Stadsgården – Regeringsgatan 6

The Buildings

The buildings facing Regeringsgatan date back to the early 1850s and later became home to the town’s rådstuga (magistrate’s court).

• The wooden house at the entrance (6A) was built in 1852–1853 and features a semi-rounded vertical cladding in pale ochre beige, richly profiled trim in nougat tones, and red-brown cross-bar windows. Within the courtyard, a stairwell displays a large window with fine glazing bars.

• The second house at the courtyard entrance (6B), dating from 1850, has a warm yellow roughcast render (spritputs) facade with smooth grey plastered quoins and mouldings. The original hand-planed curved cornice remains. A stairwell is located just inside the courtyard.

• Inside the courtyard, the side wing consists of older timber structures. The red-painted log sheds are the oldest, likely from 1800–1850. The beige-yellow rendered building dates to the 1920s.

• Down by the river stands the former fire station, a two-storey building with attic, built around 1910. The tall hose-drying tower, clad in traditional notched cladding with shuttered panels, remains unchanged.

The Courtyard’s History

In the lower part of the courtyard, near the Hjo River, a tannery once operated. On the courtyard itself, the town’s elite fire brigade trained under office manager K.G. Swedenborg. In the tall tower of the fire station, hoses were hung to dry.

Each evening, a lamp was lit in the tower to guard against the wooden town’s greatest threat: “the red rooster” – a folk name for fire. To this day, you can still see the light glowing in the tower at night.

Stadsgården’s buildings have also housed a telegraph station, lending library, and police station. Inside the courtyard, the old holding cell still remains in the yellow building.

Today, the site includes private homes, woodworking workshops and artisan studios.

Rendering Techniques (Revetering)

The plastering of timber houses – known in Swedish as revetering – began in the 1700s and became common in the early 1800s. The goal was to elevate the building’s visual status, giving it the appearance of stone, while also improving fire safety.

On Regeringsgatan 6B, you can see this technique in action – the facade features both roughcast (spritputs) and smooth render (slätputs).

To help the plaster adhere to the timber underneath, different techniques were used:

1. Rough-notching: Cutting shallow grooves in the timber surface

2. Plugging (Pliggning): Inserting thousands of small wooden pegs

3. Render bricks: Thin brick tiles nailed to the wall

4. Reed matting: Later replaced by a metal mesh with reeds

5. Splinter panelling: Diagonally nailed wooden strips

This very building uses both method 2 and 5, along with birch twigs – visible behind the glass near the QR code. The most common plaster finishes were smooth render and roughcast. The latter is a wet mortar thrown onto the wall with a trowel and left intentionally unsmoothed for texture.

Self-Guided Tour

Take a stroll and explore the historical architecture and craftsmanship of Hjo at your own pace.

Quick Facts

• Number of stops: 17

• What to do: At each stop/sign, scan the QR code

• Starting point: Any stop

• What you need: Mobile phone and QR code scanner

• Duration: Around 1 hour

• Walking distance: Approx. 1.5 km

• Season: All year round

• Price: FREE