Tommarp – History and Landscapes Around Östra Tommarp

The early settlement in Tommarp covered an area measuring 140 × 250 metres and included longhouses and pit houses. In Östra Tommarp, a church with a medieval predecessor, Klosterplatsen, several museums and a gently rolling, open agricultural landscape come together. If you are looking for accommodation for a culturally oriented stay, the village offers above all historical points of interest and a clearly recognisable rural character.

Church and Monastic History

The church in Östra Tommarp was completed in 1857. It replaced St Maria’s Church, which had probably stood on this site since the 12th century. In the 18th century, the farms in Tommarp were still arranged along the street layout of the medieval town. The building therefore offers an opportunity to consider a more recent church together with a much older local history. The attractive stepped gables and the decoratively designed cornice are particularly worth seeing. There is also a historical detail inside: the five panels of the pulpit show carved figures of Christ and the four Evangelists. These carvings come from an older pulpit dating from the beginning of the 17th century.

The church village of Östra Tommarp lies beside the old monastic site. Another focus of the village’s history is Klosterplatsen. Around 1150, a Premonstratensian monastery was established in Thumatorp. Today, Klosterplatsen is an open square measuring approximately 40 × 40 metres, which partly conceals the ruins of the large Premonstratensian monastery. The church portal excavated at Klosterplatsen in the summer of 1999 can be viewed there. The site therefore not only highlights the transmitted history of the monastery, but also shows how archaeological traces remain present in the village’s modern appearance.

Landscape and Historical Traces

Östra Tommarp lies in a gently rolling, open agricultural landscape. South of the church village, the Tommarpsån flows through a pronounced valley. West of the church village, an old lime kiln stands near the Tommarpsån. These three landscape features create different points of emphasis: the agricultural land shapes the open space, the valley marks a distinct change in elevation, and the lime kiln recalls a historical use near the river.

Museums in the Old Schoolhouse

Tommarp’s old schoolhouse was built in 1727. The old schoolhouse in Östra Tommarp houses a school museum, a parish museum and a monastery museum. The building thus offers several thematic perspectives on Tommarp: the history of schooling, the history of the parish and the memory of the Premonstratensian monastery. Together with the church, Klosterplatsen and the excavated church portal, it creates a visitor experience that connects different periods in the village’s history without being limited to a single attraction.

Choosing a Location and Further Destinations

North of the church village of Östra Tommarp, a station village developed after a railway station was built in the 1880s. If you also take railway connections into account when choosing where to stay, there is a documented point of reference: the train stops in the neighbouring village of Gärsnäs, which lies approximately two kilometres from Östra Tommarp. For comparison with further destinations, you can also consider Vik, Vitaby, Borrby, Kivik, Gärsnäs, Simrishamn V, Skillinge and Simrishamn.

For the overview of the wider travel area: Simrishamn.