A small hill a quiet space. This is Bägersta gamla bytomt. It doesn’t look like much now. Yet this unassuming mound holds centuries of history. This is Bägersta old village site. It’s a reminder of a vibrant past. A past rooted in the fertile valley of Valla.
Bägersta gård a grand estate once stood here. It thrived alongside other farms. Valla gård Ersta Östberga and Enskede gård were its neighbours. The historic Göta landsväg the old road ran right through. The first mention of Bägersta dates back to 1353. A certain Jakob j Baeghrastum witnessed a local court case. Then in 1484 an Olaff j Beyarsta is mentioned.
In the 1500s Bägersta was a large-scale farm. Nearby Valla gård was even a small tenant farm under its control. Their boundary was the Göta landsväg. In the 1630s Stockholm’s mayor Olof Bure owned Bägersta. For a brief time in the mid-1600s it became a manor house.
Bägersta remained independent until 1729. Then it was acquired by Enskede gård’s new owner. He was the Riksråd Gustaf Palmfelt. A household registration from 1772 shows a government employee his wife and children lived there.
Enskede gård’s vast lands were bought by Stockholm in 1904. The buyer was Axel Odelberg. This was the city’s first major land acquisition outside its old walls. Bägersta was included in the deal.
For many years the area was undeveloped. But planning started in the late 1970s and 1980s. Construction followed in the 1990s. It is now known as Årsta Park. A small hill the remains of Bägersta was left untouched. You see the remains here today. There are traces of old buildings. There is dark rich soil and stone piles. Even some old plants remain. Bägersta’s story isn’t over. It continues to fascinate us reminding us of Stockholm’s rich past. This small hill whispers tales of farmers mayors and a life long gone. This is Bägersta gamla bytomt. A place where history rests quietly beneath our feet.