Timber houses Photo

Photographer’s Note

The photo shows two old timber houses in Stigbergsgatan street, numbers 17 and 19, on the hill Stigberg in Södermalm. In number 17, the left one, was the house of the block-maker Olof Krok during the 1730's. Back in 1870 a man called G. A. Bastman lived here. He owned the house until 1910 when the city bought it.

An information board in the corner of the street tells about the old Stigbergsgatan houses:
On either side of Stigbergsgatan street there were simple wooden houses. This was the poor back street to the more distinguished Fjällgatan street. At the start of the twentieth century, when two monumental school buildings were erected on the south side of the street, the area attracted attention and builders began to take an interest in the attractive location. Many small timber houses were demolished and several lavish dwellings were built on the north side of the street. In the 1940s and 1950s the old wooden houses and cottages left standing along the street still lacked most modern conveniences. When refurbished in the 1970s, they were transformed into modern houses with insulation, central heating, hot water, modern kitchens and toilets. All but one. Number 21, the house that leans the most, was restored in 1979-1982 to the state in which it had been at the start of the century. Today the house is a museum. With its faded beauty it tells us about the age that is fairly recent but still remote, when we think of the social conditions and the housing standards that people endured.

Only the roof of the museum house is visible in my photo, on its right edge.

You can see old photographs and images of old paintings from Stigbergsgatan street here and here. The text is Swedish.

Geocode: 59.316826, 18.083485

fanni, Buin, saxo042, lestans, ManuMay, Longroute, Kielia has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

fanni (8879) 2009-04-17 3:24

Hello Lasse,
I am VERY familiar with these houses :) And I remember I went there for a few evening and afternoon walks last summer! It is a very pleasant place... but I must say that in each season the city (and this place in particular) looks very different. I like the photo very much because it was taken from a different POV (people usually take photos of it from the opposite POV) and the composition is excellent - as always in your photos! I like the warmly sunlit houses and the bare trees near them. Well, what is left? just to imagine a person dressed in clothes of the XIXth or XVIIIth century... walking by :)
Kind regards,
Elena

Buin (38258) 2009-04-17 3:48

Hallo Lasse!
This really seems not to be a quarter of rich people -especially when looking the linked photos. The today well-kept status of the houses transmits something like cosiness and solidity. I like their colour very much - and the excellent quality of the picture! ;-) A really lovely sight!
Greetings from again cool and very rainy Westphalia! Brrr!
Frank

cobra112 (11918) 2009-04-17 5:17

Hi Lasse. Good sharp and contrast here. Amazing coloured and lightning perspctive.

Roberto

saxo042 (16266) 2009-04-17 8:23

Hej Lasse,
A very good photo, very beautiful houses and your note is outstanding. I got lost in the links here, couldn´t stop looking and reading. Very interesting! The combination of the red house and the green doors and shutters seem a bit unusual to me but it is definitely very tasteful!
Hälsningar
Gunnar

emka (22319) 2009-04-17 13:52

Hi Lasse, Very nice old Swedish houses. I liked these wooden houses in Sweden and Norway. Nice colour.

I was amused reading the story about computers in your home page. I remember that time! From these pounched tapes, sometimes in colour, you could make the Christmas decorations :)). My first experience with computers was in 1968. Incredible how all this changed. I still have Amstrad, just as a souvenir. Now it seems I couldn't live without computer. Any way, at home.

Warm regards

Malgorzata

lestans (15492) 2009-04-18 0:00

Ciao Lasse!
very interesting houses!! Thank you for showing them so well and for such a good note.
Enjoy the week end!
Livia

ManuMay (11403) 2009-04-18 10:49

Hello Lasse!!

Warm colours from a city that seems to be peaceful and quiet.

Optim point of view and great colour management, and you added a great note fitting really well to TE intentions...Thanks!!

Have a nice week end...

Best Regards

Manuel

Longroute (9857) 2009-04-18 11:43

Bella e luminosa!
Un'atmosfera molto scandinava, aria tersa e frizzante, cielo blu e gli alberi spogli che coi loro rami intessono un bell'arabesco nel cielo. Anche questa mi ricorda le vecchie kodachrome, incisiva, colori brillanti e intensi e così realistica che sembra di essere sul posto. Questo è il valore delle foto che riportiamo dai nostri viaggi: che ci trasportano nei luoghi che abbiamo visitato e che possiamo condividere con gli amici. Le tue foto hanno spesso queste caratteristiche ed è un piacere guardarle, ameno per chi, come me, ama viaggiare.
Buona serata,
Donato

P.S.
Mi sono accorto solo dopo di aver finito i punti!!! Mi dispiace...

Kielia (8733) 2009-05-02 11:31

Hi Lasse,
you have captured this nice part of the old quarter very well indeed. The colors and the light are excellent and it is the timeless beauty of the architecture that makes this impression very attractive. YOur note is also excellent. Congratulation!
Warm regards
Harriet

pablominto (41354) 2009-05-11 1:13

Hej Lasse,

Fine old houses neatly restored are an asset for a street scene like this!
The fine spring atmosphere is well captured, the trees are still naked but at least the sky is promising blue...
Fine point of view and good lines, sharp details!

Greetings,
Pablo -