Eila's time travels at Gammplatsen

Read this in — Svenska

Discover Lycksele with an exciting walking tour game

Have you ever time traveled? Helped a log driver? Met the Swedish folklore creature vittra? No? Well then, it sounds like you should come with time traveler Eila to Gammplatsen – Lycksele’s ancient market place area!

Eila has traveled to your time from the year 1708, where she lives with her parents and two brothers. Believe it or not, but Eila has her very own time machine! Her only problem is that the key broke, so now she needs your help to find the spare key. Eila’s vittra friend Windflower is a mischievous creature, who has hidden the key somewhere at Gammplatsen. It is now up to you and Eila to search for it.

Go exploring at Gammplatsen

You meet Eila at the Gammplatsen area entrance, and join her for a walk through the different eras of the open air museum area. Windflower has left a tricky task for you to solve in each time period. Maybe you can find the key on one of the shelves at the general store in the 1920s? Or maybe Windflower will give you the key if you manage to guess why the indigenous Saami people stored fish high up in the air?

As you walk, you listen to Eila’s stories about the people who used to come to Gammplatsen. You’ll hear about Johan the log driver who could steer his boat using only one hand, and about the king who decided that everyone who wanted to trade at the market had to go to church.

The StoryTourist app will show you the way

To walk this tour, you’ll download the user-friendly StoryTourist app. The app is equipped with a map, GPS, a narrator and digital guide which makes sure you walk in the right direction. Once you have purchased the tour it is yours to keep. You can use it at any time and as many times as you wish.

Through the StoryTourist-app, you’ll hear the story of how Lycksele became a city. The only thing you need to be able to explore Gammplatsen in a brand-new way is a smartphone with headphones.

This StoryTour is written by Monica Wiksten Gideonsson.

Read this in — Svenska

How this tour works:

Your smartphone is your guide on this tour! Once you have purchased a tour, this is what you do:

Download the StoryTourist app from Apple App Store or Google Play, while connected to Wi-Fi.
Log into the app using the same email address you filled in when purchasing the tour. You will create your password the first time you log into the app. The tour you have purchased will be ready to download in the tour library once you have logged in. Make sure you are still connected to Wi-Fi while downloading the tour.
Go to the starting point of the tour, open the app, put your headphones on and head out on your StoryTour adventure!

Important information:

This is a location based experience. You have to be at the tour starting point at Gammplatsen in Lycksele, Sweden, to start this walking tour.
Once the tour is downloaded to your phone, you can use it offline.
There is a map, GPS and a digital guide in the app, making sure that you’ll walk the right way.
This tour is available in English and Swedish.
Once you have purchased the tour, it is your to keep. You can use it whenever you want and as many times as you would like. You can start, pause and end the tour whenever you would like.
This tour is pet friendly – feel free to bring your dog on this walk!
The best way to get to the tour starting point is by car. You can also walk there from central Lycksele, it’s about a 20 minute walk.
This tour is accessible to wheelchair users, but please note that parts of the tour route go through uneven terrain like gravel roads and across grass. In wintertime, clearing of snow depends on the weather.
This tour is suitable for all ages, and recommended for families.

What to bring:

Your smartphone, with the StoryTourist app and the tour you purchased already downloaded.
Headphones, for the best possible listening experience
Make sure that your smartphone battery is fully charged. If you know that your phone has poor battery capacity, it can be a good idea to bring a powerbank as well.

Gammplatsen entrance

This is the tour starting point. You are standing by the entrance to Gammplatsen, which once was the church and market place of Lycksele. You can find museums, a cafe and numerous historic buildings here.

The general store

The general store was previously located in Villaryd, one of Lycksele’s oldest neighborhoods. It was moved here in 1987. It has been used as an inn and waiting hall.

The nine-pin bowling alley

The nine-pin bowling alley dates back to the late 1800s, when gentlemen used to play this predecessor to bowling. The building has also been used as a private residence.

The Margareta church

The Margareta church is a replica of the second church in Lycksele, which was built in 1736. It was named after the Saami woman Margareta, who did missionary work in the 1300’s.

The Saami dwelling

The Lycksele Saami association built a Saami dwelling here in 2003. You can find different forms of goahti and storage sheds, which showcase traditional building techniques.

Miss Lovisa's school

Miss Lovisa Bergström started a school for Saami girls in 1847 in Tannbäck. in 1948 this building was moved to Gammplatsen and was the first building in the open air museum area.

Aunt Emma's cabin

This cabin was built as a place for visiting church goers to rest. It was later moved down to the waterfront and washerwoman Emma Stenlund moved in in the late 1800s.

The Karlberg farm

This farm was built by settler Abraham Bernhard Johansson in 1850. It was located between the villages of Knaften and Bratten, and was later moved to Gammplatsen.

Log driver king’s cabin

This is where log driver Johan Fredriksson lived as a child. He helped save the bridge in Lycksele from collapsing as a result of a log buildup in the spring of 1944.

The Forest and Saami museum

At this museum you can find exhibitions on forestry history, as well as Saami history and culture. There is a playroom for kids, a loggers cabin, a simulator, a forest cinema and a shop.