In the gently undulating Skåne landscape of Albo härad, on the southernmost spur of the Linderödsåsen, we find the village of Andrarum. It is Skåne, yes, but not the Skåne of the plains. Up here on the ridge it is a little wilder, a little more barren, more varied. The church village of Andrarum is one of the Scanian villages that has undergone a single parcel, a large parcel and a legal parcel. This eventually meant that the farms in the village disappeared and the farmers became crofters under Christinehof, the dominant estate in the area.
The long beautiful avenue from the castle to the village gives us a clear indication of how close the village was to Christinehof. The presence of avenues has meant that many of the roads are original, even if gravel has been replaced by asphalt here and there. The dominant wood in all the avenues is chestnut.
Adjacent to the old 12th century church are the priest's and bell-ringer's houses and a few buildings that are reminders of the once unified village. The houses are traditional, often cross-timbered with roofs of eternit, brick or thatch. The village houses were probably once painted with the red paint produced locally at the Alum Mill. Although the last three employees of the Alum Mill were laid off in 1906, alum red paint continued to be produced until the end of the 20th century.
The nature around Andrarum is fascinating, where grazed pastures are mixed with forest groves with both deciduous and coniferous trees. We can happily note that beech forest is growing again. When Alunbruket was operated most intensively, virtually all the forest was cut down along the so-called Verkali line, a circle around the mill with a mile radius. Here and there we can still find very old oak trees. There are a number of ancient monuments around the village. The old sacrificial spring of St. Botilda is now filled in.
Of course, Christinehof Castle still plays a major role in the region today. The estate is a dominant landowner with an exemplary environmental profile. Christinehof's ecopark will eventually become one of Skåne's biggest tourist attractions with magnificent nature experiences. At the same time, the fascinating history is kept alive and presents the time when the Danish nobleman Jochum Beck established the lime works and Alunbruket, which under Christina Pipers developed into the largest industry in the Nordic region with more than 900 employees. At its peak in the 18th century, Andrarum had the same population as Malmö, around 2 000 people.
For a number of years, the castle park has hosted outdoor concerts by artists such as Bob Dylan, Jerry Lee Lewis, Santana, Ulf Lundell, Tomas Ledin and Status Quo. The castle occasionally hosts opera and exhibitions.
A stone's throw east of Andrarum is Hallamölla, where the Verkeån river offers Skåne's highest waterfall, 23 meters, a piece of highly dramatic nature where bird lovers can enjoy the common starling, white-tailed deer and kingfisher. Horned owls, treecreepers and nightjars also nest here. And high above us, of course, hovers the gladiator as a very tangible proof that we are in Tomelilla municipality.
There is thus plenty of wonderful nature for outdoor activities and sports. With great success Andrarums IF engages many orienteering enthusiasts of all ages. The club's program also includes pure exercise activities and when there is snow, skiing. The nearest villages with schools, shops, restaurants, libraries and health care are Brösarp and Lövestad, both about 10 kilometers from Andrarum.
