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AROUND VÄTTERN
Lake Vättern – an ancient transport route For a long time, Lake Vättern was the best link between the provinces of Östergötland and Västergötland, Närke and Småland. Today, vessel traffic consists mainly of Visingsö ferries, a handful of pleasure crafts, and leisure boats. Before cars and motorways entered our lives, people lived, worked, and died on Lake Vättern in a way that is hard to imagine for those of us born after the 60s, when maritime transport drastically decreased. Lorries took over the freight and the automotive progress was made possible by the construction of the E4 motorway and by other infrastructure investments. Lake Vättern skipper Janne Göthberg describes the traffic on Lake Vättern and the history of the skipper family during an evening at Grenna Museum. His unique graphic material shows the shipbuilding, cargo ships, jetties, ports, canals, and the people who worked on Lake Vättern. The photos reflect the history of and life on Lake Vättern for almost a century. Janne paints a picture of how Lake Vättern was packed with ships and smaller boats. In 1955, at the age of 14, Janne started his maritime career on the ship “Minna”. JanOlof’s diary entries describe the detailed experiences of a deckhand cook from the summer of 1955: We had gone up to Baskarp during night, from Motala where we unloaded pig iron the day before. We’re now moored at the sandpit jetty, loading sand for Västervik. It’s time to close off the loading room, and the conveyor belt is started. The sand comes in a steady
TEXT: JOSEFINE GUSTAFSSON PHOTO: JANNE GÖTHBERGS BILDARKIV
“Minna” unloading aspen timber for Jönköping’s match factory in 1954. Photo probably taken by Gustav Andersson
stream. Such “modern things” as loaders have now come to Baskarp. It looks like a tractor with a wire above the cab, lifting the bucket. This made the work a lot easier, compared to before when all the sand had to be shovelled by hand. Around eight, mother comes down with a large basket of food, containing 12–15 cakes of freshly baked rye bread and dinner that would be served later on, often meatballs and potatoes. It was great to sit down at a set table for once. Usually, I was the one who did the cooking. After all, I was the youngest on board.
Besides being hard work, life at sea meant long periods of time away from the family. Summers and winters were very different from each other. In the summer, wives and children joined the crew on board. Jan-Olof Göthberg retired from life as a skipper in 1963.
Jetties around Lake Vättern
Sturdy jetties were found all around Lake Vättern and played a significant role. Lots of goods and passengers, cattle, and various other things were loaded here. This is where it all happened. Today, only small remains are left of the jetties.
BOOK ABOUT FISHING IN VÄTTERN Remarkable Vättern Large, deep and with crystal clear water. Vättern is in many ways a remarkable lake. The most unique is maybe to be found below the surface. No other lake in Sweden has such a diversity of valuable species. In this book you will meet fishermen, recreational fishermen as well as professional. In between the adventures you also get knowledge of the fishery in the lake. It has been very successful. Be inspired by experienced fishermen who tell you where the fish is, how it behaves and how it should be caught.
The crew at ”Minna” in 1954. Brothers Janne and Bernhard Göthberg and their father Hilding Magnusson. Photo by Oskar Steen, Jönköping
Votumannons_Vättern Runt ENG.indd 1
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2019-04-11 11:21:05