Östra Hoby is an old church village located just over a kilometre east of Borrby on the way between Simrishamn and Borrby. The distance to Simrishamn is just under fifteen kilometres and to Ystad twice that. Ö. Hoby is a small village merged with Mill town, located north-east of Hoby. Kvarnby is home to the small Roskraft nursery, a paradise for rose lovers from all over Europe. Here you can buy root-identical specimens of a wide variety of roses.
IN Ö. Hoby and its surroundings there are a number of B&B facilities, but this part of Österlen is also called the heart of Österlen, of course much because the name Österlen is so strongly associated with the educator, author, etc., Borrby's great son, Teodor Thufvesson, who wrote the poem "My heart lives in an old farm". The village has a riding school, Kvarnbyborg, and a cultural centre/show house/guest house TID&RUM, where, in addition to staying, you can come and look and ask about building conservation and ecological construction. Not far north of Ö. Hoby stands the medieval castle Glimmingehus.
The distance to the lovely beach at Kyhl, Borrby strand, Sandby and Mälarhusen is just under five kilometres and it is perfectly possible to get to the sea on small roads. The surroundings are a fine agricultural landscape but also with elements of bogs and other wetlands. Just south of Ö. Hoby is Toremosse, an interesting bird site where many nightingales hold concerts. But of course the church in Ö. Hoby attracts great interest. Its oldest parts date from the 12th century and it is remarkable that the church, unlike most other contemporary churches, got its tower already then. In 1849-50 the church was restored to its present form, but in 1938-39 much was done inside the church. The whitewash was removed and the underlying paintings were exposed, revealing outstanding works. There is the Creation of Eve, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and the Fall of Man, detailed paintings with vigour and life. The baptismal font was carved by Magister Majestatis, the Master of the Tryde.
The nearest major towns with services such as schools, shops, bus connections, etc. are Skillinge and Borrby. It is a lively and populated village with a lot of activities, both via a lively village association and the Viljan Cultural Association, which arranges gigs, theatre and film screenings etc. in the village house "Folkhemmet". There are also exhibitions from time to time. Ö. Hoby was the first village to win the "Light Village of the Year" award during Österlen Shines on All Saints' Day. Ö. Hoby byalag: hobybyalag(at)gmail.com, website: www.ostrahoby.com.
