The Old Dog Discusses:The Culture of Wood in Switzerland

in #switzerland6 years ago

As you may have seen in my previous two articles from my trip to Valais wood is very much a part of the culture in Switzerland.

The Old Dog: Starts His Vacation

The Old Dog: Continues His Vacation....Zermatt!

The people here heat with it, cook with it, decorate with it and of course build with it. All of this is done in a  sustainable way by harvesting the forest rather than clear cutting it!

Let's Take a Look at Wood as a Decorative And Architectural Element!


Please notice how a simple joint turns into an architectural feature. By allowing the wood to weather it takes on great character and beauty!


Here is another shop in Zermatt that fits in well with the the 15th century homes that I featured in my two previous articles



This pub/hotel in Zermatt featured wood both in its practical sense as a fuel and as a design feature throughout!



Here the stacked wood in the same location creates a utilitarian counter to display flowers, menus and the like.

The stone wall on the right completes the look and ties in the natural building elements of the area.


I found this ruggedly handsome door on the upper floor of the same premises. It lead to another dining area.


Here you can see how an indentation in the wall of the stair landing is decorated with stacked firewood!


The warmth of the wood in this large dining area draws you into the cozy atmosphere.



Of course the terrace just outside the dining area features a wood stove to warm you as you enjoy a cool evening!


And one last look at the the stacked wood dividing barriers in Blatten! Stunning simplistic beauty!



Thanks for allowing me share with you some of the wonderful ways that wood is used in this part of the world!


Until next time, 


@kus-knee (The Old Dog) 

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Amazing places! Wood gives a lot of warmth and a peaceful energy. Is it maybe beacause it's alive?

Lovely place, have a nice time :-)))

@kus-knee
That's really beautiful wood work/design used here. Very beautiful architecture.

Actually, I love you people that had the fortitude to start and complete something so complex and ultimately so beautiful. What a legacy for your efforts. What an example to young people of today to get back to traditional methods, that on the surface may seem "old school", but really employ ancient, energy efficient "tech", combining all the things many of us aspire to, insofar as the slow movement, environmental sustainability, and a rebuilding of our souls. Thank you, thank you, from an old carpenter who wishes he had done this himself.

However, I'm really impressed of this wood calture.
Keep moving forward.
Steem on!

Thanks for your thoughts!

@kus-knee,
This area looks awesome! I like those wood buildings and patterns are so incredible! Anyway, how about the durability?

Cheers~

Durable? The houses are 500 years old so not too bad.

@kus-knee,
OMG that's amazing then :O

Cheers~

It's just beautiful to make use of woods if it is abound in our areas like in Switzerland where there isn't much of a population too that will deplete that beautiful and useful natural resource @kus-knee

Yes it is well done!

Hi @kus-knee! We are @steem-ua, a new Steem dApp, computing UserAuthority for all accounts on Steem. We are currently in test modus upvoting quality contributions with a high UA value (UA_author + UA_post)!Your UA_post value is 0.750.

Looks like an interesting project.

Trees are integral part of our planet's ecosystem. You have given an excellent example how to use wood in daily life but also keep harvesting new plants (recycling). But in many parts of the world it is just deforestation without new planting, this is so sad, I saw this trend back in Punjab India.

They do a good job here. Those wooden houses are more than 400 years old so the trees have had time to grow again!

More than enough time. I think there could have been multiple harvests in 400 years!

Really the culture of wood in Switzerland is amazing. The decoration of wood in hotel is a great art. I enjoy your travelling and amazing photography in Switzerland.

Thanks so much!

My dear friend @kus-knee, what you show us is something beautiful, I love the counter where they placed the flowers, it is something impressive and the wooden wall stacked to climb the stairs is somewhat surprising, but in itself, all that place that you are Now I enjoy In an earthly paradise, I hope that one day I will visit you, while you are there, enjoy all your vacations to the fullest, and do not forget to spend romantic and bohemian photos hahaha, you know for us the romantics, of flowers and unusual places, that they inspire romanticism.

Yes it is a lovely part of the world!

Very great post about wood culture. Wood is the basic material of human for living. Many of things made by the wood. So wood importance can naot b neglected

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