Week 39 of my painting project „One Year – One Island“
The village of Gillberga lies on the edge of the Alvar and consists of two parts: Norrbyn in the north and the old row village Sörbyn in the south. The villages is named in the 14th century as Gilbergum and in 1539 as Gilberge, the prefix is probably gil = gorge. It has some beautiful and well-preserved buildings – many of which are built of limestone – retain oldtraditional features such as thatched roofs and horn-like ornamentation on the gable tops. There are also numerous ancient remains that show that the village has actually existed since the Iron Age. Approaching the village from the south across the barren heathland, it seems as if it were out of time. This is how I imagine a real Viking village. There is still no public water or sewage system here; residents have to use their own wells. There are also no shops, just farmers and craftsmen.
On Öland, the name Gillberga is always associated with the large limestone quarry. The quarry is still in use, and during the week, large machines work there to extract the precious raw material. From a geological perspective, Öland is very fascinating, and at some locations — such as the Gillberga Quarry here — you can take guided tours about Öland’s geological history and unique terrain. In 2013, the quarry was even designated as the “Gillberga Natural and Cultural Monument,” becoming part of the ”Öland Geopark”. A geopark is an area with interesting geological sites and can contribute to promoting geotourism. UNESCO and the European Geopark Network decide which ones receive this status. There are around fifty geoparks worldwide. Since then, in addition to geological lectures, open-air church services have been held here, films have been projected onto the steep cliff edge (visitors each brought their own folding chairs), singing performances, and even a theater performance have taken place.
Some Öland residents associate the small town of Gillberga with a number of artists. For example, there’s Vera Nilsson, a well-known artist in Sweden who spent many summers on Öland and owned her own house there in 1946 and 1947. An artist who some Öland residents still knew personally was Sture Lundgren. He bought a small, dilapidated house in 1969, expanded and renovated it, set up a studio, and lived here until his death in 2002. The place also attracted many other artists who repeatedly painted the village of Gillberga and its surroundings. These included Bertil Lindberg, Karl-Axel Wirfält, Sven Persson, and Stig Jonzon.
When I painted the old farm, I was sitting right in front of the property where Sture Lundgren once lived. When I finished, the sun was setting, and I took a few more photos. At home, I painted another picture, this time against the setting sun. Which one do you like better?
Next time I´ll show you even more limestones…
Hope to see you there,
