History was always my favourite subject in school, which probably explains my fondness for this particular spot. This collection of historic fishing huts (fiskehoddorna in Swedish) on Banérskajen in central Malmö is one of the most photographed locations in the city and might even qualify as “Instagram famous.” These charming, colorful buildings once dotted the city’s coastline in the area of the Western Harbour, where fishermen plied their trade from them beginning in the 19th century through the mid-1950s.

Expansion of the harbour to accommodate the then-growing ship-building industry displaced the fishermen, who not only used the huts to store gear but often lived in them during high season for the catch. In 1956, the Malmö Museum offered to relocate the best-preserved of the historic huts to a spot just off the canal on Banérskajen, with the understanding that the families of the original owners could continue to use them for fishing-related activities.

This more central location made the fishermen and their catches much more visible to the general public, and soon they were selling directly to local residents as well as their usual wholesale and market customers. Thirty years after they were relocated, the city took action to protect the fishing huts as historically and culturally significant, and today it’s the region’s largest market for fresh fish and seafood.

While retail operations are limited to Tuesday through Saturday mornings, the area is accessible all day long for a stroll back in time and the opportunity to take photos.