This is the land I grew up in and I know almost every corner of the region, even the underground. Most of the visited places where still running when I was young. And the first exploring i did was actually in a bus that I revisited a few years ago, with good memories.
Halåsen forestry school. Halåsen skogsbruk skola.
There was surprisingly many oject to visit in Jämtland between 2011-2016. Here is no big sites but they are all untouched by urbex vandalism, it´s hard to see even a small tag. Sometimes i almost get the feeling that im the first visitor in years, maybe the first explorer of the buildings. These places were visited between 2013-2015. Since then at least the forestry school has been bought by a private person who´s ambition is to restore the buildings. I also know that there are people looking for ideas how to make anything useful of the factory at Hissmofors. Things change all the time and suddenly I missed a place that has been abandoned for a long time but recently been turned down or restored. I knew about the Brick factory in Marieby for over 20 years without visiting the impressing wood building, and when my plans to visit started, then it all burnt down before I had the chance to go there. You have to be at the right place at the right time. Thats it, very easy, do not wait just go and explore. Be careful to yourself and the places you visit.Â
Many of my friends where from farmer familys and some of them also went to this special school for forestry. I can remember visiting them sometimes in the early 1980.
After school was closed and moved to Torsta agriculture school, it was a catering company in the newly buildt school kitchen. That was also closed after a few years.
Far up in the forest, there was long time ago a small settlement, it died out, people went sick and or died. The place was never permanently populated again. The only remainings from that time is almost hidden by nature and its a few overgrown platforms for buildings. The fields on the other side has been used all since that time for feeding the animals on the farms in the close village. there has been a few buildings for sleeping and milk production cheese and butter osv. Hay barns and this small sleeping hut is probably the latest added house to this place.
Down in the village there is the first school in Järpen and also the teachers house and some other abandoned small houses.
In Huså not far away are some interesting places. Huså was a copper mining village long time ago and there is still remainings from that era. Platforms for buildings, waterworks, and other stone constructions. The mine is a few km up the mountain. Here is also the outdoor theatre that played Huså spelen, a history about the mining and the village. Today, everything is empty, but there is a nice track through the area and up to the mine. It is possible to go down in the mine during winter.
The air base F4 on Frösön. Just before they closed it up I was there painting all the kasern buildings and other houses. They have a marine plane hangar down at the beach. The houses for the employees was in the end of the landing stripe, and it was there I lived during the work.
Äggfors was the village that dissapered. It was once a factory village (Bruks samhälle) with a few hundred inhabitants Today its empty and most houses and buildings are long gone.
Factory in Järpen. Forest and wood based industry. There was many of them in Jämtland the last 100 years. Other places is Äggfors, Ocke, Hissmofors, Trångsviken, Offerdal and some more.
Handöl soapstone quarry and factory in the west of Jämtland. Closed a few years ago when a Norwegian company bought it and took all the mashines away. Thats the way it is done to prevent competition. No more work at the quarry.
Åreskutan is the highest mountain in the region where i lived. Copper mining was one important buisness earlier days but now it is tourism. The mining company had a lot of farmers around to provide wood for the mining and food for the workers. This is one of those farms. Today it is owned by Fäviken and I hope they will do something good of it.
A small fishing hut close to the farm. Not used for some time. Last kalender says 1978.
Hissmofors papermill.
I lived for many years at "Bruket". Hissmofors had a lot of industries based on the forest. Paper, alcohol, wood and more and all the service that they needed for running it. Mechanical work shops, school, food shops, theatre. Almost everything that was needed in daily life. The factory had already closed when i lived there during 1982-1989. Some of it was turned demolished and in the excisting parts where many new small companies. Today almost all of them have moved out. Shops have closed, service and the school.
I have been visiting this bus when i grew up, it is my first exploring object. The bus was standing a few hundred meters from the farm where i grew up. As soon as I could walk i have been there playing games, driving around with my neighbour. We where not allowed to go there alone...
We did all the service ourselfs on the bus. The lid to the engine was really heavy and doors hard to close.
I have been sitting here many times waiting for passengers, the only ones who showed up was our parents who came to take us home again...
On my way to new explorations
If you want to visit these or other empty places, be careful to yourself and the place you visit.
Ask the owner for access if possible, specially if it looks very private.
Big sites as former military objects, industries, airports on more, they are just fun to sneak in to, but beware, there is sometimes cameras, guards or police who sneaks up behind you.