The Wooden Architecture of Northern Europe: From the Viking Era to the 20th Century

This book explores the wealth of wooden architecture that is to be found in the Fennoscandian Peninsula. This distinct region, which includes Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Russian Republic of Karelia, was dominated by coniferous forest. Wood was seen as a living material--one that was permeated with myth and folklore--while the forest itself formed the background to everyday life. This is the first book to examine and record the distinctive wooden architecture of this region from the early medieval period to the early 20th century. Structured according to different wood types, it concentrates on domestic and religious buildings. It begins by setting out the geographical, social, and historic background, before discussing the way in which two different timber-building traditions emerged in the region. It then provides a detailed examination of different types of dwellings. The book concludes by outlining the development of wooden domestic and religious buildings during the closing decades of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th century.