Our Journey...

Welcome to a journey with Godsmagasinet through time… Can you imagine those locomotives driving through Älmhult in 1863?

That is when Godsmagasinet was build together with the stadion building and the whole town square.

…after all, Älmhult was by that time not much more then a few farms and lot’s of potato fields.



Copyright to the historical images by Kulturparken Småland, under their www.digitaltmuseum.org

“In order to create the future, we have to understand the past.”

— Raphael Bartke

1850
Älmhult

Älmhult wasn’t much a village in 1850, then more losly farms… but the Swedish Railway had big plans.
So the head architect from SJ (Statens Järnväg - State Railway) got the assignment to develop the village Älmhult - not only the station building, but also the whole town square, Hotels, Lokstallet and also Godsmagasinet.

1863
Godsmagasinet

A logistical hub was created, long before IKEA even existed. Godsmagasinet had the possibilities to take in lots of goods. Both inbound and outbound. A chance to load trains and horse wagons, later on of course trucks too. Fun fact: IKEA had its first distribution ad shipping of all the catalogue ordered products through Godsmagasinet round 1958 an onwards, until it became too small.

1888
Lokstallet

Lokstallet, the wonderful roundhouse was completed in 1888 and could offer refueling with coal and water, but also servicing of locomotives.

This magnificent building is nowadays protected and we have access to a tiny part with 260sqm for events and concerts in amazing industrial interior.

1943
IKEA was founded

In the early 40s IKEA was founded by Invar Kamprad in Agunnaryd, just 20km away from Älmhult. Ingvar made this decision to start a business here, due to the possibility to connect to the train network and the importance of people from both Malmö, Gothenburg, but even Stockholm to reach Älmhult easily.

1958
First IKEA store

IKEA grew quickly and the decision was taken to not only have a Catalogue for customers to order from, but to even build a warehouse for consumers to test their sofa. This happen to be in the direct neighborhood to our Godsmagasinet. So a lot of purchased IKEA goods went through Godsmagasinet to home owners all around Sweden during the first years.

1970
Multiple use

When IKEA grew, it quickly outgrew the dimensions of Godsmagasinet. It was a period of different users going in and out. From Expressen, who offered some local deliver, to IKEA shop racking storage. This building has seen a lot.


1990
…it got forgotten!

In the 90s Godsmagasinet got forgotten. It was not insulated, drafty and the use of heavier equipment with pallet trucks and forklifts made it unpractical. The building became heavily vandalised, nearly caugth fire and the Kommun wanted to knock it down. This was thankfully stopped, but didn’t solve the usability case.

2023
New Beginnings

With 40 years of neglection and a suffering dove invasion the building came on the market and we could make a move in purchasing this magnificent and mainly intact building. Yes, two years of tedious renovation and bureaucratic challenges pathed a way forward to start new life within these old walls.

2024
A new markethall

“So what are we planning to do?” you might wonder! We came together not only to save this building, but to refresh Älmhults food scene with a market hall experience. A place where you can meet for good coffee, fresh baked bread and a healthy lunch. Craftsmanship is the big headline in everything we do and if you follow our small little sourdough bakery in the countryside you might know what we are talking about…

2024
First Pop Ups

So while the bureaucratic wheels turn a bit slow, we started to do a few pop ups with our bakery Loshult Handelsbod. Providing a seasonal taste flavor for our new customers to get curious and trigger some curiosity on what is about to come.

2025
Let’s get started again

Now we have finally solved the majority of challenges and start the second stage of the rebuild. Creating a big new stair to enter the building. We planted a alee of Elm trees, the weapon tree of Älmhult. trying to connect the past with the future, creating natural shadow for future generations of visitors enjoying this area.

And now:
Do you wanna be a part in this?

So maybe it is your time now in sharing with us: What are your needs from us? What are you missing the most? Use the possibility to sign up for our newsletter and don’t forget to follow us on social media for more events, concerts, food and all kinds of news.

Godsmagasinet in Älmhult