Did you know Vårby källa once served as a popular health retreat? In 1709, Vårby källa received special royal privilege. It became a sought-after destination.
Vårby källa is located in the park at Vårby allé 41. It is in Vårby in Huddinge municipality. The source gets its water from an offshoot of the Uppsala ridge. This gives it unique mineral properties.
Let’s dive into its history. The spring was already known in 1680. Magnus Oliveblad owned Vårby gård. He tried to get the spring approved as a health spring. It wasn’t until May 5 1709 that it received royal approval. It became a recognized mineral spring.
Urban Hjärne discovered the spring water. He praised it. Hjärne stated Vårby’s water was very similar to Medevi mineral spring. He meant it was of the same high quality.
Vårby källa was thought to cure many ailments. These included intestinal worms infertility and rheumatism. Even bathing was part of the popular health cure. People from all over Europe came here. They stayed for several weeks. Guests stayed in buildings around the farm. They also stayed at Fittja gästgiveri. The activity lasted for about 40 years. Then it began to decline. People still continued to drink the water at Vårby. Water was still taken from here to the royal court in Stockholm in the 1840s.
In 1932, Harry Winberg built a mineral water factory. This revitalized the spring. In 1942, Konsumtionsföreningen Stockholm bought his factory. Later it was known as Wårby Bryggerier. Spendrups acquired Wårby Bryggerier in 1989. Today Spendrups owns the spring. The water from Vårby källa is no longer used to produce mineral water.
In 2007, Huddinge municipality celebrated the spring’s 300th anniversary. The celebration was held near the well house. The spring is an ancient monument.
The spring flows through a stainless steel pipe. It empties its water into Gömmarbäcken. The spring water is not used as raw water. It is not used for the production of mineral and table water anymore. Ordinary drinking water from Norsborg water plant is now used instead.
The well house is also called Stora Vårby Källa. The building is a reminder of the early 1700s health spring era. It represents one of the few buildings remaining from that time. The old well house was built in the winter of 1707-1708. This makes it one of Vårby’s oldest preserved buildings.
The house is a log house. There was already a brick cellar with a barrel vault under the building. The ground floor consists of five rooms. The upper floor originally had a large hall. In the 1700s it was described as “a magnificent room with 63 square meters of floor space”.
Its current exterior appearance resembles the Swiss style. It mainly dates from the 1860s. Then theater director Edvard Stjernström rented Stora Vårby Källa. The Stjernström couple held literary lectures and meetings here. Henrik Ibsen and Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson were among the guests. After Edvard Stjernström’s death in 1877, his widow Louise Granberg-Stjernström continued the tradition. She lived in the house until her death in 1907.
C. Harry Winberg also lived in the well house. He bought the Vårby gård property in 1924. In 1932-33 he built the mineral water factory. During his time, further exterior and interior changes were made. The large hall was rebuilt into five rooms and a kitchen. Dormers were added. Winberg lived there until 1936. After that the building was used as an office for Wårby Bryggerier.
The house was renovated from the ground up in the early 2000s. In 2002, it received Huddinge municipality’s beauty prize. The building now serves as a conference facility for Spendrups.
In Vårby källa’s park stands one of Sweden’s largest ash trees. It has a trunk circumference of 5.77 meters. It has been one of Huddinge’s eleven natural monuments since 1960.
Today Vårby källa is a peaceful spot. Its waters no longer bottle refreshment. Yet its history bubbles with tales of health seekers and famous visitors. Take a moment to appreciate the tranquil flow and imagine the stories it could tell.