Falbygden-Ätradalen Ecomuseum in Sweden

The ecomuseum backbone is a segment of the river Ätran, and the organizing theme is the 6000 year history of agriculture in the region.

The ecomuseum includes 80 sites, which present the graves of the region's oldest farmers from megalithic times, traditional wood architecture - both sacral and secular, numerous traditional farms and livestock farms (e.g. farms specializing in breeding goats or sheep, pedigree dogs, organic farms), artisan workshops (e.g. crazy hat maker, jewellers, weaving), which give the visitor an opportunity to learn about production processes and shops, dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Ecomuseum includes an old restored mill, which hosts many meetings and community events for locals and visitors, as well as a charming pension, in which each room is devoted to a well known person from the region and is decorated in the style of the relevant period.

An important value-added to the ecomuseum are greenways, which lead visitors to the most beautiful and interesting places, characterized by outstanding landscape and natural values. The Ecomuseum has been created by numerous enthusiasts, who have agreed to work together and who have chosen a leader from among them. The information/documentation centre of the ecomuseum is located in the local archeological museum, which offers visitors also the opportunity to visit an archeological park. The Ecomuseum is managed by a not-for-profit foundation with financial backing from local government. In the past, dependency on a single source of funding has led to management difficulties.