Sommarläger,guidning och aktiviteter på Norrbyskär

Welcome to Norrbyskär
- the island for the entire family

Norrbyskär is an island group with a fascinating history, located in the archipelago of Västerbotten, 40 kilometres south of Umeå. At the turn of the century Europe’s biggest steam saw was located at Norrbyskär.

Today it is a vacation island with lots of memories of the ideal community that was once built around the steam saw. On the island you will find a museum, a hotel, a kiosk, a church and an YMCA-camp. Outside of the museum we have Little Norrbyskär for the children; a culture historical learn- and playground with an environment from the old community.

A ferry with many trips each day during the summer will take you to the island from Norrbyn.

The museum of Norrbyskär - with a timber yard café
Welcome to the museum of Norrbyskär!
We will take you back in time, into the days of glory when the biggest sawmill in Europe bloomed and Frans Kempe created a unique model community. We can offer a delicious meal with a pleasant environment, an interesting exhibition about the life on Norrbyskär, a museum shop, an art exhibition as well as Little Norrbyskär with a fun and historic adventure for the children.

Opening hours 2010
12 - 25 June Daily 11.00-16.00
26 June -08 August 11.00-17.30

Entry fee
Adults: 40 SEK including entry to the museum’s basic exhibition and Little Norrbyskär
Children 6-15 years old: 40 SEK including entry to the museum’s basic exhibition and Little Norrbyskär
Children 0-5 years old: FREE in the company of an adult

Tours and activities
We offer a beautiful archipelago, tastyfood, fun games, exciting adventures, interesting history, engaging art and relaxation in a soothing environment by the sea. Norrbyskär is an island group with about 70 islands that has a fascinating history. At the end of the 19th century Europe’s biggest sawmill was created there. Thousands of people lived and worked at the unique model community.

Tours
Our guides will take you on a journey with our tour-train around Norrbyskär and tell you the fascinating story of how Frans Kempe built his model-society on the island. You will be offered a trip back in time to the industrialism and the time of the sawmill. Together we will travel along the beautiful workmen’s dwellings and we will learn how the company’s people and families lived. After the guiding tour we will visit the exhibition of the history of Norrbyskär at the museum. An amazing scale model shows what it looked like on the island and how the people lived and worked.

Experiences
YMCA conference and camp centre is steaming with activities during the summer. As well as the possibility to take part in one of YMCA's summer camps, there' is also a wide range of programs and activities suitable for all kinds of groups, from schools and associations to companies and private persons. Let your children play in our low-height Ropes Course, challenge yourselves in the High Ropes Course, swim by the rocks or rent a canoe and discover the beautiful beaches of Norrbyskär.

Beautiful archipelago
The archipelago surrounding Norrbyskär consist of some hundred islands and rocks. In the outer archipelago you'll find seals, and in several nature reserves birds such as razorbill, guillemot, goose and erandskua are protected. Bring a picnic and find your own favourite spot on a rock or by the beach.

Fishing on Norrbyskär
You find a varied hobby fishing entirely for free. On the outside of the island the grayling comes very close to shore. There's also a lot of fishing for whitefish. In the bays, where the water is shallower, there's plenty of prey for pike and towards the evening the bigger perch come in to stay overnight and eat.

Celebrate Midsummer at Norrbyskär
Welcome to a traditional Midsummer celebration at Norrbyskär, where we decorate the Midsummer-pole, listen to musical entertainment and have dancing-games for the children.

Historical walk
Norrbyskär's Museum has placed 22 signs around the island with pictures and text about the area during the sawmill era and the people who worked here. The Museum has maps.

YMCA Camps
The YMCA’s campyard is placed on a part of Norrbyskär that is called “Blågrundet”. The YMCA runs a big renting service in form of a summer camp, camp schools and activity days for schools, organisations and companies. We can offer different types of packet solutions where residence, food and activities are included.

Find us
Norrbyskär is located about 40 km south of Umeå. You get here by the ferry leaving from Norrbyn, about 40 km south of Umeå. During peak season the ferry leaves every hour.