Gammelstad Church Town Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Church Town of Gammelstad, Luleå
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Gammelstad Church Town
Location	Gammelstaden, Luleå Municipality, Norrbotten County, Sweden
Criteria	Cultural: (ii), (iv), (v)
Inscription	1996 (20th Session)
Area	16.402 ha (40.53 acres)
Buffer zone	243.474 ha (601.64 acres)

Gammelstad Church Town (Swedish: Gammelstads kyrkstad) is a very special place in Sweden. It is so important that UNESCO has named it a World Heritage Site. You can find it in Gammelstaden, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of Luleå. This town is located at the northern end of the Gulf of Bothnia.

Gammelstad is the best example of a unique type of town. These towns were once common throughout northern Scandinavia. It was added to the World Heritage list in 1996.

The town is about 10 kilometers upstream along the Lule River. At its heart is the Nederluleå Church, built in the 1400s. Around the church are 424 wooden houses. People from far away used these houses. They stayed overnight after church services or religious festivals. Travel was very hard back then, so they could not go home the same day.

The buildings are made of timber, so they need constant care. Workers regularly check for rot and clear snow in the winter. This helps keep the old buildings safe and strong for many years.

History of Gammelstad
Buildings in Gammelstad
- Types of Houses
- Other Important Buildings
Gallery
See also

History of Gammelstad

Gammelstad Church Town started as a place for trading goods. It soon became a central spot for religious gatherings for farming families. Gammelstad is a wonderfully preserved example of a Scandinavian church town. These settlements are unique because they grew based on people's religious and social needs. They were not mainly shaped by money or geography.

Why People Built Church Towns

Many wooden houses were built around the church. People used these houses only on Sundays and during religious festivals. They served as places to sleep overnight for people who came from far away. Their journeys often involved long distances in a very cold environment.

How Gammelstad Became a Church Town

Gammelstad became a church town instead of a trading town for a special reason. The land slowly rose over time, making the town's harbor unusable by the 1600s. This natural event forced people to move the main trading center. The new settlement was named Luleå. The older church site was then renamed Gammelstad, meaning "Old Town."

Moving the trading center helped preserve Gammelstad. It remained untouched by the industrial changes of the 1800s. This is why it looks so much like it did centuries ago.

Town Layout and Protection

The original layout of Gammelstad has been kept completely. The town plan grew naturally over many centuries. Roads lead towards the church like spokes on a wheel. Other roads circle the town center along the sides of the hill. A wall with gates was built around the church. The wall you see today is a rebuilt version.

Building stopped after the mid-1600s. Today, very few Scandinavian church towns still exist. Gammelstad is the best preserved example of this type of settlement. Because of its unique history and preservation, UNESCO protects it as a World Heritage Site.

Buildings in Gammelstad

There are 520 buildings within the Gammelstad Church Town World Heritage Site. This includes 404 church cottages. These cottages are divided into about 552 separate rooms. There are also 116 other buildings.

Types of Houses

The church cottages were used for short stays by people attending church. Next to them are larger, more traditional houses. These were for officials and merchants who lived in the town all the time. Both types of houses surround the church. The church is the only stone building in the area. Its large size shows how well-off the region was in the late 1400s.

Other Important Buildings

Other important buildings in Gammelstad include the Chapel of Bethel. There is also the Cottage of the Separatists and the Parish House. You can also see the Tithe Barn, the Mayor's Residence, the Captain's Residence, and the Guest House. Each building tells a part of the town's long history.