In the gently rolling Skåne landscape of Albo county, at the southernmost tip of Linderödsåsen, we find the village of Andrarum. It's Skåne, yes, but not the Skåne of the plains. Up here on the ridge, it's a little wilder, a little more barren, more varied. The church village of Andrarum is one of the villages in Skåne that has undergone both single and large-scale land consolidation and legal consolidation. In the long run, this meant that the farms in the village disappeared and the farmers became crofters instead 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 closely the village was linked to Christinehof. The presence of avenues has meant that many roads are original, although here and there gravel has been replaced by tarmac. The dominant tree species in all avenues is chestnut.
Adjacent to the old 12th-century church are the priest's and bell-ringer's farms and a few buildings reminiscent of the once unified village. The houses are traditional, often timber-framed with roofs of eternit, brick or thatch. It is likely that the village houses were once coloured in the red paint produced locally at the Alum Mill. Although the last three employees of Alunbruk were made redundant in 1906, they continued to produce red colour from alum 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 are pleased to note that beech forests are growing again. When Alunbruket was at its most intensive, virtually all the forest was cut down along the so-called Verkalinlinjen, a circle around the mill with a radius of one mile. Here and there we can still find very old oaks. There are a number of ancient monuments around the village. The old sacrificial spring of S:ta Botilda is now filled in.
Of course, it plays Christinehof Castle still plays a major role in the region today. The estate is the dominant landowner with an exemplary environmental profile. Christinehof Ecopark will eventually be 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 the Alum Mill, which under Christina Piper 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, outdoor concerts have been organised in the castle park with 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 metres, a piece of highly dramatic nature where those interested in birds can enjoy the common tern, white-tailed godwit and kingfisher. Great horned owls, tree creepers and nightjars also nest here. And high above us, of course, soars the skylark as a very tangible proof that we are in Tomelilla municipality.
There is thus plenty of wonderful nature for outdoor life and sport. With great success, Andrarums IF engages many orienteering enthusiasts of all ages. The club's programme also includes pure exercise activities and, when there is snow, skiing. The nearest villages with schools, shops, restaurants, libraries, health care are Brösarp and Lövestad, both about 10 kilometres from Andrarum.
