Category: Hostelries, Sweden

History
Both in 1335 and in 1442 attempts were made to by law build taverns along the most traveled roads in Sweden. Only a few were built as a result of this. It was not until 1561 when Erik XIV formed new laws where every hundred were to point out a village to keep travelers with horses, food, and beds. In 1615 the district judges in the hundreds were to make sure that hostelry farms were appointed along all the main roads with 15 kilometers between each. Up until 1649 it was up to the farmers to service travelers with horses and accommodations, there were no special hostelry buildings at that time. They were freed of this but were instead forced to pay for the service through taxes. Separate hostelries became more common around 1700. The laws changed a few times over the years for the hostelries, mostly to improve the conditions for the travelers. With the railways and cars, the way people traveled changed and in 1933 the law to keep hostelries was abandoned. Several had in reality already closed when their monopoly to produce alcohol was taken away around 1900.

• Wikipedia on Gästgiveri