Dag Hammarskjöld's farm Backåkra (), close to

Ystad Ystad () is a town and the seat of Ystad Municipality, in Scania County, Sweden. Ystad had 18,350 inhabitants in 2010. The settlement dates from the 11th century and has become a busy ferryport, local administrative centre, and tourist attracti ...

in southern

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, was bought in 1957 as a summer residence by Hammarskjöld, then

Secretary-General Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...

of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

(1953-1961). The farm was in decline and its restoration came to last until after Hammarskjöld's death in 1961. It was maintained by the Swedish Tourist Association, as a museum displaying his belongings and art, furniture, gifts and more - many from his time at the UN. The south wing of the farm was reserved as a summer retreat for the 18 members of the

Swedish Academy The Swedish Academy (), founded in 1786 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. Its 18 members, who are elected for life, comprise the highest Swedish language authority. Outside Scandinavia, it is best known as the body t ...

, of which Hammarskjöld was a member. There is an outdoor

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...

site on the beautiful property of 74 acres, which is a nature reserve. Today, the house is owned b
Dag Hammarskjölds Backåkra Foundation
and contains a museum, conference, small café and book shop. ''Backåkra'' is the name of the farm itself, but also the name of the village to which the farmstead belongs. Due to the 1803 land reform in

Scania Scania ( ), also known by its native name of Skåne (), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces () of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous w ...

, farms were moved out of the village with the result that Backåra is now chiefly a land register. Its local school, the '' folkskola,'' is today a summer hostel run by the Swedish Hiking Association. The lands of the village are situated less than a mile from the shores of the Baltic in the Österlen area of Scania. Known for its summer cottages and outdoor recreation, the area is popular with tourists. In April 2018, the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

held a unique meeting at Backåkra. They very rarely have meetings outside the UN headquarters in New York.

References

External links

Backåkra farmstead tourism information
by the City of Ystad
Backåkra Youth Hostel
by the Swedish Hiking Association

by the Dag Hammarskjölds Backåkra Foundation {{DEFAULTSORT:Backakra Populated places in Skåne County Swedish Academy Dag Hammarskjöld