Norrland Sweden : Part 14 - Day 8 : Gammelstad Church Town and Thailand Pavilion

Day 8 of Norrland Drive

Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 8. 

22/6 Day 8 : Overnight in Haparanda -- Gammalstad Church Town (UNESCO) in Luleå  -- Thailand Pavilion in Bispgården -- Overnight in Döda Fallet in Ragunda

Must-Incur Costs

(1) Petrol in Skelleftea (last filled in Karesuando) - SEK671.29 / 42.73 liter / SEK15.71 per liter

Optional Costs
(1) Lunch - Baguette and chicken curry, and cream-filled buns from ICA Luleå - SEK47
(2) Fika - Cinnamon buns, drink and Tutti Frutti sweets from ICA Luleå - SEK53.70
(3) Dinner - Skrov Royal burger meal from Frasses in Piteå - SEK102

The Story

220618 : We woke up, once again, to a rainy morning. It was Midsummer's Day Eve today. We thought we could see some celebrations in any villages or towns in the north, but standing under the rain with wet shoes and unsure if the celebration still goes on with the rain, is not a very appealing idea. So, we drove on to our next destination which was unplanned - a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Luleå.

Before that, let me share with you a photo that I took at 2.40am when we arrived at Haparanda this morning to sleep at. That is the midnight sun in the sky.

Here is the UNESCO World Heritage Site - Gammelstad Church Town. Gammelstad = Old Town.

Gammelstad Church Town (Swedish: Gammelstads kyrkstad) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated in Gammelstaden near the city of Luleå, Sweden, at the northern end of the Gulf of Bothnia. It is the best preserved example of a type of town that was once widespread throughout northern Scandinavia. As Church Village of Gammelstad, Luleå, it was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1996.

The town is located about 10 kilometers upstream the Lule River. At its centre is the 15th-century Nederluleå Church surrounded by 424 wood-built houses. The houses were only used on Sundays and during religious festivals to accommodate worshipers from the surrounding countryside who could not return home the same day because of the distance and difficult traveling conditions. Because the buildings are built from timber, regular maintenance is required to prevent rot; surveys have been carried out to document the extent of existing rotting, and snow is cleared regularly during the winter. Source from Wikipedia.

Went inside the Visitor Centre and got to see an exhibition of the place with some explanations. There were even little figurines of the people in those times. There was also a video room that played a video of the town.

How girls were courted during those times.

Now, to go inside the Church. I would said that this Church is unique because it has intricate carvings at its altar and one of the bricks at its door is carved a date. I think the year reads 1676?

Time to have our second Frasses meal. We had the same burger meal but this time without the béarnaise sauce. Most of the restaurants and malls were closed due to Midsummer's Eve. So, we were very happy to find Frasses open although it was closing earlier that day.

I was whining to Prof Sweet Tooth on how our trip is going to end so soon as he drove further south. So, he chose 2 more places of interest to be added inside the itinerary, by looking at the map. One of them is the Thailand Pavilion which was closed when we arrived. Obviously. So, we looked from outside. Pretty grand structure.

One hundred years ago King Chulalongkorn Rama V of Siam visited Sweden and the part of what today is known as the municipality of Ragunda. In 1897, he was invited to the Arts and Industrial exhibition in Stockholm by the Swedish King Oscar II, something he embraced and welcomed. King Oscar II wanted to show the most beautiful parts of Sweden to his guest from far away. The choice fell on Norrland with its light nights and breath taking views, but also because of the sawmill industry. Wood was at the time the primary export product to Thailand. During his trip, King Chulalongkorn visited Bispgården, today a part of the municipality of Ragunda, this was located next to the place where the Pavillion stands today. Source from Thai Paviljongen. 

The second place that he added to the itinerary was Döda Fallet - The Dead Waterfall - where we slept in its parking lot.