Sigtuna
In the trails of Ralph Bäcker's Morden i
First a brief history lession.
Sigtuna was founded in the 980ies. North from the Viking trade city of Birka.
Often Birka is refered to as a Viking capital. But it was not, Infact the Vikings on Swedish soil didn't really felt comfortable with the Capital concept. Birka was a trading town. And by its placement an important such. When the landmass rose and separated lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea a new place had to be found. Sigtuna was the spot. Here lived some important people such as Jarl's (Dukes). The amount of church ruins is amazing. The medieval times had the three stone churches within minutes walk between them. St Per, St Lars, St Olof's church ruins are still there to watch. The one that holds the name of St Per's ruin is also a crime scene in the novel I trail here.
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were pretty rare in Scandinavia during the Viking age. Hedeby in Danish Jutland (Jylland in Danish) is considered the first of the Nordic towns. Copenhagen and Lund is also old towns, As the Swedish towns of Skara, Linköping and Uppsala, There is an old Uppsala and the new Uppsala that stands today. Se The Uppsala trail. Stockholm came later. Actually Stockholm was founded after Sigtuna was burned to the ground after a pillage raid. Where a certain Jon Jarl seems to be killed. Who this Jarl called Jon was, I have no idea.
After the pillage and ransacking Sigtuna stepped out of the limelight and into obscurity.
Not a Roslagen trail!
To put this trail in the Roslagen trails is wrong of me. Sigtuna is not in Roslagen. But well in the District of Uppland. As well as I did this trail half a year before the Roslagen trails.
And to be honest. I did the trail before reading the novel Morden i Sigtuna by Ralph Stenbäcker.
I had the intention to get back after I've red it. But havn't done so far.
On the other hand, the town is still in a Medieval size. Unlike the contemporary towns like Linköping, Copenhagen and Lund. Sigtuna haven't grown at all. No city size, no Chatedral, no University. But they have a very prestigious boarding School, Sigtuna Humanistiska Läroverk, that seen both Royalties and parts of the Swedish and international upper class as Students. In School uniforms. An odd sight in Sweden.
The word to describe one of Swedens first towns/cities, is insanely picturesque!The town
Into a small town that is a mix of old Sweden, Midsomer murders settings, a Camilla Läckberg village, Harry Potter and I don't know why.
The lack of modernity is obvious.
It is like one of the Museum towns like the ones in Linköping, Södertälje and Lund. With a differences. People live their lives here. Sigtuna is smaller than Norrtälje, and I might even think, smaller than Waxholm town. But bigger than Sandhamn. The biggest collection of rune stones spread in the town streets, private gardens and in parks. Real rune stones. There is a map, for free at the tourist office, where to spot them. Last little detail about the town it have the smallest town hall in Sweden. Used to be the smallest in the whole Europe. Looking like something out of a Fairytale.
Morden i Sigtuna by Ralph Stenbäcker
People were friendly. Greeting me in the streets, like I was one of the locals. Obvious I was not. Like all tourist I walk with the map in my hand. A map where to find the town Runstones. And we are quite a few runestone spoters. By that I also passed the locations in the book.
At St Per's ruin the opening murdered person is found. Cruzified inside the ruin. Of course you have to start it like that, Ralph. It was obvious.
Most of the plot is then outside the town so I do as I often do, neglect them. Concentrate on the town Locations. The main character J.A. walks down the picturesque Stora gatan (The Big Street).
And in between the old, small houses there is a chase by foot going on. Of course the thought send you to Viveca Sten's Sandhamn, but I don't feel like Stenbecker have copied Steen's concept. It is just in the natural causes of places as this. Someone drive out the car in the water is also a believable thing to have in the book. It is like the town itself invite you to write a scene or two.
Even I did it when I came home to my southern part of Stockholm. Not a chase, but a dramatic discovery. No it's not published.
I would like to stay, have a glass of wine in the taverna, but reality called. I had to get on the bus and go back to reality. Just as the boating trips into NN fantasy land in Roslagen. Sigtuna is a such. By bus instead of boat.
Other NN notes. In Forbrydelsen Sara Lund is supposed to move to Sigtuna. If so that series would have been different.
Lars GW Persson's recurring side character Chief Superintendent Claes Waltin at SÄPO had studied at Sigtuna Humanistiska Läroverk.
