Linear view vs. Masonry View

Tag Archive for ‘History’

Gullbringa

Gullbringa

The small village Gullbringa, tucked in behind the rocks. In the past all houses was placed so that it was sheltered from the winds. Specially the north and the west winds. This made easier to keep the warmth in the houses. In the past all wood was used to cook fish-oil during the herring periods.

Herring usually lives far out in the oceans but in periods, between 10 to 20 years, the shoals move close to the coast. This made it possible to capture huge amounts of herring even with smaller boats. Result was a economic boost to the area. The challenge was the almost 100 years between when people needed to find other income sources.

Nothing lasts forever, ha de Gött!

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Ulseröd Windmill

Ulseröd Windmill

The windmill of Ulseröd, just outside Havstenssund, was built in 1900 and was in operation until 1939. During this period new technology made it possible for the farmers to mill their grain in small electrical mills. This together with the urbanization made the windmills obsolete.

The windmill of Ulseröd was saved from decay by Tanum Local Folklore Society and Havstenssund Community Association. A major renovation took place in 2013 to 2016. The windmill wings were rebuilt, the facade wood replaced and painted red, windows replaced. Find out more here (in Swedish). In my opinion, by volunteer heroes saving this piece of history for the future.

The windmill type is a smock mill, also called Dutch type. The top, or the smock cap, can be turned by the windmill operator to capture optimum wind. It’s an old well tested design that already Leonardo da Vinci made a sketch for. Special feature of Ulseröd windmill is the two parallel milling stations. Check out the fictional story I wrote a year ago about the windmill here. Stay tuned for interior pictures.

Against the wind is power, ha de Gött!

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Pilots lookout

Pilots lookout

On the highest point of the island Hällsö, 42 meters over the sea sits the small pilot hut. In this hut the pilots could sit in a warm place shielded from the weather scouting for ships in need of assistance. The station served pilots that guided ships through the dangerous waters outside Tjurpannan. The pilot station was operational until 1960. Hällsö is situated outside Havstenssund, separated by the 40 meter narrow strait, ‘Sunnegapet’.

We all need help to navigate sometimes, ha de Gött!

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Fattighusån

Fattighusån

Picture from a busy Saturday in Göteborg with tram congestion in front of the old central post office. Straight ahead is ‘Slussen’, the lock for the canal ‘Fattighusån’. At the end in line with the high rise 900 meters away lies the building that named this canal, ‘Fattighuset’, the Alms-House. The canal has a name that implies that is a small river, ‘ån’ in Swedish. Why this name? Guess it’s an evidence of the humor in Göteborg.

The work started in 1620 but the king stopped the work due to lack of money. I wish a certain ruler of today will run out of money fast. The work was re-started in 1639 and finished in 1641. Connecting the Main Harbor Canal with the small river ‘Möndalsån’ became very important for the trade and development of the city.

As they say in Göteborg, ha de Gött!

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Rusty

Rusty

Rusty ball-bearing in dire need of some lubrication.

Leonardo Da Vinci is by some named the inventor of the ball bearing but the already the Romans used wooden ball bearings. The first modern ball bearing was patented by Philip Vaughan, a Welsh inventor, in 1794.

Sven Wingquist, a Swedish inventor invented a self-aligning ball bearing in 1907. This revolutionary invention became the foundation for one of Sweden’s most successful international companies, SKF. SKF stands for Svenska Kullager Fabriken, simply Swedish Ball Bearing Factory.

My first two and half years I lived across the street from the huge factory with its fasade of red clay bricks. Now a trip to Gamlestaden in Göteborg must be planned for some photos.

Aim for a smooth ride, ha de Gött!

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Little Docklands

Little Docklands

Göteborg has a nickname, Little London. This stems from the era with large shipyards and industrialization during the 1800. The trade over the North Sea has always been intense and many British businessmen and craftsmen saw opportunities in Göteborg. English was as common as Swedish in the streets. Chalmers University of Technology is one of the institutions founded by a British businessman.

The picture is taken at Lindholmen where Chalmers has one of its campus. The water in the picture is the dry dock (not so dry now) from the shipyard. Like Docklands in London the area is transformed to a modern business area with skyscrapers, hotels and smart dressed business people. Chalmers Campus creates a hightech hub and you will find many well known international companies here. Just note the white autonomous drive cars parked to left in the picture.

The tower being built in the background is the Karla Tower. When it’s ready in 2024 it will be 245 meters high, highest building in Sweden. The building tempo adds one floor per week.

Try to rise above, ha de Gött!

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Cranes

Cranes

A city is in constant change. The old cranes in the old shipyard was, and still is, a symbol of progress and pride. It put Göteborg on the international map as a place of advanced engineering and craftsmanship. In the background the modern cranes building skyscrapers. They manifests confidence and trust in the future. Not bad for an old fortress town built in a swamp.

I had the opportunity for a photo session in Göteborg today between the rain showers. As I live in the country side, city photography is not a skill I get to explore much. The old cranes from the shipyard Götaverken is one of the things I long wished to photograph. I write about my connection to Göteborg in an older post you can find here.

Impossible is a question of will, ha de Gött!

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Fortress

Fortress

It is called the Queens Mountain, Drottningberget in Swedish, and it is an ancient fortress. More accurate a hill-fort. The natural form of the rock is what create the attributes of a fortress. There is very little man made constructions made. The height and the flat plateau on the top together with the availability of water made it perfect to stand ground. I have no idea where the royal name come from but maybe there was a female ruler in the settlement.

44 meter up surrounded by steep cliffs it was an easy place to defend by simply throwing stones in the head of the attacking enemy. I wonder if this is why the soldiers helmet was invented, still used today. There is only two ways up without any climbing gear, trust me I’ve tried. Here you can see some remains of walls and collected throw size stones. With the sea level a few meters higher up it was most likely attackers came from the sea.

Keep it simple, ha de Gött!

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Net hut

Net hut

The little hut on the island was in the past used as storage for the fishing nets. The nets was dried in the sun on the cliff before storage. It was placed on an island the keep rodents away. This one is quite small but there are larger ones out on the bigger islands where the fishermen could stay over night.

Stay afloat in the interweb, ha de Gött!

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Grebbestad

Grebbestad

The village Grebbestad with 2000 year-around residents, was first mentioned in the beginning of 1600. Like many of the small villages in Bohuslän the development is linked to the herring- and granite mining periods. Today it is a seaside resort with an exploding population during the summer holiday season. Exploding in number of residents, otherwise it would be quite noisy during summers if the population actually blew-up.

Already in 1844 it became an official seaside resort with both cold and hot bathhouse. The mud bath was considered very healthy. The sheltered harbor was also good for trade and shipping. In 1858 there were 7 cargo ships registered in Grebbestad.

A cannery was established in 1870 and even if the cannery is closed since many years the brand name is still used. In the building a micro brewery today makes a very good beer. The first motorized buss line in Sweden was established in 1911, between Grebbestad and the railway station 5 kilometers away.

Don’t get stuck in the mud, come clean, ha de Gött!

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