I have an unnatural attraction to old pickup trucks.  While I love to see beautifully restored trucks, I absolutely love old rusty farm trucks.  Really, any old rusty car buried in a field up to the rails will draw my attention.  There is a quiet beauty in nature recapturing what was once hers.  The texture of the rust and patina; natures painting on the metal.  I love visiting these forgotten cars and photographing their quiet unique beauty.  When I was presented with the opportunity to visit the Båstnäs Car Cemetery in Sweden, I was nearly giddy with excitement.

 

Hidden deep in the forest near the border of Norway, the Båstnäs Car Cemetery contains an estimated amount of over 1000 cars from the 40's through the 60's over a vast amount of land.  Here amongst the trees the cars are stacked on top each other, arranged in lines and rows, or seemingly placed randomly.  They are covered with moss and pinned between trees slowly being reclaimed my the earth.  It is here in their final resting place that visitors from around the globe travel to bask in their quiet beauty.  It is said that the Cemetery belonged to a pair of brothers that operated a scrapyard until the 1980's and many of the cars were left by servicemen after the war.  One brother is believed to still live on the property and allows visitors but warns of destruction and theft.  A note nailed to a door reads “This car cemetery is private property. You may still look, take pictures but DO NOT take away parts. Do not destroy or in any other way disrupt this place. If you open a car door, please shut it again so the next visitor can get the same experience as you did!! For info: after about 30 burglaries this year I’m fed up with it! I’ve made traps in the buildings so if you get hurt or die, I DON’T CARE! Remember in this place no one can hear you scream…”

 

I only had a small amount of time to explore the cemetery.  While I was there with the goal of taking photographs, I found myself wondering aimlessly in awe of its vastness, beauty, and wonder.  I feel that I could have spent weeks there and discovered something new everyday.  It's overwhelming to try to capture it in a short time, and there are endless opportunities of how I would like to document it.  I look forward to the day when I can return again.