Instead of constructing just one large hospital building, many smaller houses were built for the well-being of the patients. Because, at this time, there was no medicinal cure for tuberculosis, the only way to treat patients was to strengthen their resilience. This was done with plenty of rest, fresh air, good food and inspiration from arts and culture. There were, for example, large open verandas where patients would lie outdoors for a prescribed period every day, regardless of the weather. If needed, they were swaddled in heavy blankets in order to keep cosy while temperatures dropped to minus 20 degrees celsius.
Patients were also involved, according to their ability and condition, in activities and simple tasks around the sanatorium. They were encouraged to partake in the artistic and cultural scene that was an important part of their convalescence. Patients would participate in theatre, usually performed in the assembly hall but also on an outdoor stage. The moss covered stage can still be visited along one of the walking trails on Kroppefjäll.
One of the sanatorium’s most prominent doctors, Carl Saedén, who worked here in 1916-1945, also created what is today called Dr. Saedén’s trail. There are footpaths through the forest with various artworks and monuments along the way, created to strengthen the patients in their fight against disease. This trail remains and every work of art has its history and symbolism. Patients often walked around Mörttjärn, the small lake next to the sanatorium. There were also bathing houses with diving platforms and a separate ladies section for nude bathing. The baths were used primarily by the sanatorium’s staff members.
The building that today houses our large dining room and banquet hall was a much larger central building at the time of the sanatorium. It housed patient wards and lounges, doctors’ surgeries and a pharmacy. The lower ground floor was once the staff dining room. The first floor dining room was for the patients, and upstairs, what is now the conference room, was even then used for conferences and as a cinema lounge. The film projector, cutting machine and other equipment are preserved from this time. The building that is today a Bed and Breakfast was opened in 1950 as long-awaited modern staff housing. Previously, the staff lived in the same houses as the patients.
In 1960, the sanatorium was closed after breakthroughs in medicines to treat tuberculosis. Thereafter, Kroppefjäll was used as a home for people with different functional variations during thirty years. In 1991, the municipality of Mellerud purchased the property, adapting it to serve as a refugee center and then as a tourist facility with a hotel, spa, hostel and conference center. In 2011, the property was purchased by Mikael Olsson who still runs Kroppefjäll today. From 2011 to 2014 it kept running as a hotel until it became in 2014 a center for refugees and integration until 2017.
On the first of May 2018, Kroppefjäll Bed & Breakfast was opened. In 1911, the nature surrounding Kroppefjäll was chosen as a spot to help strengthen people in both body and mind. Today we build on the same foundations, believing that guests, no matter the purpose of their visit will benefit from their stay close to nature here at Kroppefjäll.