Back when I was a child and we travelled to our grandparents or summerplace, I remembering wondering a massive Viking ship standing on a mountainside. I had forgotten all about it, until I read an article about it the previous winter.
The park was built in the 1980’s by a local construction foreman, who loved Greek mythology for once reason or another. The park was located near his home, and although he was a construction professional, he didn’t built the statues and canopies himself, but ordered them from Greece. What he did was the gardening in the area.
When the park was in its prime, it even made headlines in the Greek television. The builder died in 1994, and the decay started. The constructions are made of Greek concrete, which doesn’t do well in Finnish conditions.
Before his death, the builder told his son to tear it down once he was gone, but he had no heart for that. As he couldn’t handle the upkeep, nature has slowly started to take over.
And here we are. I spent 15 years of my life driving past the place at least monthly, but I’ve never been this close.
The boat was the most visible structure in the park. It was also the last addition.
This temple is still almost standing straight.
While that one is on the verge of collapse.
I can’t really understand, but I think the words ‘fun in soon a decade’ have been hidden in Swedish the text a bit misorganized.
It’s probably been a while since water flowed in those fountains.
According to the neighbour who spoke to the media, the owner could often be seen wandering around the park.
Approaching the boat, which was the biggest structure of all in the park.
Sadly it wasn’t a full boat, just the front of it.
The runes engraved to the boat are copies of the runes found in a nearby village. Although the runes haven’t been proven ancient, the neighbor believes, that this is the owners statement about believing that they indeed are made by ancient Vikings.
There were other structures, which nature has already taken over. The rooftops of the center of the village can be seen in the distance.
So, now this local landmark has been explored, too.