If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 467

Rättvik Church, Dalarna, Sweden, ca 1950s

The message printed on the reverse, left corner, “581-10 Välkommen till Rättvik, semesterplatsen året runt” (or approximately in English:  Welcome to Rättvik vacation year round).  This is an unused card I found in a shoebox of jumbled cards in an antique mall.  The card has the edging common in the 1930s through about 1950.  Because it is a color photograph and not a tinted picture it probably dates from the 1950s.  The card was produced and distributed by Sörlins AB, Rättvik.

Darlana County is located in central Sweden and the town of Rättvik is found on the eastern shore of the lake Siljan.  Darlana means the dales or valleys and is a popular vacation destination for Swedes.  The town of Rättvik is small, population 4,686 in 2010, but offers tourists good fishing, campgrounds, and forests.  Many Swedes have a second home or summer cabin in Dalarna.  Vegetables and apples grow here in the summer. 

The Rättvik Church shown in the background of the photograph dates from around 1300.  As might be expected there have been alterations, renovations, and enlargements made to the original building.  The present shape dates from 1793.  Inside there are medieval frescoes of St. Olav and St. Stephen; the pulpit and an altar piece made that features the Resurrection of Christ both date from the 17th century; and, a triumphal crucifix said to have been made in Germany in the 14th century.  Outside are 87 wooden church stables, some dating from the 15th century.  The stables were used for the horses of the people when they attended services at the church.

The picture on the postcard shared this week also shows a young woman in the Dalarna folk costume sitting in a boat.  That solved a small mystery.  The Axel Eliassons postcard below, dated around 1900, and shared in 2011, shows three Swedish girls playing a game.  Their folk costumes match the one worn by the woman in the boat on today’s card; therefore, it is now possible to say that the three girls represent Dalarna, Sweden.

Three Swedish girls in the Dalarna folk costume, ca 1900

For additional information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalarna
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rättvik
https://www.spottinghistory.com/view/2252/rattvik-church/