Västernorrland - Mosquitos, Surströmming, The Vanger family and other Novels.

Västernorrland

Prologue, 

First, if you say Norrland, one of the first pictures in the Swedes minds will be Mosquitos. Mygg as we say. Norrland as well as Finland are famous for the Mosquitos. In part's of Norrland in the summer you can't go out without protection. Especially in the southern parts around Gävle. Stockholm have some, but not in comparison. Skåne might have some, but is rare.  

Now onto Västernorrland.
"And saw at saw I saw, wherever I saw"
Elisas Sehlstedt 1972

The Name Västernorrland (Western Northland it means), or as they wrote it in the 16th century,

Wester Norlanden, is a left over from the time Finland was a part of Sweden. 

The land above Gävle on the peninsula was Västernorrland (west) and Finland was

ÖÖsternorrland (east).

Västernorrland is not Lappland, Fjällen or above the Polar circle.

Geographically it is placed in the center of the map (no 1 on map). Flataklocken is the Mountain where the mid point is.

You won’t bump into much sami people, here. And if you ask people in Kiruna or Boden they won’t

even recognize the area as Norrland.

The area is Rural and the the mentality are a country, woodland, kind of mentality.

Like many people in Norrland they are not too fond of people from Stockholm or

authoroty representatives nosing around. The area comes with at feeling of isolation in the first place.

Low density and big forests. But Stieg Larsson add that the Vanger family isolate even more on

an (made up) Island.People from Norrland are often quiet and use few words.

But not in Sundsvall.

People in Sundsvall actually talk to strangers which is not too common in Sweden.

And their dialect can be described as singing. 

Västernorrland is a County stretching over the districts Medelpad and Ångermanland on

the Swedish east coast, despite the name.  

Sundsvall is the biggest city but Härnösand is the Residential city.

There are only 7 municipalities in Västernorrland that count around 250 000 inhabitants. 

And the County is most about the Lumber industry. Wild life, fishing and hunting are also modern day activities. Sundsvall had one of 4 Government run international casinos but closed in 2020 due to lack of profit. The only of the four that was outside the three biggest cities.   

There are three big rivers in Västernorrland. Ljungan, Indalsälven and Ångermanälven.

And the big forests in combination with the Rivers made it to be the Logging district.

Making the owners of the saw mills, Träpatronerna, very rich. Which can be seen in

Sundsvall’s late 1800 architecture in central Stenstaden. Also the Swedish working class

movement have its roots here. In both Ådalen and Sundsvall. Where the Authorities used

excessive violence upon the workers. With catastrophic results for the Government.

The big strike in Sundsvall 1879 led to that many of the workers emigrated to America,

and the Labour Union grew stronger. The Ådalen incident 1931 resulted in that the Social Democrats

won the election and could hold onto the power until 1973. Both this incidence are in the common psyche

of Swedes. And are sometimes referred to in filmes and novels. And probably in the subconscious of

Sjöwall/Wahlöö, Mankell and Larsson.

Sundsvall have RPK which is one of Sweden’s biggest Forensic Phychiatric Clinics.

Ångermanälven                Ljungan

Ångermanland is Höga kusten (the High Coast) a popular coastline to visit.

land rise is faster here than in other places in the world and the coastline is considered a

UNESCO World Heritage Site. A beautiful place to visit and walk in.

Sports and Culture isn’t the County’s strong side. But Hockey teams like MoDo and

Timrå are sometimes in the SHL. Stanley Cup winner, with Colorado Avalanche,

Peter Forsberg is from Örnsköldsvik. And so are the Sedin twins. As well as

Elias Petersson in Vancouver Canucks. Six times Biathlon WC Gold medallist Magdalena Forsberg

is from Västernorrland and so is Lars Lagerbeck, former coach for both Swedens and

Icelands mens national fotball teams, Both Lagerbeck and Petersson are from Ånge. 

Rockband Takida is from the small village of Ljungaverk.

The infamous stinking fish Surströmming is mostly produced in Ångermanland. Roast beef made of Elk meat, Tjälknöl, is Medelpads favorite dish.

Swedish Crime Authors in the Area are Jonas Moström, Emma Valls, Annika Sjögren and

Bo R Holmberg who is writing historical crime stories.

Stieg Larsson and Lars Kepler have also used the area in Novels.

Sundsvall is the host of Svenska deckarfestivalen (the Swedish Crime Writers Festival). 

Jonas Moströms Västernorrland.

Talking to inhabitants of Sundsvall, they claim that the City always had a bad reputation

when it comes to crime. Swedish crime writer Jonas Moströms first NN novels took part in

Sundsvall. He also wrote about Uppsala and Jämtland. See the Uppsala trail earlier this year.

Jonas Moström was raised in the neighboring Jämtland County/District.

Stieg Larssons Västernorrland
Stieg Larsson placed Hedestad and the Vanger Mansion in Västernorrland. Not pointing out

exactly where. He made up the Mansion, the Wanger family, Hedestad and the island where

the mansion is placed. One murder that is made in Härjedalen is kind of close, according to

Blomkvist. That would place Hedestad somewhere around the small town of Ånge.

Or did he got the inspiration from Fränsta? The Vanger Mansion might been the

Torpshammars Herrgård?   

Lars Keplers Västernorrland

In the novel the Fire witness, a young girl at a treatment home for troubled girls in Indal outside

Sundsvall, is found dead. Much of the story, then, is taking part in Västernorrland. Both Sundsvall

and up and down the roads of Indal is in the novel.

So

If Skåne, Stockholm and Lappland is more familiar to you as a reader. Västernorrland isn’t too

bad as a setting. But I doubt it will be any hype around the area in the NN world even if The Girl

With The Dragon Tattoo is partly set there. The film is filmed mostly around the Stockholm area.

Except Skåne, Västergötland, Östergötland, Halland, Öland and Gotland. Most of Sweden reminds

of Västernorrland. Spruce forests, rocks, lakes, farms and red houses.

Torpshammar herrgård, is it the real Vanger Mansion? Is Fränsta or Ånge the real Hedestad?

The Millenium Trail - Lisbeth Salander's Fiskargatan pt 4

Lisbeth Salander's apartment at Fiskargatan.

Trail done in August 2021 and posted in the NNL Facebook group.

Nr 3 on the map of Södermalm.

In the book and film The Girl That Played With Fire (Flickan som lekte med elden) Lisbeth buys an apartment.

Lisbeth Salander returns to Stockholm; she think she needs a secret location. Instead of choosing an old garage like in so many other crime stories. She buys the most expensive apartment she finds. She has a few criteria on her new home. There should be a balcony, bathtub, bathroom big enough to host a laundry machine. And with a view over the water. Mikael Blomkvist has a view over the lake of Mälaren. Lisbeth over the Baltic sea. The border between the lake and the sea is at slussen. That is a lock between the two.

This is a quiet part of the town. Still Loves by the Stockholmers because it association with literature and art. August Strindberg wrote about Mossebacke that this area is called.

25 000 000 Swedish kronor. Which is 2,5 million Euros/pounds.

In the Book she buys it from the former ABB CEO.

According to sources he did live in the building in real life but on another floor.

The movies differ a bit from the books. They don't show the right building in the movies, the entrance is different and It is on the wrong side of the street in the films. I will do a separate trail on that location, the film's location, later.

house is built on the north heights of Söder (Söders höjder). With a view över the city and the inner archipelago. It is surrounded by narrow, cobblestone streets that have no shops and bars. Which in Lisbeths mind makes it easier to see if she is being watched.

The building, which in my impression gives a slight sense of a medieval castle. Seems hard to conquer so to speak. And have a 6 minuters walk to the 7-11 where she buys her frozen Billy pizzas.

And not far from Millenium, Milton Security and the bar Kvarnen.

The interiors for the movies isn't shot in this house. And the differences between the books and the films is that in the books she buys a lot more of IKEA furniture.

In the name tag on the door she have the name V. Kulla, not L. Salander. Which is a homage to the late Swedish children books author Astrid Lindgren and her popular character Pippi Longstocking that lives in Villa Villekulla.

When visiting the location there. I wonder what that can be?

Fiskargatan is not far from the busy Götgatan, and you should do the detour. Or if you're at Mossebacke for a fika or a beer. It is close. Actually you walk the street from the location of 7-11 where Lisbeth buys her frozen Billy pizzas.

The view from the place, over Stockholm is amazing and competes with Mikael Blomkvist's view.

The book publisher Ordfront just moved out of the building opposite of Lisbeth's. Ordfront publish writers as John Ajvide Lindqvist, Erik Axl Sund and Jonas Brännström and more.

How to get there. Subway station Slussen, the Götgtan entrance. And then a walk for a few minutes.

The Nordic Ways - Swedish ss last names and more

The Nordic Ways - Swedish ss last names and more.

Article with the maps at GP is in Swedish, but you can translate. Hoover over each municipality to see where the most people are named Johansson, Andersson and Eriksson. 

Click here for the maps and the artichle.

When Sven Göran Eriksson took over the mens English football team in 2001 the tabloid press went sson. They made jokes in their headlines the way Swedes spell their last names. With Double ss, because the way Swedes say the names. Eriks son (Erik's son) becomes Eriksson. Swedish Larsson differ from the Danish Larsen. And the double ss is a Swedish way of have your name. 

In America the same year Sven Göran Eriksson chocked Europe and won the UEFA cup with a bunch of amateur players in IFK Göteborg, 1982. An american Mall salesman first refused to print my name on the back of a Baseball jersey I was about to purchase, with the argument, what kind of spelling is that. He claimed that Ericson was the right spelling. After showing him my passport he gave up and I got my Eriksson jersey.

Up until late 19th century Sweden did as they do on Iceland. Took their daddy's name in my case, as a dad, Per it would be then added sson. Persson. On Iceand they add dottir (daughter), Persdottir that would be or rather Persdotter. 

But authoroties thought is was hard to handle so they made it a Statutory instrument in 1901. And became a law in 1963. Which said you can't take a name that can be misstaken for a train station for instance. 

But as you maybe noticed, we can spell with a single s as well. Eriksson, Ericsson, Erikson and Erixon is spelling you can see. The last spelling is mostly found among Art painters and Hockeyplayers.

But Eriksson is not as common as you might think Phone companies and Football coaches aside.

Andersson and Johnsson is the two most common last names. The map at paper GP's site shows where most people are named a certain sson. And we are a sson country. Only three municipalities have a none sson name. Niemi, Kero at the borders to Finland. And in Lappland Westerlund beats them all in Arjeplog that border to Norway.

I grew up in Johansson land. I think I had three Johansson in my class in grade school. Now I live in Andersson land but in a municipality that have Eriksson as the most common name. I wonder If my moving here changed it or if we are in a big lead?

Skåne have Nilsson as most common. Note that Denmark have Nielsen as most common last name.

Is this reflected in Swedish Nordic Noir stories? 

Seldom. The ambitious people don't want to be a sson. They want to be a -ius, -lund, -fors, -ander, -fjäll or else. Salachenko strips off the Russian chenko (with different western spellings) and becomes Sala-nder. Salander.

And the old soldiers names still is around. Taking job in the military back in the days was also to be given a name. Often after a tree. Björk, Asp, Gran etc etc. Some might added a lund or a fors or a kvist to show they were their own family later.  Björklund, Granfors, you see the patern. Maybe Mikaels great, great grand dad was a soldier named Blom (flower). Then they added kvist (flower twig is the meaning of the name).

 was named Wallander because Mankell's method of randomly choose a name in the telephone catalog. 

Sources. Except the GP article also SCB.se, Babyhjälp.se and Wikipedia.se and a interview with Henning Mankell on DVD bonus materials.

The Millenium Trail - Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist pt 3

In the Trails of Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist. pt 3

A repost from two FB group postings in 2020 and 21, Trail done during the fall of 20.

Hedstad

I took a trip to Gnesta. Just where Stockholms commuter trains stops in the south, in the District of Södermanland.

Also Known as Hedestad in the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

In Stieg Larssons book he really describe Hedestad as Gnesta looks.

But placed it in the novel somewhere in Västernorrland. And In the films the Hedestad scenes are filmed in Gnesta.

And Gnesta seem to take some pride in it with guiding signs in the streets what took place where. There was no guidebook like Ystad have over Wallander's locations. a brochure at the tourist information center. The lady that worked there was also an extra in the film as was her son.

The house that was the local newspapers location was a former hotel. Now I believe it is flats and a hair salon.

I had an excellent local produced angus burger in the building next door. I wonder if Mikael Blomkvist had that too?

And the weather? Well not Michael Blomkvist cold but Nordic Noir rainy and grey.

How to get there?

Gnesta AKA Hedestad, last stop of the commuter trains from Stockholm city. You can travel with the commuter card or the tickets you buy for inner city rides. It takes some over an hour to go there with the commutertrain, 30 minutes with regular trains.