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PIXELS & TRAVELS
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Waterfall at Silverfallet over a dark rock face, above it a green deciduous forest under a bright sky

Götene - Kinnekulle

Sightseeing around Götene: The Silverfallet waterfalls, the forest ruins of the Oljekoken Gössäter shale oil works and the woods of Munkängarna Kinnekulle.

In short

After breakfast we drive to Silverfallet, a river with several waterfalls that carry very little water. Then we visit the ruins of a shale oil works in the forest, a project that went bankrupt in 1920 before any oil was extracted. Finally we stop at Munkängarna Kinnekulle, and in the evening we have a sauna, an aperitif on the terrace and Älplermagronen.

After breakfast we set off on a little sightseeing tour around Götene. First we drive to Silverfallet, which lives up to its name. It is a river with several waterfalls, each of which carries very little water. Because of this gentle flow, the water looks like streaks of silver falling elegantly and leisurely to the ground. We take a lot of photos. Luckily we have tripods and ND filters with us, which allow us to get great photos of these waterfalls.

The waterfalls at Silverfallet, photographed with a tripod and ND filter · 8 photos

After a short snack break with bananas and TUC crackers we move on. The next spot is a well-kept secret that is not described in any travel guide. Tourism is not promoted there. On the contrary, it is a place that is simply meant to be forgotten.

It is the “Oljekoken Gössäter”, which lies well hidden in a forest. These are the ruins of a so-called “oil cooker”, a plant for extracting oil from alum shale, which was built in 1890. In the final phase of the First World War the navy could no longer import oil to power its ships. So the plan was to extract oil from the local alum shale deposits. An attempt was made to build a gigantic shale oil works here in the forest. But strikes soon broke out and the money ran out. The project went bankrupt in 1920, before a single drop of oil could be extracted. Today nature is doing its best to reclaim the site. What is left are abandoned, overgrown ruins that feel eerie. We use this forgotten place to live out our photographic creativity (only partly hampered by mosquitoes).

The ruins of Oljekoken Gössäter in the forest · 4 photos

Our next stop is Munkängarna Kinnekulle. The forests there are among the healthiest and most beautiful we have ever seen. The trees are sturdy and in full splendour, and the ground is completely overgrown with wild garlic, moss and flowers. Here too we take a lot of photos and get back into our car exhausted but happy.

In the evening we work out, and after a first cold shower it’s off to the sauna! Later we treat ourselves to another aperitif on our terrace in the evening sun. For dinner we have excellent one-pot Älplermagronen with apple sauce and, of course, salad.

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