Discover Torshälla – Old Town, the Three Billy Goats Gruff, Ebelingmuseet and Kvarnfallet

Torshälla lies just seven kilometres north of central Eskilstuna, where the Torshällaån river makes its final leap through the rapids before flowing into Lake Mälaren. Its name goes back to Old Swedish Thors harg – a pre-Christian sanctuary dedicated to the thunder god Thor – and when King Birger Magnusson granted town privileges on 24 February 1317, it was already an established trading and transshipment hub.

Rådhustorget, Lilla torget and the cobbled lanes of Old Torshälla

A rewarding walk through Torshälla starts at Rådhustorget, where the 1833 Town Hall rises in neoclassical style. From the square, narrow cobbled lanes climb the eastern ridge through the historic wooden quarters that survived the town fire of 1798. Behind wooden fences lie leafy courtyards with outbuildings, summerhouses and apple trees.

At Lilla torget stands Bergströmska gården, a preserved late-18th-century burgher homestead complete with main house, granary loft, barn, stables and heritage garden. Right next door rises Torshälla Church with 15th-century lime frescoes, including a porch painting linked to a well-known local story about the earliest depiction of the potato.

Allan Ebeling’s Bockarna Bruse in the river and Ebelingmuseet

Down by the Torshällaån river awaits one of the town’s most photographed landmarks: the sculpture group Bockarna Bruse (The Three Billy Goats Gruff) by artist Allan Ebeling (1897–1975). The three goats and the troll stand on stone foundations right in the flowing river, framed by the wooden bridge and historic facades.

To see more of Ebeling’s work, visit Ebelingmuseet at Eskilstunavägen 5 in central Torshälla. Opened in 1997, the museum combines a permanent collection of Allan Ebeling’s ceramics, sculptures and paintings with temporary exhibitions of contemporary art and craft. Right next door at Eskilstunavägen 5 is Konditori Amarant for lunch or coffee.

Kvarnfallet, Holmberget and the route towards Nyby bruk and Lake Mälaren

Follow the river a few steps further to reach Kvarnfallet, where the water rushes through the chute just as it has since medieval mills and forge hammers were built here. From the river walk, stairs and paths lead up onto Holmberget, crowned by the Trinity Chapel and the sculpture Tors bockar – a viewpoint overlooking Old Torshälla and the church spire.

If you want to extend the outing towards the water, the route continues west to Nyby bruk, founded by Adolf Zethelius in 1829 with its historic workers’ street and duck ponds, and further north to Östra hamnen and Mälbybadet on Lake Mälaren or a country stop at Wäsby Magasin with shops and Bistro Wäsby.