This is part of the legacy Dag Hammarskjöld left behind at Backåkra – a place to meditate and to pray for peace.
Where do you take someone who has never been to southern Sweden before and wants to get away from it all?
My recommendation is to visit a stone in a field at Dag Hammarskjöld’s Backåkra and enjoy some serene views. This is not just any old stone! Engraved onto it is the word PAX, which means peace in Latin. Few words convey such a feeling of harmony as the word peace. Peace is something we all long for in our lives and in the world.
Words have power and I believe this place imparts a sense of peace to the visitor; a place to sit and ponder on the state of the world or just to escape the bustle for a moment. Bring your worries or the world’s troubles to this place, release them and leave with a lesser burden or with renewed hope for the future.
Backåkra is located near the sea on a ridge of hills along the coastline in an otherwise flat landscape in this part of southern Sweden. This is where the renowned Swedish diplomat Dag Hammarskjöld bought a secluded farm in 1957. Hammarskjöld was elected as Secretary-General to the United Nations in 1953 at the relatively young age of 47. He did not live long to enjoy his new summer residence. In September 1961 while on a UN mission in the Congo, his plane crashed killing him and all on board. His death is clouded in mystery and is still under investigation by the UN. Though officially an accident, some eye witnesses say his plane was shot down as it came in to land at Ndola. Whatever happened, a great statesman and deep thinker was silenced in his prime.
As we see the horrors of the war in Ukraine, we are reminded of the need for peacemakers like Dag Hammarskjöld. It is easy to start a war but much more difficult to end one. That’s when diplomacy is needed.
After Dag Hammarskjöld’s untimely death, the estate at Backåkra was bequeathed to the Swedish Tourist Association (Svenska Turistföreningen). The 30 hectares of land around the farm is a nature reserve that is open to the public at any time of year. The farm building itself contains artefacts belonging to Dag Hammarskjöld and is open in the summer.
To reach the stone inscribed with the word PAX, follow the signs to the meditation place and wander across a large field. The stone is in the centre of a circle with a low perimeter wall. The circle offers a good view of the sea and you can quietly take in the peaceful scene, enjoying the solitude.
While adults may like to ponder and meditate here, kids tend to go wild! They just love this place because they can run around freely on the grassy slopes. Peace is not what everyone seeks!
If you have an appetite to see more stones, just up the coast to the west is the spectacular formation of Ale’s Stones in the shape of a ship. The site of the stones is on high ground overlooking the sea with panoramic views. This megalithic monument is the largest ship formation in Sweden attracting many thousands of visitors – Sweden’s answer to Stonehenge.
There is something about the high ground along the coast here that imbues a feeling of peace and a heightened sense of being. Our iron-age ancestors who created Ale’s Stones probably felt it too.
Hallowed be Thy name,
not mine
Thy kingdom come,
not mine
Thy will be done
not mine
Give us peace with Thee
Peace with men,
Peace with ourselves,
And free us from all fear
By Peter Goddard