Oldest Wooden House in the World

An old turf-roofed house in the small village of Kirkjubøur on the the island of Streymoy in Faroe Islands is reportedly The Oldest Still Inhabited Wooden House in the World.

The oldest part of the house called Roykstovan, (smoke room) dates back to 11th century. Other parts were added later. Another old room known as loftstovan (loft room) was in existence in 1298. The stórastovan (large room) is from a much later date, being built in 1772.

The house including the big farm around it is called Kirkjubøargarður (King's Farm). It was originally the residence of the bishop of the Diocese of the Faroe Islands and is now owned by Faroese government. The oldest part (Roykstovan) houses a museum, however its other portions are occupied by a local (Patursson) family who have been the traditional tenant of the house since 16th century and can trace their ancestors back over 17 generations who have lived there.

The house is made of coarsely hewn timber logs coated with tar. It rests on foundation of thick stone walls. The Island lacks timber and as per local legend, the house was initially built in Sognefiord, Norway and then disassembled, its logs numbered and floated to the Kirkjubøur, where these were reassembled.

It is interesting to note that although this house and several other houses on the Island have turf roof yet these are a bit different from the turf houses of Iceland. The walls of these houses are made of wood, unlike the houses in Iceland where the walls are also covered with layers of earth and then turfed.

Image from Flickr is by EHRENBERG kommunikation

Image from Wikimedia Commons is by Vincent van Zeijst

Image from Flickr is by Stig Nygaard

360^o Panoramic View of inside;

Roykstovan in Kirkjubour in Faroe Islands

View Location in Google Earth / Google Maps

Source of info: Wikipedia / Google Books Preview Faroe Islands By James Proctor

Note: I had originally written about this house as "Oldest Wooden House In Europe", however further search on the Internet reveals that it is also the "The Oldest Still Inhabited Wooden House in the World". I have therefore made this fresh post by using text/images from earlier post and  adding more information/images in it.

Other Old Houses:
During my search on the Web I came across two other old houses, both of which are claimed to be "The Oldest in Europe". For sake of comparison I am giving few details of these houses also and have also placemarked these in Google Earth. These are;

1. A small Swedish eldhus (literally "fire house") currently located in the at The Zorn Collections, or Zornsamlingarna, a museum, located in Mora, Sweden. It is claimed to be Oldest Wooden House in Sweden.
2. A wooden house known as Bethlehem House (Bethlehem-Haus) in the small village of Schwyz, Switzerland. It is also claimed to be Oldest Wooden House in Europe.

Eldhus in Zornsamlingarna Museum, Mora, Sweden

Eldhus (literally "fire house") are a type one-room timbered houses in Sweden which consisted of a long room with a fireplace in the centre.

This particular Eldhus, which is now located in The Zorn Collections, or Zornsamlingarna Museum in Mora, Sweden. As per tree-ring dating (dendrochronology), the timber used to build the house dates from the year 1237. It is claimed to be oldest in Sweden/Europe.

Image from Wikimedia Commons is by T. Axelson

View location in Google Earth / Google Maps

Source of info:

• The Local (Swedish News in English)
• Swedish Wikipedia (English Translation)

Bethlehem House (Bethlehem-Haus), Schwyz, Switzerland
Bethlehem House (Bethlehem-Haus), in Schwyz in central Switzerland was built in 1287 and was last occupied till the 1980s. It is a museum now and is claimed to be oldest surviving wooden house in Switzerland/Europe.

Image from Flickr is by Stefan Schuler

View location in Google Earth / Google Maps

Source of info: swissinfo.ch

---

Special Note: This post is based on the information currently available on the Web. Due to inherent insulating properties the wooden houses are more comfortable than stone in cold regions and it is possible that there may be other older wooden houses in temperate regions closer to Arctic or in higher regions like Tibet, Ladakh etc. I will be happy if some one can find houses older than these houses.

Note: These houses are not to be confused with Oldest Wooden Structure, which is a five-story Pagoda in Hōryū-ji Buddhist Temple Complex in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan dating back to early seventh century. This post is about liveable homes/houses.

---

Read more...

World's Largest Lenin's Head

A huge silhouette of Lenin's head in mountains near the Ukhta Railway Station, Komi Republic, Russia is the Largest Head of Lenin.

The 33-meter-high steel pipe sculpture was built in 1970 on Mount Vetlosyan. The sculpture is provided with metal balconies and staircases and one can climb right up to the top of the head.

During the Soviet era the silhouette head was interlaced series of 120, 15 kw light bulbs which are lit from sunset till dawn and the glowing head of Lenin was prominently visible to towns people as well as train travellers passing through the town. With end of Soviet Russia the monument fell in disrepair and lights went out of the head.

It is understood that the city authorities are now planning to restore the giant head, repair the platforms and observation deck and install the illuminated lights again.

Image from Panoramio is by Александр Усачев

Image from Panoramio is by vladimir.m

Image from Panoramio is by PeterSobolev

Image from Panoramio is by fm2

View location in Google Earth / Google Maps and Street View

Main source of information: Tahaya Gavan Blog

Read more...

Amazingly Balanced Rocks Around the World - 19

The balanced rocks are a geological formation created due to wind/water erosion or glacial melting. These precariously balanced rocks are wonder of the nature and to a viewer it looks that these would topple by a gentle human push or a wind force. However most of these rocks have remained steadfast for past several thousand years though some were vandalised and pushed over. To some scientists these rocks are a sign of seismic stableness of the location.

This post is part of the series about these awesome and breathtaking rocks around the world. List giving links to individual rocks can be seen here and a combined big page showing all the rocks can be viewed here.

Thor's Hammer, Bryce Canyon, Utah

This amazingly balanced rock known as "Thor's Hammer" is a spectacular and classical example of a Hoodoo rocks. A geological name for tent rock or fairy chimney. Such rocks are tall, thin spires of rock that protrudes from the bottom of an arid drainage basin or badland and were created due to of erosion processes whenever relatively hard rock overlays softer more erodible rock, such as sandstone.

Thor’s Hammer is approximately 46 metres (150 ft) tall and is one of most famous of the several Hoodoo rocks found at the Bryce Canyon national park.

Image from Flickr is by ccho

Image from Flickr is by DragonWoman

Image Source: Google Street View

Image from Flickr is by Wenjie Qiao

View location in Google Earth / Google Maps and Street View

Source of info: Earth Picture of the Day / Wikipedia

---

Read more...

Erawan Museum - World’s Largest Zoomorphic Building

The Erawan Museum on the outskirts of Bangkok in Thailand, in the shape of a 3 headed elephant, is an awe-inspiring ginormous hollow statue standing upon an equally large hollow pedestal.

The gigantic three headed elephant made of bronze weighs 250 tons, is 29 metres (95 ft.) tall, 39 metres (128 ft.) long and stands on a 15 meter (49 ft.) high pedestal. In comparison Lucy the Elephant which is often billed as the World’s biggest elephant is merely 19.7 metres (65 feet) tall and 18.3 metres (60 feet) long.

The interior of the museum is modelled after the Hindu/Buddhist mythological representation of the universe; the Underworld, Earth and Heaven. The museum has three floors; two floors representing the Underworld and the Earth are located inside the pedestal and the uppermost third floor representing the Heaven is located within the belly of the giant elephant.

Built by is late business tycoon Lek Viriyapant with the aim to create a space for his vast collection of Asian antiquities and to preserve them for posterity. It is worthwhile to note that the entire structure is a museum and not a temple but its interior is heavily decorated with Buddhist-Hindu iconography and designs.

The first floor representing the Underworld contains famous Thai painted porcelains Chinese vases from the Ming and Qinq dynasties, Chakri dynasty tea sets, jade ornaments, Chinese furniture and Vietnamese vases. It also showcases the history of the museum's construction by means of photographs and wall placards.

The second floor symbolizes the Earth is topped with a big dome made of crystal glass depicting World map, stars and Zodiac Signs. This level also represents Mount Meru (Mount Kailsah), the Axis Mundi of the Hindu-Buddhist cosmology. It houses more precious antiques and arts including ceramics and European pottery. At its centre piece, it has a statue of Bodhisatva Guanyin - the Chinese Goddess with a thousand arms. The walls and winding staircases at this level are richly decorated with diverse iconography and artistic gusto which includes hand-beaten copper work, Thai painted porcelains inlays, intricate relief work tableaus, and mural paintings.

The top (third) floor in the belly of the mammoth, represents the Heaven, which is believed to be located on top of Mount Meru in Buddhist cosmology. This floor contains relics of the Buddha and old Buddha statues in various postures from several eras including a walking Buddha. The walls are decorated with paintings depicting the cosmos. It also contains a Dali painting.

The Museum also has beautiful and lush tropical gardens with some rare flora, beautiful benches, sculptures, pavilions, rock ponds, mini waterfalls etc.

Image from Flickr is by Mike Behnken

Image from Flickr is by Kim Seng

Image from Flickr is by Mike Behnken

Image from Flickr is by Uwe Schwarzbach

Image from Wikimedia Commons is by Ddalbiez

Cosmos - The Stained glass ceiling depicting world map and zodiac signs, designed by German artist Jacob Schwarzkopf.

Image from Flickr is by Deepak Bhatia

Image from Flickr is by Mike Behnken

Image from Flickr is by ryan pikkel

Image from Flickr is by Kim Seng

Image from Flickr is by Will Will

Source of info and more info: Wikipedia / bangkok.com

Some great pictures at: migrationology.com

View location in Google Earth / Google Maps and Street View

---

Read more...

Arctic Circle Monuments & Markers Around The World

The Arctic Circle lies at latitude 66° 33' 44" (or 66.5622°) north of the Equator. It marks the southern extremity of the 24-hour sunlit day (Midnight Sun aka Polar Day) and the 24-hour sunless night (Polar Night).

The Arctic Circle passes though Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Alaska (USA), Canada, Greenland (Denmark), and Grimsey Island (Iceland). Most of regions through which the circle passes are uninhabitable due to harsh cold climate, however several towns do exist within the circle.

In few towns around the World, Arctic Circle Monuments/Markers have been erected generally on the travelling routes crossing the line and few places have amusement park or shopping place/cafeteria etc. to attract tourists. I have tried to locate such monuments/markers and placed marked these in Google Earth.

Base Image Source: Google Earth. [Click on image for Enlarged View]

Presently following locations have been identified and place marked. These are listed below in sequential order, travelling east from the Prime Meridian.

Norway

1. Viking Island (øya Vikingen)
2. Coastal Route RV 17, Nordland
3. Arctic Circle Centre, Saltfjellet

Sweden

1. Hwy 95 near Arjeplog, Norrbotten County
2. Hwy E-45 near Jokkmokk
3. Geografiska Polcirkeln/Piatis Railway Station
4. Piatis-Smeds Road
5. Hwy 97 to Mattisuden, Jokkmokk
6. Road BD 811 near Nedre Kuouka
7. Polcirkeln Village
8. Härkmyran, Gällivare
9. Hwy E-10, Near Överkalix
10. Road BD-392, Lillselet, Överkalix
11. Hwy 99, Juoksengi, Övertorneå

Finland

1. Juoksenki
2. Route 932, near Liinanki
3. Santa Claus Village, Rovaniemi
4. Route 945, Kemijärvi
5. Route 9452, Soumu
6. Hwy E-63 Near, Soumu

Russia

1. Hwy E105/M18, Loukhsky, Karelia
2. Unknown Road, Umba, Tersky, Murmansk Oblast
3. Unknown Road, Usinsk, Komi Republic
4. Salekhard
5. Unknown place near Zapolyarnyy, Nadymsky District
6. Unknown Road near Novy Urengoy, Yamal-Nenets
7. Unknown Road near Novozapolyarny, Tazovsky District, Yamalo-Nenets
8. Intersection of Anti-meridian (180° East/West)
9. Lultin Road, Near Ozërnyy

Alaska (USA)

1. Dalton Highway
2. Fort Yukon

Canada

1. Dempster Highway, Yukon Territory
2. Repulse Bay (Naujaat)

Iceland

1. Grimsey Airport, Grimsey Island
2. "Arctic Henge", Raufarhöfn

Note regarding location:

Most of these locations were found by moving along the Arctic Circle in Google Earth and Checking for Panoramio images and Google Street Views, especially at the roads crossing the Arctic Circle. The GE imagery at most of the locations is poor and it was not possible to accurately find the correct position of some of the monuments/markers. I have arbitrarily placemarked  these places and will correct the location as and when I get more information about these monuments/markers.

I Also request my readers to let me know if I have missed out any monument/marker or if there is any error or discrepancy in the description or location in Google Earth.

Some Observations;

1. Although the Arctic Circle is officially defined at latitude 66° 33' 44" (66.5622°) but some monuments have been placed at 66° 33' 00" (66.55°).
2. Sweden has maximum number of Monuments/Markers.
3. Surprisingly there is no monument/Marker in Greenland (At least I couldn't find one).
4. Most of the major Swedish highways crossing the Arctic Circle have a standard signboard which shows Arctic Circle cutting through the Map of Sweden with spot where the signboard is placed is marked on it by a red dot. The signboards also have "Arctic Circle" written  in 5 different languages - Swedish, Finnish, English, French and German.
5. Finland also has standard signboard design, similar to Sweden, but the "Arctic Circle" is written in six languages instead of 5; Finnish, Swedish, German, English, French and Russian.

Brief description and/or images of each location is given below;

Viking Island (øya Vikingen), Norway

This monument on Viking Island, a small island in Rødøy municipality, Norway, is a favourite photographic object for travellers crossing the circle aboard a cruise ship.

Image from Flickr is by Xesc Arbona

As per Hurtigruten In Pictures the Globe was blown away by hurricane "Arve" which passed over the island in January 2006 and has been built again on a solid base now instead of steel frame base. Following image shows the earlier monument after the hurricane.

Image from Flickr is by Percita

View location in Google Maps

Coastal Route RV 17, Nordland, Norway

Image from Flickr is by rob Stoeltje

View location in Google Maps

Arctic Circle Centre, Saltfjellet, Norway

Saltfjellet region in Norway has marked the Arctic Circle in a big way by building a "Arctic Circle Centre" (Polarsirkelsenteret) at the intersection of E6 highway with the Arctic Circle. The Centre, which was opened on July 13, 1990, contains a cafeteria, a cinema, exhibition hall/information centre and souvenir shop.

There are four monuments at the Arctic Circle Centre. Three of these relate to the Arctic Circle and the fourth is a monument to those who died in the labour camps while constructing road/railway line during the Nazi occupation.

Image from Panoramio is by Leif Rostgaard Nielsen

Image from Panoramio is by Jack globetrotter

Image from Panoramio is by valentin_orlov

Monument to those who died in the labour camps while constructing road/railway line during the Nazi occupation.

Image from Flickr is by jechstra

View location in Google Maps and Street View

Hwy 95 near Arjeplog, Norrbotten County, Sweden

Image from Panoramio is by Kronan

View location in Google Maps and Street View

Hwy E-45 near Jokkmokk, Sweden

Image from Flickr is by Laurent de Walick

Image from Flickr is by lemonad

View location in Google Maps and Street View

Geografiska Polcirkeln/Piatis Railway Station, Sweden

A train stop near the Arctic Circle about 10 miles south of Jokkmokk on the Jokkmokk - Kåbdalis rail line. Google Maps names this as "Geografiska Polcirkeln" while Geonames has named it as Piatis Railway Station.

Image from Panormio is by birdah

Image from Panormio is by algolYz

View location in Google Maps

Piatis-Smeds Road, Sweden

Image from Panoramio is by apartmanslavonice

View location in Google Maps

Hwy 97 to Mattisuden, Jokkmokk, Sweden

Image from Panoramio is by Umeå

View location in Google Maps and Street View

Road BD 811 near Nedre Kuouka, Sweden

The marker on this road is different from the other Swedish markers.

Image from Panoramio is by Vitaliy Sobutskyy

View location in Google Maps and Street View

Polcirkeln Village, Sweden

A land art in the small village named "Polcirkeln" (meaning Arctic Circle) in Gällivare Municipality, Sweden.

Image from Panoramio is by Jean-Paul Bardou

View location in Google Maps

Härkmyran, Gällivare, Sweden

Image from Panoramio is by lapplandfoto.se

View location in Google Maps

Hwy E-10, Near Överkalix, Sweden

image from Panoramio is by carmenlaura

View location in Google Maps and Street View

Road BD-392, Lillselet, Överkalix, Sweden

Image from Panoramio is by FragEgon

View location in Google Maps and Street View

Hwy 99, Juoksengi, Övertorneå, Sweden

Image from Panoramio is by Fraenzel

Image from Panoramio is by Станислав Дубенко

View location in Google Maps & Street View

Juoksenki, Finland

Image from Panoramio is by dr.eros

Image from Flickr is by Anna B

View location in Google Maps and Street View

Route 932, near Liinanki, Finland

Image from Panoramio is by ronalfredo

View location in Google Maps

Santa Claus Village, Rovaniemi, Finland

The most popular and famous location on the Arctic Circle is Santa Claus Village on the outskirt of Rovaniemi, Finland. Basically an amusement park, it has been declared as the official home town of Santa Claus. The Arctic Circle cuts right through the village and a white line denoting the Arctic Circle is painted across the premises. The line is a very popular photo spot for visitors. Besides Santa's office the village also has a Post Office, Souvenir Shop, Restaurant and a Children's Park.

Santa's Office

Image from  Flickr is by derrickting

Christmas House (Souvineer Shop etc.)

Image from Flickr is by Robert Parviainen

Arctic Circle line cuts through Santa's Office.

Image from Flickr is by Emiliano Marin

View location in Google Maps and Street View

Route 945, Kemijärvi, Finland
A small sign;

Image Source: Google Street View

Route 9452, Soumu, Finland

Suomu is an alpine ski resort in the Lapland province of Finland, near the municipality of Kemijärvi. The resort is sometimes known as the Arctic Circle Ski resort because of its close proximity to the Arctic Circle.

Image from Panoramio is by UL

View location in Google Maps

Hwy E-63 Near, Soumu, Finland

Image Source: Google Street View

A snowman sculpture nearby

Image from Panoramio is by StanisławGoś

View location in Google Maps and Street View

Hwy E105/M18, Loukhsky, Karelia, Russia

Image from Panoramio is by crivoruchko

View location in Google Maps and Street View

Unknown Road, Umba, Tersky, Murmansk Oblast, Russia

Image from Panoramio is by SmEsHaRiK

View location in Google Maps

Unknown Road, Usinsk, Komi Republic, Russia

Image from Panoramio is by iSonnik

View location in Google Maps

Salekhard, Russia

Salekhard is the largest town located on Arctic Circle and keeping up with this reputation, it has a big monument to the Circle. The Arch runs along the circle and the two tall towers are on north and south of the line. For some reason one of the tower is shorter than the other.

Image from Panoramio is by stas64

Image from Panoramio is by dimamol

View location in Google Maps

Unknown place near Zapolyarnyy, Nadymsky District, Russia

A nice looking monument somewhere in Zapolyarnyy (Заполярный); an urban-type settlement in Nadymsky District of Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

Image from Panoramio is by vvg1958

View location in Google Maps

Unknown Road near Novy Urengoy, Yamal-Nenets, Russia

Found identical pair of Arctic Circle Monuments at 4 different locations. I feel that due to poor imagery these were not correctly located in Panoramio. I was also in dilemma where to placemark these on GE. One of the Panoramio image shows a monument on Novy Urengoy - Yamburg Route. I have therefore placed the GE placemarker at this location (I call it Location #2) and if needed, will relocate the placemarker, as and when I get more information or when the imagery of this area is updated and the monuments can be seen in GE.

Image from Panoramio is by dimamol

Above image is at Location #2, and identical monuments can be seen at Location #1 (18.5 km East) and Location #4 (30.5 Km West) from current location.

Image from Panoramio is by alexxd20 and was taken on Novy Urengoy - Yamburg Route.

Above image is at Location #2, and identical monuments can be seen at Location #1 (18.5 km East) and Location #3 (21 Km West) from current location.

View likely location in Google Maps

Unknown Road near Novozapolyarny, Tazovsky District, Yamalo-Nenets, Russia
Three monuments at same place;

Image from Panoramio is by realsasha

Image from Panoramio is by Savon Yuriy

The above two monuments are on left and right side of the road at the same location. While the third one, below is probably a bit away.

Image from Panoramio is by Vghik

View location in Google Maps

Intersection of Anti-meridian (180° East/West), Russia

Instead of a major sign or monument at the intersection of Anti-meridian line with Arctic Circle, a nondescript and decaying sign.

As per the photographer "....  intersection is two kilometers from the symbol up on the mountain".  The title of the image says "Условное обозначение 180 меридиан", meaning "Symbol 180 Meridian".

Image from Panoramio is by Александр Биушкин

View location in Google Maps

Lultin Road, Near Ozërnyy, Russia

Image from Panoramio is by Шабанов

View location in Google Maps

Dalton Highway, Alaska, USA

Image from Flickr is by Ilya Katsnelson

View location in Google Maps

Fort Yukon, Alaska, USA

No major Monument/Sign at Fort Yukon, instead two ordinary signs.

Image from Flickr is by Kirk Crawford

Image from Panoramio is by gkl

View location in Google Maps

Dempster Highway, Yukon Territory, Canada

Image from Flickr is by Tania Liu

View location in Google Maps

Repulse Bay (Naujaat), Canada

Image from Panoramio is by lchernenko

View location in Google Maps

Grimsey Airport, Grimsey Island, Iceland

Image from Flickr is by William Wallace

Image from Flickr is by aleph78

View location in Google Maps

Arctic Henge, Raufarhöfn, Iceland

Although the Arctic Circle doesn't pass through the main land Iceland, however a huge monument called "Arctic Henge" is being built in its Northern town Raufarhöfn, which lies only a few kilometres below the Arctic Circle.

Arctic Henge based on Icelandic mythology and poetry, is planned to have several concentric circles made of stones. When completed its outer circle will have a huge diameter of 52 metres (170 feet). At the centre is a huge 4 way arch and four gates corresponding to the four seasons, and several other symbols.

In mythological terms The Henge will capture the energy of the Midnight Sun at the Arctic Circle. In words of clonehenge.com;

"(It) is being built to mark and catch the sun and other heavenly bodies as they move around the sky. Interweaving science, mythology, geography, and tourism, the project promises to be beautiful, educational, poetic and even transforming, a chance to feel the connection between a point on the surface of our planet and the light-bearing actors in the dramas of the heavens. Will it evoke for moderns what Stonehenge must have evoked for those who visited it at its height?"

Model of the Arctic Henge

Image from Selka Kind's Blog "What we got up to in Iceland" is by Derek Kind.
(Permission to use image is gratefully acknowledged.)

Image from Flickr is by Ólafur Gísli Agnarsson

Image from Panoramio is by Fritz Weinauer

Sun seen through the north gate - image taken from the south.

Image from Facebook - Arctic Henge's Photos  is by Erlingur Thoroddsen

View location in Google Maps
____________________________

View All locations in Google Earth - Download kmz file.

---

Read more...