Åke “on the bog” Danielsson was a true entrepreneur from Småland who in 1935 began extracting peat on the bog in Kyrkön, west of Ryd next to the road to Lönsboda. In the spring, blocks of peat were dug out of the bog, which were piled up and left to dry in the summer heat; driven into the barn to be delivered to the buyers in the fall. Peat litter was used in animal husbandry and mixed with the animals’ urine and excrement; it became a fertilizer that even surpassed the expensive artificial fertilizer.
The competition made Åke refine his product by tearing the peat blocks into ready-made peat litter in a self-constructed machine. Remnants of the peat litter factory still remain on the bog. Åke had also built himself a home on the bog, a 12 m2 small cabin insulated with peat litter. A narrow-gauge railway between the extraction site and the factory was used to transport the raw material.
Åke built the industrial machines from parts from scrap cars. Environmentally hazardous petrol, oil and batteries were taken care of and what was not needed for the peat industry was sold as spare parts to enthusiastic car owners. The scrap car yard became widely known and talked about. Both as a car cemetery and spare parts warehouse. The peat industry was eventually replaced by the spare parts shed.
Åke buys his last scrap car in 1974, but the sale of spare parts continued for several years. The bog is now filled with rusting remains left over from the approximately 130 vehicles that Åke took care of. The area received attention in the media and became a tourist attraction with many visitors.
However, the authorities, which include the municipality, county board and the government, felt that the car wrecks must be removed and the area restored. A strong public opinion against the authorities’ decision resulted in the decision being overturned and everything being allowed to remain on the bog. Still, the car wrecks are doomed, but it will take many years for nature to complete the process.
The place is now widely known as the “Car Cemetery at Kyrkö bog” and has attracted a lot of attention in the media, documentation and the works of artists and photographers. “Ake on the bog” died at the end of 2000 after an impressive recycling and source sorting deed. A precursor to today’s environmental work.
The rusting car wrecks merge more and more with nature, which piece by piece breaks down the remains and covers them with needles and lush greenery. However, it is still possible to identify car models that evoke wonder and nostalgic memories. The contrast between nature and the rusty remains creates an exciting dynamic that stimulates visual artists’ creativity.
