Linear view vs. Masonry View

Tag Archive for ‘Travel’

Be Swedes

Be Swedes

When I visit a museum, I spend more time looking at the building than the exhibitions. When you enter the Nordic Museum in Stockholm, you’ll see this statue of the king Gustav Vasa sitting in an impressive hall. The text on the pedestal reads in translation “Be Swedes“. To understand why this statement we need a short history lesson.

Gustav Vasa or Gustav I was king between 1523-1560. He became king after leading a rebellion against the Danish king Kristian II who was king over the Kalmar Union. The union was made up of Sweden, Norway and Denmark. While king Kristian II in Denmark is referred to as the hero king he is in Sweden called Kristian the tyrant. To strengthen the grip over the Swedes Kristian lured the leading members of the Swedish administration to a meeting in the central square of Stockholm and slayed over 100 opponents.

Gustav Vasa managed to flee and made his way to Mora to seek the support from the rich mine and forest nobility in the area. This is the historical background to one of the most famous long ski races, Vasa race (Vasaloppet). He got the support he needed and could be named king of Sweden 1523 and with that ended the Kalmar union that had lasted for almost 150 years.

Know the past to understand the present, ha de Gött!
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Dull and grey

Dull and grey

Even if the winter weather often is dull and grey you can find something interesting for your lens.

Here I found two bridges with the same curvature. The high bridge named Sundsbron was built in 1963 over the small strait between the two lakes Ellenösjön and Östtersjön. The road 172 from Uddevalla to Arvika runs over it. For the old iron bridge in the foreground I could not find any information when it was built. A qualified guess based on another bridge with the same design I wrote about (link), it was built late 1800 or early 1900.

New and old Sundsbron, Dalsland Sweden.

Even in fog you can find a way, ha de Gött!

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The Saint

The Saint

Picture taken at museum World of Volvo, Göteborg Sweden.

Not a saint but a boring and safe Volvo car. This beautiful sports model, P1800 was made from 1961 until 1973 and it gained cult status from the TV-series the Saint. The British TV-series with among others, Roger Moore, was made in impressive 118 episodes from 1962 to 1969 where the main character, Simon Templar, drove a California white P1800.

This could be the most beautiful car ever made, ever. What do you think? Ha de Gött!
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The old belting factory

The old belting factory

Some photos from the old industrial belting factory in Göteborg, Sweden.

This historic factory, Göteborgs Remfabrik, was built using clay bricks in 1900 after the original wooden building was destroyed by fire. Most of the machinery, dating from around 1900, was imported from England and powered by a steam engine via belts. In 1916, the steam engine was replaced with an electric motor. Some modernisation took place in 1940s when fluorescent tube lighting was installed. Hardly anything has changed since then.

The factory remained in operation until 1977, when the employees and the owners shut down the machines, locked the doors, and went home – leaving everything as it was. This makes it one of the best-preserved industrial sites in Scandinavia from the early 1900s.

Today, it’s a museum, and most of the equipment can still run. An association of volunteers maintains and run the machines. You can find out more on their website, Göteborgs Remfabrik. These dedicated men and women deserve great respect for keeping history alive. If you ever find yourself in Göteborg, it’s worth a visit.

Never put your fingers in a running machine, ha de Gött!

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