Trip to a Ghost Town (15.07.2018)

Today I slept in... I really needed it since I managed to catch a cold.

In the afternoon, I went to Jakriborg. This is a settlement in Hjärup, located near Lund. Jakriborg was built in the 1990s by a Swedish company. The small settlement reflects aspects of New Urbanism. If you don't know the history, you would think the settlement is an old little village.

When I arrived there, there were several cars in a large parking lot. This didn't surprise me since the settlement is supposed to be a tourist attraction. But when I went into Jakriborg, there was not a soul to be seen. I felt like I was wandering in a small ghost town. It made me feel somewhat uneasy...

Nevertheless, I kept walking and explored the small alleys of the settlement and took some photos. During my walk in the settlement, I only encountered two people who just looked at me strangely. As if I had committed some crime. Since it was really just a small settlement and I had quickly seen everything, I decided to leave quickly and leave the ghost town behind me.

However, since I still had some time, I looked for something nearby that I could visit. I was recommended the Sankt Lars Cemetery. Yes, it sounds macabre to visit a cemetery, but there were even signs for tourists. Before I read them, I didn't really know what to expect there. So, I drove to the cemetery. It turned out to be 'the cemetery of Lund's mental hospital and asylum.' It was inaugurated on December 11, 1895, and on the same day, the first patient was buried there. The funerals were simple. The coffins were plain and black, and simple iron bars, resembling flowers, were forged as grave markers. Only the numbers of the patients' medical records were engraved on the iron bars. Sometimes, relatives also donated tombstones with names and years. Approximately 2000 patients were buried in the cemetery until 1951.

After learning more about the cemetery, I visited it. I had a depressing and heavy feeling inside me. It was a strange feeling to see the lined up grave markers with their numbers.

Nevertheless, this is a dark but interesting part of Lund's history.

With a strange feeling in my stomach, I drove back home.

Thus, another sunny day in Sweden passed. Tomorrow, work starts again...

Distance driven today: 32.5 km