In the Footsteps of Sophie Elkan & Selma Lagerlöf at Nääs
Sophie Elkan and Selma Lagerlöf regularly spent several summer weeks at Nääs. They sat and wrote in the castle park under the large old trees and took walks around the estate along the shorelines. During a visit to Nääs, it is possible to experience Nääs as they once did. The area remains much the same, with fantastic viewpoints over the lake, forests, and mountains. In the castle park, there is the small gazebo Örnnästet (The Eagle’s Nest), which then, as now, is a lovely spot to sit for a while.
The seminar area, with all its school buildings, is also completely preserved from the turn of the 19th/20th century. In the house Björkenääs (where it is now possible to stay overnight), Selma Lagerlöf was probably an occasional guest, visiting the home of Otto and Ellen Salomon. Otto Salomon was the director of the school and Sophie Elkan’s brother. Sophie and Selma enjoyed staying in the course area, where they had the opportunity to meet and converse with teachers and course participants from all over Sweden and large parts of the world. Many progressive women attended courses at Nääs, drawn by the activities and wanting to influence societal development by educating themselves in pedagogy. Selma and Sophie were engaged in the issue of women’s rights. Nääs became an arena for women who wanted to take an active part in the new era forming in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Selma and Sophie were invited to participate in coffee gatherings and socialize and converse with the course participants. It is said that Selma Lagerlöf held readings from her books in the house Vänhem – the large yellow house with a glass veranda – which the course participants used for socializing and had a dining room next door. Vänhem now offers overnight rooms and banquet facilities.
Selma could stay in the south wing of the castle or inside the castle itself. The south wing of the castle now offers overnight stays, allowing guests to experience the house’s atmosphere. The castle is a museum and has been completely preserved since the 19th century. During a guided tour, the guest rooms where she stayed are shown.
Themed Tour: Sophie Elkan – at Nääs Castle
On a few occasions each year, we offer themed tours about Sophie Elkan, where the guide talks about Sophie, her life, her authorship, and her connection to Nääs. The tour takes place inside Nääs Castle.
See current tour dates in the Event Calendar. It is also possible to book a private tour.
Lectures and Special Tours about Sophie Elkan
Private lectures and special tours can be booked for groups by contacting us with desired dates and for pricing information.
The Author Sophie Elkan
Sophie Elkan was the daughter of Henriette Salomon, who was the sister of August Abrahamson, who owned the Nääs estate from 1868-1898. Sophie was born and raised in Gothenburg, where she also lived as an adult.
The Salomon family was allowed to use the south wing as their country residence for many years. They otherwise lived in Gothenburg. Sophie was fifteen years old when her uncle August bought Nääs, and she came to love it.
When she was 19, she married her cousin Nathan Elkan from Stockholm, and the wedding was held at Nääs.
After a few years, the couple had a small daughter. Both the daughter Kerstin and her husband Nathan died of tuberculosis when Sophie was only twenty-six years old. She was devastated by the event, but after a few years, she began to help her brother Otto Salomon, who was the director of the Nääs Handicraft Teachers’ Seminary, to translate literature.
Sophie was gifted with languages and, from childhood, was interested in and skilled at writing texts. After a while, she began to write her own texts in the form of short stories and novels. Eventually, she was a recognized author.
Sophie and Selma
In January 1894, Sophie Elkan and Selma Lagerlöf met for the first time. The women’s meeting resulted in a lifelong and close friendship that lasted for nearly three decades, until Sophie’s death in 1921.
Sophie and Selma spent many summers together at Nääs. They enjoyed their time at Nääs, not least thanks to the beautiful surroundings but also the school with its cosmopolitan character. It is said that Selma would hold readings for the course participants, which must have been a magnificent experience. In 1909, Selma received the Nobel Prize and was very well-known.
The two women were seen sitting together under the large lime trees that then stood on the castle grounds, conversing and sometimes writing. Sophie had a writing spot in the park where they also sat and wrote and read each other’s texts. In the evenings, they would take walks along the long lime tree avenue and over the bridge at Nääs.
Nääs played a significant role in the lives of both Sophie Elkan and Selma Lagerlöf. This is clearly seen, for example, in the book “The Wonderful Adventures of Nils” (Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige), where an entire chapter describes life at Nääs around the turn of the last century. In 1895, Selma wrote a “Song for Nääs” which was later translated into English and Dutch.
Books about Sophie Elkan
Marie Hjalmarsson Engelke, who has researched Sophie Elkan, has written two books.
The latter below is available for purchase at Nääs Castle Shop.
- “Sophie Elkan: I have a place” by Marie Hjalmarsson Engelke
- “Write as often as you can! A biography of Sophie Elkan’s life and authorship.” in 2022.
