Torp (architecture)

A very typical Swedish torp. Writer Dan Andersson lived in this one.

In Scandinavian languages (mostly Swedish) torp means a small dwelling, such as a cottage, with a small leased farm area cultivated by its inhabitants, similar to a croft.

Today, most of those still existing in Scandinavia serve as summer homes for city dwellers.

The word is cognate to Anglo Saxon Thorp or Thorpe and also exists as surname or a place name.

In Danish and Norwegian the common noun for an inhabitant of a torp is husmann/husmand – a man with a house. Husmenn used to own their houses, but not the land.

Torp is also sometimes used as a surname in Scandinavia.

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