Wednesday, July 08, 2009

A Murder Story

Vanishing Into The Green

The Estate

I'm reading a novel about a murder at the moment. It's a true story. A man was murdered by three of his employees. It happened at Näringberg a very long time ago. It's an old estate near the Hårsfjärden Bay, with a long and dramatic history. In 1719 the Russians attacked, and the estate was burned down, only to be rebuilt on the same spot a few years later. The mansion is situated on a small hill, from where you had a good view over the surrounding landscape and the bay. The murder took place on a summer night back in 1853. On the day I started reading the book I decided to see the place for myself. So I took a bike ride down to Näringsberg, which today is in the hand of the military. Luckily for me there was no military activity on this day. They use it as a training facility, and there are warning signs all over the place not to pick up any ammunition you might find! I passed the rusty old gates without any problems and continued down the impressive tree lined avenue leading up to the house. The place was empty so for one hour I walked around looking at all the buildings while taking a few photos. The murder victim, Hugo Jaedren, was a very brutal man and he probably got what he deserved. Arriving home one night he had to stop his horse and wagon as the gates to his estate were closed. And before he knew it he was attacked and beaten to death. His helper, a young boy, managed to sound the alarm, but when help arrived, the murderers were nowhere to be seen. The police was called in. Three men were soon arrested, and they all later confessed to the murder during the following trial. One of them was sentenced to death, and he was the last person to be executed at the execution rock in Jordbro. For many years the buildings at Näringsberg stood empty and the place was slowly decaying. But luckily the authors to the book, Bo and Anita Stjernström has managed to raise the necessary funds from the Swedish Fortification Agency to restore the place.

15 comments:

Jim said...

Great building.
Sydney - City and Suburbs

Car Reviews said...

I have read this post and found it very interesting.

Anonymous said...

Compelling tale and photos. Nice work, Steffe.

Lois said...

That is fascinating Steffe!

Meri said...

Cool building and fascinating text.

PurestGreen said...

Fascinating post. The story just brings everything to life, alters the mind's view of it.

VP said...

Unexpected and fascinating story, you caught us by surprise with this. The beautiful images are so full of peace, it's difficult to think that this brutal murder happened there.

Don and Krise said...

Interesting post Steffe. You painted an interesting picture.

Kim said...

Oh! Is that book available in English? Sounds fascinating, and what a beautiful place...

Stefan Jansson said...

Thanks all. I'm afraid not Kim, the book is only available in Swedish. It's a interesting read. And the book is full of illustrations. I have meet the authors. Bo is a keen photographer. As for the renovation of the estate, I was a bit disappointed. To me the building now looks very modern, and not 300 years old. Glad I could surprise you Vogon Poet!

Leeds photography - Paul said...

Great story Steffe. Sometimes I thinks more people should get their just desserts!
Thanks for dropping by on my Leeds Photography blog.

brattcat said...

You are a dream reader. You just get on your bike and go to the setting of a book you're reading. Great story, Steffe. Thanks for taking us there with you.

Ken Mac said...

just a slew of great shots!

Amit Gupta said...

interesting i love such spooky places.....

Rebeccas.se said...

Mycket intressant! Jag lär mig mycket om min nya hemtrakt från din blogg! :)