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| Vaermland the province where poets are born | |||
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Since I was born and brought up in Karlskoga (founded in the 17th century and a former home to Alfred Nobel), it feels natural to begin this journey in Sweden right here. Karlskoga is a small town located in the province of Vaermland in central Sweden and has a population about 31,000. I went back quite often while my parents still lived. My parents moved to Karlskoga as newly weds and stayed here for the rest of their lives. They brought up 5 children of which I am the second youngest. No members of my family live here any more, but there are still a few friends from my youth with which I am still in contact. The town's central part has changed quite a lot, since I moved away in the 60’s. |
My home was located only 10 minutes in
a walking distance to the market place and I had another 5 to my high school,
passing by the church. One can't do this path any more. Today there is a
shopping center next to the church, and the highway between Oslo and
Stockholm is running between the church and my old school. Some places, where I used to play and pick wild flowers are still there, but they look some what different today. They have shrunk due to the "civilization". The rope from the old pine-tree, from which I and my play mates used to swing, is naturally gone. By doing this we got a beautiful view over the town and lake Möckeln. It was amazing to see the old pine still standing by the slope. Yes, I have checked. |
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Churches in Sweden are mostly surrounded by a cemetery. The church dates back to 1586 and is built in the center of the town Karlskoga. It has a facade of wood shingles which were contributed by the farmers in the area. You can't see it here, but the shingles has different shapes around the edges depending on who the donator was. I was married in this romantic church in 1968. |
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| Across from the church is the Karlskoga art museum | |||
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Forest and playgrounds in Karlskoga. Paths, covered with tree-bark, for joggers and hikers are common. In the summertime there are wild berries, mushrooms and wild flowers to pick where allowed. There are some endangered species. The people in Sweden are lucky living very close to nature and wilderness. There is access to the nature every where. The old red brick school, Loviselund, in which my siblings, play-mates and I attended our first years is gone. So are many old houses in central Karlskoga. Some have accidentally burned down, and some have been turned down. There is a public parking garage, a shopping center and a new library there today. It is called progress and developing, but to me it has changed something valuable I have always cherished and which can't be replaced; The fond memories of growing up in a small town where every corner was familiar and you always met people you knew. Particularly on Saturdays. A part of my past is gone. Then again, one can't expect everything to stay the same for ever. And one can't recapture the past, but coming "home" I felt lost. An experience I suspect I share with quite a few people from my generation and older. |
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| This is the home of Alfred Nobel. Today it is a museum and you can visit his laboratory. | |||
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