Galtström, Njurunda, Medelpad

The Russian Ovens at Galtström

During the Russian raids of 1719–1721, much of the coast was burned — towns and farms reduced to ash. Remaining in the forests and on the skerries are traces of the so-called ryssugnar, simple stone ovens raised by Russian troops to bake bread. The ground around these ovens was long considered ill-omened; the soil was said to stay barren, and the weeping and cries of the murdered and displaced coastal people could be heard on the wind. The stones do not warm anymore, but they have not forgotten the fire.