Welcome to the courtyards of the city
The smell of freshly roasted coffee beans and cardamom buns wafts across the room. At one table, two colleagues sit hunched over a laptop, and in the next room pictures are being hung ahead of the evening’s exhibition opening. Morning is in full swing in one of Östersund’s courtyards
A while back, a group of local enthusiasts decided to reinvigorate Östersund’s courtyards. They wanted to make them accessible to everyone.“Many years ago, the courtyards of the city had an important function. This was where the farrier,the tailor and the butcher could be found, and it was here that the city’s residents came to test out
products before buying them. There was a natural closeness between the producer and the consumer. Then production was moved out of the city and the courtyards were left empty. We wanted to change that,” explains Manne Mosten of Norra Station’s café
and coffee roastery.
At Norra Station they have created a warm and welcoming environment. Regular customers and
curious tourists alike drop by here, and the basic idea is that all senses should be satisfied. The café roasts its own coffee and serves food based on local
ingredients. Gallery LUX exhibits art, crafts and design and in the evenings, the premises are used for food walks, coffee courses, tastings and lectures.
Right across the street, at Hamngatan 12, Malin Savehed has extended her furnishing and interior design store and opened a café and bistro there.
She too wants to recreate the atmosphere of the old courtyards. “Right here the buildings around the courtyard were used as stables for travelling horses, for carpentry and a blacksmith’s workshop,” says Malin.
Just like at Norra Station, sustainability is an important business ingredient at Hamngatan 12. They take leftover fruit and vegetables from food shops and use it as a base in soups, juices and smoothies.They also sell second-hand furniture and in the evenings the premises are used for wine tastings, parties, lectures and concerts.
You reach both Norra Station and Hamngatan 12
from Hamngatan (street) in Östersund.
