Bengtssonska magasinet
Vara
Bengtssonska magasinet in Vara is the only granary preserved in its original state. The grain store was located at Vara station around 1880 and now stands between the church and the parish hall. You can view an exhibition about it and join a guided tour in summer.
Oats as a trading commodity
In the 1870s and 1880s, entire freight trains rolled out of Vara loaded with just one commodity: oats. Much of this had passed through what is now known as Bengtssonska magasinet, constructed by grain merchant Thorburn in Uddevalla. His business idea was to purchase oats for grain stores along the newly built Uddevalla–Herrljunga rail line. The oats were then transported by rail for onward transfer to England, where they were used as feed for the horses who pulled the trams around London and those hauling coal wagons in the mines.
A historic listed building
From 1877, the grain store was rented by Johan Bengtsson, who went on to purchase it in 1899. It was ultimately bequeathed to Vara parish hall. By the 1980s it had fallen into disrepair, but was renovated with grants from Vara municipality and the Swedish National Heritage Board. Today the grain store is owned by Vara parish and is managed by Vara Hembygdsförening (local heritage society). In 1987, the county administrative board declared Bengtssonska magasinet a listed building.
