— What do you think makes Kolarbyn so special?
Malin: “Kolarbyn is called ‘Sweden’s most primitive hotel’. It is a natural refuge for silence, wilderness and adventure in a beautiful forest setting just a couple of hours away from the capital Stockholm. I think the huts and the forest around them is something really unique. I don’t know any other place that has all of that. There is no electricity, only candles and a crackling fireplace that will guide you asleep. And after a silent night you slowly wake up to the birds and a refreshing swim in the lake. It is really fascinating.”
— Outside a hut at Kolarbyn
— You are new to Kolarbyn. Since when and why?
Malin: “During the first year my wife and I were together, she is from the south near here, she took me to Kolarbyn and we stayed there for one night. We had a bottle of wine with us and some cheese and it was really, really magical. That was 6 years ago. When Marcus asked me to join, it was an easy decision for me. There is a lot of potential and I love the place and the nature here.”
— Dinner by the fire
— What is the history of Kolarbyn?
Malin: “Kolarbyn was founded in the winter of 1996 as villagers from Skinnskatteberg decided to build a collection of traditional forest huts by the shore of lake Skärsjön. The idea was to create conditions for people interested in charcoal burning to practice their techniques in the way it had been practiced in the region for centuries. And then 6 or 7 years ago, Marcus reopened Kolarbyn with different huts.”
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— What are the facilities at Kolarbyn?
Malin: “We have a floating sauna on the lake, which is really amazing. We have no electricity or water, so we bring the water from a spring. We have a breakfast place where you can get bread and cook your eggs, but we don’t have a real kitchen. We just have two big fireplaces where you can prepare your own food if you want and every hut has its own fireplace. But that is the only thing we have. That is the concept of Kolarbyn. No fancy toilets or shower rooms and so on. We provide isolation mats, sheep skin rugs, candles and matches, firewood, waste separation bins for recycling, a canoe and wooden rowing boat, primitive kitchen facilities and access to a big hut with tables and chairs.”
— Kolarbyn log cabin
— What is the essence of Kolarbyn?
Malin: “To live in nature. It is just a really, really magical feeling to wake up in the morning, start the fire and hear the birds singing. It is just to be in this place, and that’s enough for many people. They don’t want to have our tours, they just want to be here.”
— Kolarbyn forest hut Johanna
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