Dag Hammarskjöld is associated with Österlen, the beautiful region of southeastern Skåne in southern Sweden. His best-known connection to the area is Backåkra, the farm near the coast that he purchased in 1957 and hoped to make his home after retiring as Secretary-General of the United Nations.
But Hammarskjöld’s relationship with Österlen was about more than Backåkra. He had friends in the region, spent time there when he could escape the demands of international diplomacy, and developed a deep affection for the landscape of southern Sweden.
Bo Beskow called it a perfect Shangri-la—a place where I could escape. I loved the Swedish countryside: the stretches of golden fields, the clusters of pines, sweet bouquets of purple heather, bluebells, buttercups, and daisies, picturesque apple orchards around Skåne. The southern part of Sweden had become a sanctuary for me because of my great friends Bo and Greta, who lived in Löderup.
After the break-in at my apartment in Stockholm, I was more ready than ever to find something rural and private, an oasis where my thoughts could run without interruption. I’d considered having my own orchard, and I’d purchased a property in Halland County several years before.
However, when duty called at the UN, my dreams of cultivating that acreage fell by the wayside. It became overgrown and caused consternation for the neighbors until I hired a crew of gardeners to tidy it. After that, I figured it was better to sell the land to someone ready to make good use of it.
Still, I dreamed of being Farmer Dag. I suppose that was an aspect of my personality very few understood. I wasn’t in a hurry to retire; I wasn’t even fifty yet
and had only been Secretary-General for over a year, so it wasn’t an immediate goal.But I envisioned my latter years on a tranquil farm surrounded by nature. I’d get a small flock of hens that would trade scratch for fresh eggs. Maybe a milk cow—a Swedish Friesian with black and white spots. As a boy, I had a toy Dala horse that I named Jan. Perhaps I’d get a real pony to brush and spoil rotten with sliced apples and carrots.
-Simply Dag: The Private Man in a Public—and Dangerous—Office
Backåkra: Dag Hammarskjöld’s Home in Österlen
Located near the coast between Ystad and Simrishamn, Backåkra has become one of the places most closely identified with Dag Hammarskjöld.
Hammarskjöld purchased the property while serving as Secretary-General of the United Nations. Although his work kept him primarily in New York and required almost constant international travel, Backåkra represented something very different: privacy, nature, contemplation, and the possibility of a quieter life.
He intended to live there after leaving the United Nations.
That retirement never came.
Hammarskjöld died in a plane crash near Ndola, Northern Rhodesia, on September 18, 1961, while undertaking a peace mission during the Congo Crisis.
Backåkra therefore carries a particular poignancy. It was not simply a retreat. It represented a future Hammarskjöld was preparing for but never had the opportunity to live.
Today, Dag Hammarskjöld’s Backåkra preserves his connection to the region.
Dag Hammarskjöld, Löderup, and the Beskow Family
Hammarskjöld also had an important personal connection to nearby Löderup through his friendship with the Beskow family.
The Beskows were close friends of Dag, and their home offered something quite different from the formal world he inhabited as an international statesman. His friendships mattered enormously to him, and time spent with trusted friends provided opportunities for companionship and respite from the pressures surrounding his public life.
The connection helps place Backåkra within a larger story.
Hammarskjöld did not simply select an attractive piece of property on the Swedish coast. He already had meaningful ties to this part of Sweden. Österlen was a landscape connected with friendship, familiarity, and personal happiness.
Löderup and Backåkra are therefore complementary pieces of Hammarskjöld’s relationship with the region.
Why Did Dag Hammarskjöld Love Southern Sweden?
Nature occupied an important place in Hammarskjöld’s inner life.
He was an accomplished mountaineer and walker who felt a profound connection with landscape. His love of the dramatic mountains of northern Sweden is well documented, but he was also drawn to the very different beauty of Sweden’s south.
Österlen offered open skies, farmland, sea, long walks, and a sense of spaciousness far removed from the political and diplomatic pressures of New York.
For a man whose daily life involved heads of state, international crises, negotiations, speeches, journalists, and almost relentless responsibility, the simplicity of the landscape had obvious appeal.
Backåkra gave Hammarskjöld a place where another life seemed possible.
From New York to Österlen
The contrast is striking.
As Secretary-General, Hammarskjöld lived in New York City and traveled extensively throughout the world. His professional life unfolded on an international stage.
Yet when he imagined his eventual retirement, his thoughts turned toward rural southern Sweden.
In that sense, Österlen reveals something important about Hammarskjöld that can disappear behind the image of the diplomat. He was not only the Secretary-General working inside the United Nations headquarters. He was also a private man who valued solitude, friendship, walking, literature, art, photography, and the natural world.
To understand Dag Hammarskjöld’s connection to Österlen is therefore to understand something about Dag Hammarskjöld the person.
Visiting Dag Hammarskjöld’s Österlen
For people interested in Hammarskjöld today, Österlen provides an unusual opportunity to encounter the landscape associated with his private life.
Backåkra is the essential destination, but understanding his connections with Löderup and the Beskow family adds another dimension to the story. Together, these places help explain why this corner of Skåne became important to him and why he envisioned making his permanent home there.
Dag Hammarskjöld belonged professionally to the world.
But in Österlen, he found a place that could belong to Dag.
Explore more:
- Why Is Dag Hammarskjöld Important?
- Why Dag Hammarskjöld Redefined the Role of Secretary-General
- What Did Dag Hammarskjöld Do?
- We’re Still Catching Up to Dag Hammarskjöld
New to Dag’s life and legacy? Start here.
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Photo credit: Karl Olsson on Unsplash