From time immemorial, people have followed the River Lagan past the site of present-day Ljungby. In the 11th century, two Vikings decided to settle in the heather clad plains they found here. The two Vikings were Astrad and his son Götrad, whose statue stands today in Ljungby’s main square. Astrad supposedly said to Götrad, “This is where we shall settle. Here there is much game and bird life, and in the river are large quantities of salmon. Here we shall build our town, and because the land here is covered in heather (ljung in Swedish), the town shall be called Ljungby (‘ljung town’)”.

However, there are those who consider that Ljungby’s history only properly began much later, in the 17th century, with the advent of the marketplace, the tingsplats or courthouse, and a hostelry. The hostelry – Ljungby Gästgivaregård – was run by the well-known Märta Ljungberg (1657-1741), who provided food and lodging to travellers passing through Ljungby. She ran the hostelry for 55 years and became very wealthy as the hostelry prospered. She gave generous donations to the poor and needy, and after her death she left her fortune to the poor of Ljungby and surrounding areas. A scholarship was also established in her name. Her generosity and devotion have been honoured by the town, where a street has been named after her and the hostelry still stands in the town square, preserved exactly as it was in the 18th century when Märta Ljungberg would welcome travellers to Ljungby with open arms. The old square in Ljungby was also the scene, one market day in 1857, when some of the wealthy tradesmen of the town heard a young girl singing with a most exquisite voice. They were so taken by her talent that they decided to pay for her singing studies. The girl was Kristina Nilsson, who later became a world-famous opera singer. In her memory, a statue stands in a park near the station and a scholarship has been established which is granted to a prominent musician or singer each year.

For further information, please visit www.ljungby.se