The story of
Idöborg
Idöborg is a privately owned island of 7 hectares located in the Nämdö archipelago about an hour and a half from Stockholm. The first thing you meet when you arrive in Idöborg is the large white Art Nouveau villa located on the highest point of the island. The house with its impressive green roof was built in 1909 by Gustav Pott who owned Stockholm's Shoe Factory and a large part of the islands in the area. Pott was very interested in seabird hunting, and during the years 1910-1914 had a network of wooden bridges built between Idöborg, Idö, Lilla Kovilan, Stora Kovilan, Långskär, Rågskärs Kalvholme, Rågskärs Grund, Rågskärs Västra Udde, Rågskär and Lilla Finnholmen to way to quickly get between the islands. The bridges have been demolished for a long time, but even today the bridge foundations are still visible in several places.
During the twenties and thirties, Idöborg and many other islands in the region were bought by Torsten Kreuger, including Bullerö, where Bruno Liljefors had his studio. Torsten loved the archipelago, sailing, the contact with the fishermen and the wildlife on and around the islands. In 1967, Torsten sold the Bullerö area, with the exception of three islands, to what was then the Domain Authority. The sale of 4300 ha of archipelago took place on the condition that the islands would not be exploited. This was fulfilled and in the same year what is today the Bulleröreservatet, a very bird-rich and well-visited reserve near Idöborg, was founded. The eldest son Björn, who is interested in birds, was allowed to keep Lilla Alskär, the middle son Sten Idöborg and the youngest son John Harö.
In 1976, Sten and Annette married. They had the children Otto and Emma. Like his father Torsten and his uncle Ivar, Sten was interested in boats and therefore came to build boats at Idöborg, first in plastic, which he soon abandoned as it was too dangerous to health. He switched to building boats in steel and aluminum. Among other things, flat ferries, fishing and taxi boats and a larger vessel for marine research were built on the West Coast. During the shipyard period, Ängsvillan, Solnedgången, Förstugan and the storage building were built. In 1985, Sten decided to move his business to the mainland and thereby sell the island. This opened up the possibility for Annette, who was now separated from Sten, to buy the island she had loved since she first set foot on it.
Annette's plan was from the beginning to start a course and conference center at Idöborg and revive the beauty that existed in the beautiful archipelago nature. During Annette's time as hostess and leader of the business, a much-appreciated sauna building was built in old timber with a wood-fired sauna, a cozy recreation room with a fireplace and wall-mounted benches with sheepskins. A free-standing room called Dojon was built entirely of wood with one glass end facing the sunrise in the east. The atmospheric atmosphere of the Dojon has been appreciated by both retreat and conference guests. Annette who has been a Buddhist since the late 80's and since 2006 has also taught Tibetan Buddhism. Today, the island is regularly visited by several well-established yoga teachers who bring their students here to enjoy everything Idöborg has to offer.
In 2012, Annette retired and her son Villiam took over the business. He continued to welcome the Yoga Treaties and other spiritual groups but at the same time began a development work of the business. Cottages and rooms were renovated and a building permit was drawn up for a new sauna facility. In 2016, cohabitant Sanna began to develop the cottage rental which quickly became very popular with its cozy cottages with a high standard. In 2018, an investment in weddings began and already the following year, the summer was fully booked. In the winter of 2019/2020, the new sauna facility was built and the old sauna was rebuilt into a kitchen and dining room, and in June 2020, the Strandbaren restaurant opened. For the 2022 season, a new building with a kitchen and banquet hall will be built to meet the demand from the wedding.
