Ästad Elementary School

” Once upon a time…”, most fairy tails start like this. This story is about a school.

Once upon a time there was a school which was built , demolished, re-built, closed and finally was revived. It is about Ästad school.

During the last half of the 1800-century, the necessity of a staionay school was felt in the area of Skogsbo county. Earlier the education was travelling but as some children only had spent about 8 weeks during one year at school, it was understood that something had to be done.

It took some years until the the place of the school was decided. There where 3 villages in the county and they all wanted the children not to have a too far way to go. A smart person then decided to build the school in the middle of the county. The children from nabben ( not far from Åkulla <9 would have about just as far as the children from Jult ( Högryd ). Accordingly Ästad was decided to be the right place. At this time Åstad was just as small as the other 2 villages Stegared and Angryd. As soon as the school was built, also a shop as well as a dairy were established.

The schoolhouse had only one class-room and one room for the teacher. A house for the wood and a toilet were built on the other side of the country-road. The road was also used as a school-yard.

During 40 years only one female teacher educated children from 7 to 14 years of age. The nimber of children eaise during the second part of the 1900-centurt and the teacher fell in love. She got mairried and during this time it was not done for a married teacher to work, so she had to leave her post.

The school was also found to be too small and now it was decided to build a new school. The old one was demolished and the old timber was taken care of and then moved a couple of hundred meters from the old place. This school was larger. It had two class-rooms and 2 separate flats for the teachers. In 1919 uit was ready and the new school could start.

Further 30 years passed, good years for some and not so good for others. As a little boy was asked what he felt about going to aschool, he answered; - well, it is just a big torment for me!

During the years of the second worldwar, central-heating was installed and wood were used. One of the teachers said that she felt as if she was “ gassed “ from it, becausethe masonry was not thick enough. She left her post! The other teacher retired. And now the school was closed for good.

The association of the Home-guard bought the school-house and one of the classrooms now was changed into a kitchen. A flat was arranged in the attic and was rented. The rest of the house kept it´s caracter of a school.

Further 40 years passed with practices of the Home-Guard, staff of war-unit, women´s voluntary defence service, sewing-, weaving- as well as cooking classes.


As time went on the members of the Home Guard were running short and it was decided to sell the house. Someone expressed the thought that the house coulod be uased as a museum. No sooner said than done! Old school-equipment found it´s way back. They had beem hidden and forgotten all over the municipality of Varberg.

During the last 10 years a lot of people, school-classes and attenders of pensionerclubs have been standing beside the old organ, singing old hymns and used the old inkpens, trying to write their names with sprawling hands.

As the trample and murmer of the visiotrs have ceased, uou can almost feel how the three old teachers on the pictures in the dressing-room, nod to each other and say; - well, our old school is still alive.


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