The fire-fought church hamlet with a 400-year twist

Bonnstan, a hidden church village in Skellefteå, has a history marked by destruction. The exact date of construction is unknown, but it is known to have been built in the 1600s. This collection of 116 church stugas lay just east of the landskyrkan, near the landsförsamling’s church. Bonnstan, along with other places such as the landskyrkan and Lejonströmsbron, forms part of the riksintresset 'Skellefteå sockencentrum'.

Bonnstan has been destroyed by fire several times; the first time was in 1672 and the second time was in 1835. The second fire wiped out the entire village. The new church town was then built near the road, but a little further from the church. After the second fire in 1835, houses north of the throughway were moved to restore the overall appearance. An area north of Bonnstan, which had church stalls, has largely burnt down or been torn down. In 1970, one house was burned. In the latest fire on October 27, 2012, two houses with a total of 16 rooms were damaged. The rescue service managed to save most houses nearby.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons