In Mölle, Sweden’s once fashionable seaside resort, you can dine at Il Capitano Grand Mölle, the venerable Grand Hotel above the bay. You can also buy provisions for hikes in the sandwich store on Norra Strandvägen or pack an apple and muesli bar to brave the sea breeze on the Kattegatt. One thing is certain: sea air makes you hungry, and it would be a shame not to satisfy your appetite at the Krukmakeri. And there are several reasons for this: This place perfectly embodies Mölle’s relaxed atmosphere. Known for its pizza, Krukmakeri also offers creative salads and soups. From breakfast to fika, the typical Swedish coffee klatch with pastries, it stays open. The creativity doesn’t end with the food: The Krukmakeri started out as a ceramics workshop and still is today. Lisa Wohlfahrt started making ceramics near the harbor in 1997 and was soon serving homemade tomato soup. The concept caught on and Krukmakeri grew organically, which is evident in the place. Today, Lisa and her team even offer accommodation.
The woman of the stars
Lisa Wohlfahrt founded Mölle Krukmakeri in 1997, a place that combines handicrafts and gastronomy. At the foot of the Kullaberg, she and her team produce durable ceramics that are known far beyond the region. They process up to 20 tons of clay every year. Each piece goes through up to 15 work steps before it is finished. Bowls, plates, mugs, vases and jugs are created for the local store or for special occasions such as weddings and corporate commissions. Lisa focuses on sustainability and quality. She wants her ceramics to last for generations. “I reject this throwaway mentality,” she says, centering a new piece of clay on the potter’s wheel. Her works are functional, individual and should also inspire aesthetically. “Nature inspires me,” she explains. “Here in Mölle, we live right next to the Kullaberg nature reserve. The landscape is wild and wonderful. The sea and the starry night sky shape my work.”
Lisa is not the first person to be fascinated by the starry sky. She recommends visiting Krapperup Castle on the way back. The 16th century building impresses with its public park and the seven-pointed stars on the façade. This star became the trademark of Mölle Krukmakeri.
Potter’s workshop, a place of longing
The attraction of Krukmakeri is also reflected in the people who work here. Franziska Möhrle has been visiting Lisa Wohlfahrt’s ceramics workshop for many summers. As a young girl, still a minor, she read about Lisa and the Krukmakeri in a magazine. The idea of working creatively in a remote but lively place in summer fascinated her. So she set off from southern Germany and arrived at Lisa’s door one summer. Lisa took Franziska in and offered her a room in her private house, as she didn’t want to leave the young girl alone in the workshop at night. A real friendship developed, and Franziska comes to Sweden to make pottery whenever her studies in Germany allow.
Creative, even in the kitchen
The Krukmakeri café and restaurant serves Mediterranean-inspired, vegetarian and organic dishes. Pizzas, soups, fresh pasta and cakes are made on site. The atmosphere is creative and relaxed, with a colorful garden and a ceramics workshop. Lisa Wohlfahrt has long since handed over the cooking to creative minds. She started in 1997 with homemade tomato soup and 15 seats. Today, there is plenty of colorful garden furniture under low deciduous trees, plants entwine through the interior and sparrows have discovered an opening in the glass of the conservatory. Locals meet for fika, the coffee klatch, where sweet pastries are a must.
Lisa Wohlfahrt can usually be found in the workshop. From the ceramics store at the entrance to Krukmakeri, you can look into the small workshop. You could almost go inside if it weren’t for the stair gate that prevents the good-natured Labrador from settling down there. It’s just stunningly cozy and hospitable in the Krukmakeri Mölle
More Sweden Stories
Landskrona in the province of Skåne offers nature and culture. The world-famous writer Selma Lagerlöf wrote her first novel here. The Landskrona Photo Festival showcases the old fortress town every two years. Just opposite Landskrona is the Öresund island of Ven, a very popular excursion destination. Northwest of Landskrona lies the Kullaberg nature reserve – a hiker’s paradise and the seaside resort of Mölle, where you should pay a visit to Krukmakeri. The Stockholm Metro is considered the longest art exhibition in the world and every year in December is Nobel Prize Week. The Swedish city of Uppsala, 80 kilometres north of Stockholm, is one of the most important in the country. Many centuries before Stockholm was mentioned as a small trading post, Uppsala was the pagan centre of the Vikings. We report on cult and culture in Gamla-Uppsala and on the entertaining messages of the Swedish rune stones and reveal Stockholm’s secret eye-catchers.
The research was supported by Visit Skåne
