The Story of Pippi and Villa Villekulla
In the middle of the area stands the real Villa Villekulla, the original house from SVT’s films about Pippi Longstocking, which of course is one of the hubs of the business. The last two films, “Pippi on the Seven Seas” and “Pippi’s Escape”, were filmed here at Sommarland after the house was moved here in 1970 – in one piece! In 2001-2002, 2010, and most recently in 2015, Villa Villekulla was renovated to recreate the environment from the classic films.
About Villa Villekulla and Gotland
Villa Villekulla is a turn-of-the-century villa, dating of E. Ahlqvist on the stairs indicates that the house was built or extended in 1902. The villa has originally been a steward’s residence with a cellar belonging to the Gotland Regiment on Visborgsslätt.
During the early 1960s, Music Director Åke Dohlin (Hagström 1996:91) lived there, and later Dentist Bergstedt for a short period, before the house was used as an ammunition and underpants store. The steward’s residence became known as Villa Villekulla due to the filming of the Pippi series on Gotland, where the first episodes of the Pippi series were filmed in 1968.
In the late 1960s, Astrid Lindgren, together with director Olle Hellbom, decided to start filming Pippi. After finding a Pippi and an Annika, they were now missing a Villa Villekulla, a Tommy, a horse, and a monkey. Olle Hellbom placed an ad in Expressen with the headline “Do you have a house for Pippi Longstocking?” with a picture of how they wanted the house to look approximately. The ad also included a requirement for there to be a magnificent tree and for it to be located in an older villa area. The ad, written with a lot of humor, ended with “The house, the horse, Tommy, and the monkey can apply to Nord Art, Box, Stockholm 1. Pippi is set in an unspecified time, and they are looking for environments that resemble the time around the turn of the century. Gotland was chosen partly because they hadn’t received new modern traffic signs like they had on the mainland, and therefore, the surroundings still gave the impression of a bygone era. Just one month before filming began, Olle and photographer Kalle Bergholm toured Gotland. They spotted the steward’s residence, with its carpentry joy and large garden, so it was a hit. Since the house belonged to the regiment, it was not a given that filming was possible, but with a generous offer of 10,000 kronor, the then-General Hjukström gave his approval.
For the movie, a porch was added, and the house was painted in colorful colors. The carpentry joy was expanded, and shutters were placed on the lower floor’s windows, set at an angle to mimic the illustrations in the books. Turrets, spires, and chimneys also got a skewed look. Only the exterior is visible in the films; the indoor scenes were filmed in studios.
Through the Pippi series, the old steward’s residence became one of Sweden’s most famous houses. The house, which stands empty and is only used as storage by the military, attracts large numbers of tourists who want to see the real Villa Villekulla. It gives Gotland a lot of attention, and the then tourist director dreams of Villekulla becoming a playground for children and where juice parties can be held. But the house still stands on military land, which makes the villa and the garden a dangerous playground.
It is described that the house is close to decay, large parts of the facade are beginning to crumble. If it hadn’t been for Pippi, the house would have been demolished long ago. (GT 1969) The regiment is indifferent to Villa Villekulla; they will get a new store and also need to expand their shooting ranges. They would like the house to be demolished. General Hjukström still believes that the Pippi craze will be over in a year. This engages the local newspapers but also the evening newspapers on the mainland; in Aftonbladet’s Sunday supplement on May 4, 1969, there is an article with an appeal to save Pippi’s house. The house is sold at auction with the requirement that the buyer must be able to move it. Three people bid at the auction, and it is the Gotlander Einar Nyberg who becomes the new owner of Villa Villekulla.
Before the move, Nyberg’s machines dig a road that will take Villa Villekulla all the way to Kneippbyn. The house is not dismantled because the frame is strong and allows it to be transported as it is. A substructure of iron beams is made to serve as supports.
Villa Villekulla ended up being moved to a place with a history. Kneippbyn, whose name was borrowed from the German priest and health prophet Sebastian Kneipp, was initially a spa resort. Sebastian Kneipp was known for curing his tuberculosis with, among other things, cold baths, barefoot walks, and fresh air. Doctor Karl Kallenberg, who bought the land south of Visby in 1907, intended to create a place inspired by Sebastian Kneipp’s treatment methods, so the place was named Kneippbyn. In the winter of 1969, Villa Villekulla was bought and moved by the then owner of Kneippbyn. The acquisition matched well with the development that had taken place at Kneippbyn in recent decades. In the 1970s, it was a place for leisure and family.
Once in place, visitors could see the house and drink soda from the soda tree. Each visitor paid 50 öre for a glass. The staff pressed a button, and soda streamed directly into the child’s outstretched glass from the tree. In the 1980s, Kneippbyn underwent its next major change. Waterslides were built, and the focus was also on working on the interior of Villa Villekulla. Much energy was put into recreating the film’s interiors in the house. The work also continued to find interiors used during the filming. Today you can find both Kling and Klang’s T-ford and motorcycle in our museum. It is possible to see Villa Villekulla even during periods when Kneippbyn is closed. Email your inquiry to info@kneippbyn.se.