Dag Hammarskjöld's Backåkra : the magic of the place and the history of its objects

Dag Hammarskjöld is perhaps among those Swedes who have madethe greatest impression on the world. Before moving to New Yorkto take up his post at the United Nations, Dag was invited to thesummer home of his good friend Bo Beskow. He was very takenwith the Skåne countryside and in 1957 he purchased the nineteenth-century farmstead Backåkra, east of Ystad, with the intentionof settling there once his term of office at the UN ended.

On Dag Hammarskjölds tragic death in Africa on September,1961, his farm was bequeathed to the Swedish Tourist Association(STF) and Swedish Academy. Furniture, artworks and personalbelongingsfrom his New York apartment were brought toBackåkra, where they remain to this day. The farm is now run asa museum dedicated to Dag Hammarskjölds life and accomplishments.

The bookDag Hammarskjölds Backåkra:The Magic of the Place andthe History of its Objectsspans over a hundred and fifty years, fromthe construction of the farm in the mid-nineteenth century to itspresent-day role as an international meeting place and natureexperience. It offers a glimpse into a previously undocumentedpart of Dag Hammarskjölds life.