Close your eyes – and you can almost hear the hammering, feel the heat from the forge, and smell the smoke that once filled this space.

You are now inside a smithy from Oxegården in Stora Mellby – a typical example of a farm smithy from the 1800s. Here, craftsmanship and hard labor went hand in hand.

The smithy was built in the 1830s and remained in use until 1924, when the last blacksmith, August Andersson – known as Kullberg – passed away. After that, the forge went cold.

But in 1979–80, members of the local heritage association moved the building here – to give it new life.

Almost everything a farm needed was either made or repaired here. When something broke, you went to the blacksmith. When a new tool was needed, it was forged on site. Horses were shod, axes sharpened, and hinges shaped in the glow of the fire.

The bellows you see are original – made in 1847 – and still fully functional. A piece of craft history in its own right. The smithy stands as a reminder of a time when every farm had its own expert – someone who, with fire, iron, and persistence, kept daily life running.