Claiming the northern wilds: The Settlers…

In the wilds of Sweden, three stone figures stand tall - a dog, a man, and a woman dedicated in stone to the forgotten Settlers who braved the north. They are not alone, but part of a tradition: the Newcomers.

Lycksele, Västerbotten, situated many hours north by rail, is a place that most travellers pass through, not pausing to linger. Ahead lie the overwhelming forests and the smooth northern waters. Behind lies familiar ground, civilisation, fireplaces and the comfort of cities. But in 1983, when Bengt Fransson sculpted the statues of a dog, a man, and a woman by the road bridge on the outskirts of the town, he called out to those who would remember a different time. This is the story of the Settlers, a sculpture that is also a monument, erected as a reminder of the people who once left behind the familiar, and came north to lay claim to the wilderness.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons

Claiming the northern wilds: The Settlers of Lycksele

Discuss this with the author and others