Buildings 1/3

How many times have I been to the Ikea nearest to me? Half my life. Yet not until last fall did I realize that there's a nature reserve smack dab behind it. Bordering the thing! Of course, it was the dog that found it. Cows are grazing in a field which appears to be a remnant of a farm. There are also a few economy buildings, like this barn. A short but delightful trail runs around a small promontory in lake Vänern. It's mindboggling how things coexist without your having an inkling. Without even belonging to a parallel universe!

#oldwood #barn #decay #bergviks_udde #karlstad #trio #triptych #sweden #pixelfedsweden

Entering to year 2026. No, not really. Door from an old wooden church at Petäjävesi, Finland. The church, carved by Central Finnish peasants in 1763–65, was inscribed on the World Heritage List as an example of the long Nordic tradition of wooden church architecture.

#church #unesco #Petäjävesi #Finland #history #oldwood #photography #smartphonephotography

Heddal 3/3

#stavkyrkje #stavkyrka #stavechurch #heddal #bygdøy #oslo #norway #norge #closeup #detail #oldwood #trio #triptych #pixelfedsweden

Heddal 2/3

#stavkyrkje #stavkyrka #stavechurch #heddal #bygdøy #oslo #norway #norge #closeup #detail #oldwood #trio #triptych #pixelfedsweden

Heddal 1/3

One could probably dedicate an entire feed to just one of the major Norwegian stave churches. I'm trying all I can to hold back a bit, but it's just coming on too strong today ...

#stavkyrkje #stavkyrka #stavechurch #heddal #bygdøy #oslo #norway #norge #closeup #detail #oldwood #trio #triptych #pixelfedsweden

In the pale 2/3

Järbo is a village widely famous not for much, but it does attract some attention among nostalgiacs for its old vending machines still on display, if not in service, by the old store. It took a while to figure out what the sign must have read back in the day: specerihandel (grocery store). This huge, dilapidated building looked deserted to me, but after oohing and aahing and shooting a bit, I noticed a cat coming to one of the windows to check me out.

#järbo #varuautomaterna_i_järbo #oldwood #oldhouse #decay #minimalism #trio #triptych #sweden #pixelfedsweden

Fading 2/3

Walls like these only get more beautiful with time, until suddenly they are derelict and the whole house is sagging and falling down.
It's a lot like life.

#oldwood #falurödfärg #rumex_longifolius #gårdsskräppa #dooryard_dock #closeup #details #trio #triptych #sweden #pixelfedsweden

Steps Across the Trunk

#photography #helios #helios44 #helios44m

#landscapephotography #naturelovers #rusticcharm #woodenbridge #parkphotography #sereneview #greenery #outdoorphotography #nature_perfection #hiddenplaces #naturaltextures #tranquility #rusticnature #oldwood #landscapelovers #forestwalk #botanicalphotography #peacefulplaces #natureart #beautifulnature

Fading 2/3

So, lately, I've heard two different explanations why medieval icons, like this one, are mutilated, having had an arm chopped off. You'd think it would be due to old age, but no. Lopping off an essential bit of the statue, like the arm and hand, deprived it of its religious power, and so rendered it harmless. Thus, the beloved Catholic icons were allowed to stay in the churches when our country was Protestantized, and people would agree to the new order. Or, ruining these icons made them much less valuable, next to worthless, during the Reduction. Remember, a thousand years back they were richly adorned with paint, gold leaf and sundry gems, and so highly sought after by the king, who needed cash for warfare and generally increasing the Crown's power (weakening the might and wealth of the church was also an objective). Congregations would ruin these symbols on purpose just to get to keep them. For good measure, they'd often hide them as well. This one and a few others were found centuries later, wrapped in old rags up in the attic. Today, they are back in proud, if a tad worn, display.

#icon #mary #babyjesus #ikon #jungfrumaria #jesesbarnet #medieval #oldwood #closeup #detail #trio #triptych #sweden #pixelfedsweden

Fading 1/3

When locks and keys meant business.

#lock #lås #key #nyckel #oldwood #closeup #detail #ryttmästarbostället #skövde #trio #triptych #sweden #pixelfedsweden