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Kyrkbacken (Church Hill)
Kyrkbacken, or ”Backarne” as this hilly area was called up to the 17th century, was the town’s most northern area. Church employees, teachers and priests lived in the bourgeois homes in the southern part of the area, while the slums in the northern part housed the vagabonds, paupers and outcasts, often for several generations.
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The town executioner was one of these outcasts and had an even lower status than the paupers. He was only allowed to drink from his own well, which is now a spring and a green area that is open to visitors.
No efforts were made to change the area when Västerås received its regular, modern street system in the 19th century, which is why these charming lanes and alleys, which are of considerable importance to the character of the area, still remain. The conditions for the people in Kyrkbacken were characterized not only by poverty, but also by ill health. The plague was prevalent in the area in 1623 and many people died. In 1711 it returned and white crosses were painted on about 20 doors.
Life in Kyrkbacken was dangerous in a different kind of way during the first half of the 20th century. At the end of the 1940s there were many people who advocated the demolition of the area to make way for new buildings. But, luckily, there were others who opposed this plan and in 1964 a new city plan stipulated careful renovation of Kyrkbacken. It is an ideal place for historic walks, either as part of a guided tour or single-handedly, where you can imagine what life would have once been like here. There are also several galleries and craft shops in the trendier Kyrkbacken of today. Guided tours arranged by Västerås Tourist Office,
Phone: +46 (0)21-39 01 00. |
