. The buildings’ different periods also give this subject an architectural dimension.

Social History and a Seasonal Break

Social history is also part of Skå’s story. In the second half of the 20th century, Barnbyn Skå was an internationally recognised treatment centre for children with psychosocial problems. Its treatment approach focused on family and security rather than punishment. This former institution and its approach sit alongside the architectural and archaeological themes: here, the focus is neither on building phases nor burial finds, but on the approach to treatment at the time. If you would like to explore cultural history as social history too, this place offers a different perspective from the church, burial ground and school buildings.

At Skå Festplats, you can have coffee and take a break at the café on Thursdays from May onwards. This is a seasonal, day-of-the-week-specific option to bear in mind when planning your day. If you plan to visit the café, check before travelling whether it will be open on the Thursday you have in mind.

Discover more destinations: Färentuna, Adelsön, Ekerö, Munsö, Stenhamra.

Return to the main travel overview: Ekerö.