Its rural way of life was rapidly giving way to an industrialised society and many feared that the country's many traditional customs and occupations might be lost to history.

All of the buildings are open to visitors and show the full range of Swedish life from the Skogaholm Manor house built in 1680, to the 16th century Älvros farmhouses.

[2] The many exhibits over the 75 acre (300,000 m²) site include a full replica of an average 19th-century town, in which craftsmen in traditional dress such as tanners, shoemakers, silversmiths, bakers and glass-blowers demonstrate their skills in period surroundings.

There is also an open-air zoo containing a wide range of Scandinavian animals including the brown bear, moose, grey seal, Eurasian lynx, wolf, fox, otter, reindeer, harbour seal, Eurasian eagle owl, great grey owl and wolverine, as well as some non-Scandinavian animals.

In early December the site's central Bollnäs square is host to a popular Christmas market that has been held since 1903, attracting around 25,000 visitors each weekend.