What, already back for a post? Well one cannot crouch over books all the time, right? This thursday the local museum and the cemetary management arranged a historical walk around one of the cemetaries here. I kidnapped Johan and brought him there as a surprise.
Here he is trying to hurry away from the camera.
The walk were so crowded that we returned yesterday to take better photos. The cemetary isn't very, old dated from the mid 18 hundreds. There is not many new graves either.
Due to last summers heavy raining, many stones are tilting and lots have fallen with the back or the face down. Grave stones in this size is very heavy and have actually caused a few deaths the last years when they accidentally have fallen on someone. To prevent more accidents the caretakers put tilted stones down. I actually saw some stones I rather would not go near.
Lots of the graves are for wealthier people. They made small yards in front of the stones with beautiful stoneworked walls around and carefully raked gravel (you wouldn't dare to thread).
Here's a picture from the walk. The man with suit and walking stick is supposed to represent one of the founders of the liberal party, Ernst Lyberg who were head of it during 1930-32, he were also minister of finance 1926. He was claimed for inhibiting a law against alcohol during that time and was claimed to split the party in two.
There were many who were fighting for a law against alcohol back then, people whe looked down on those who took a single glass. Anyway, interesting thing I discovered yesterday was that the actors family were resting just beside were we stood (an unusual noble sirname). The other man on the photo above is our local historian.
I love the stone carving on this stone. I took the photo in an angle so the names won't be shown. Even if there are lots of celebrities resting here there are also new buried common people, and that must be respected.
By this square block lies one of the pioneers in swedish radio. In the beginning of the twenties, sweden didn't have an all over broadcasting, but many local radiostations, supported by enthusiasts. There were no radios available for purchase but you could build one yourself with some electrical skills.
Falu rundradio were financed by advertising and foundations and held a high standard for that time, like live orchesteras, scientifical and cultural lectures and of course church services.
At 1925 when Swedish broadcast were taking over all the local radiostations, they were supposed to send from Falun at new years eve. When they switched to Falun. All they could hear was a loud party going on, with clinking glasses, cheers and singning. In Stockholm they didn't understand that joke and switched off the broadcast by telling there was a technical issue (as I said that was a time when drinking or loud behaviour wasn't acceptable by some).
A part of the graveyard with smaller less pretentious stones. One just said a first name, nothing else. We found another two stones, not beside each other but a little apart, one said "mother" and date and the other said "father" and date. Things like that puzzles me.
The cemetary lies between a heavy trafficked road and the railway depot. Here you can see how close it is. An abandoned wagon and a stone.
I have a friend who lives just by this cemetary and she oftens prefer to take the path through it before using the sidewalk at night.
We don't have any ugly cemetaries were I live but I think this one is one of the most beautiful. The trees and hegdes are so hight that the busyness is closed out from this peaceful place.
A grave surrounded by a fir hedge. Creating a sealed space.
One of the fashions were apparently to plant two or three thujas around the stone. By the time they overwhelmed the stone by growth and the keepers have to cut a hole in the green mass for the stone.
This is not a tomb for a world known celebrity but the man who influenced this area of the country in a very positive way. He were an engineer and pioneer in new technologies and build several of the large factories in this area. Paper and steel mills etc. He also built schools for workers children.
He and his wife got only one child that died in a very young age. Without any children they wrote in their will that their private belongings would start a foundation for school students.
Almost everyone have gotten a small amount from this fund by their highschool degree (so have I) and I saw at Alfons school large crates with books with his name on.
During the walk the light was very vague when we arrived to the grave so I took a photo of it in daylight for the details. Erik Johan Ljungberg designed in the his own tomb(in a mixed national romance style) before he died 1915. If you look closely you can see a glowing light in the holes at the copper gate
This lovely angel stands on a high red stones with several names written in gold (some new names therefore no picture of it). I beleive that it symbols the little boy who drowned at 4 years age and is the first name on it.
Another young man, the boys brother,buried here had a funeral with 10 000 people attended. He was the pilot that flew Dag Hammarskjöld (general secretary for UN during the cold war)that night when the plane was shot down, crashed.....whatever the speculations goes, some even say that the pilot had a hangover but that was not a popular thread. The plain crash is still a mystery.
I supposed the one who were buried here had a more humble burial. The cross have no visible name but stands not far away from the one above.
This post took a while to write so I have been away from my books for too long now. I have a plan for my studies something that hopefully will take me in another direction. Right now I study a math course, the math is easy but it is about teaching math...
