The Old Dog Discusses:The Culture of Wood in Switzerland

in switzerland •  6 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 :-)))

Thanks!

  ·  6 years ago (edited)

@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

I agree!

Interesting pictures!
Thanks for the selection of wooden architecture, @kus-knee

In Arkhangelsk we have such a unique skyscraper made of wood.

Very unusual!

@kus-knee Hello my best friend how are you.very great full post. I like it your great full photography. thanks for sharing your beautiful life my best friend.

Thanks!

Switzerland is all about beauty and these Architectural pieces of wood truly justifies this sentence. You have done a great job to bring them in the light of steemit Community.

Thanks for your appreciative words!

fantastic Wood Artwork!

My grandfather was a wooden craftsman, There are many buildings in my city in which my grandfather have done woodwork!

How lovely! You must be proud of him!

i DO <3

That is a fantastic door! It's all good but that especially :0)

I love it too!

With wood you can do many things, but these are all a show good imagination and creativity that beauty charm @ kus-knee

Yes they are!

beautiful and elegant my friend. Perhaps you should consider cut and stacked wood piles as an option for mundane art. Thanks so much for sharing this beauty @kus-knee

Yes I do love wood pikes!

My God what a beauty! I think seeing this made me realise wood hasn't been well utilized in Africa just like the wonderful craftsmanship I'm seeing

There is a lot of beautiful wood in Africa.

The building is looking old from out side but It is Wonderfully beautiful from inside!

True!

@kus-knee, What a brilliant creativity. Unbelievable wooden door. Hotel featured romantic looks for me. There are more creative designs. Landscaping view attractive. Lovely place you stayed.

Great post @kus-knee. Such a lovely selection of photographs show a nice variety of wood's uses.

I particularly love that door. It's stunning! 😊

Although, I have to say, all the others are wonderful too. I'd be in my element taking photographs there. 😁

You'd have lot's fuel for your imagination in this area!

You'd have lot's fuel
For your imagination
In this area!

                 - kus-knee


I'm a bot. I detect haiku.

Dear sir thank you for sharing another beauty of Switzerland and this time its woodwork which is very decent and marvellous and definitely you made this immortal after submitting it into the steem blockchain. This is among the most beautiful part of Switzerland I ever witnessed which was shared by some of my fellow steemians.

Thanks so much!

Kind welcome dear sir.

Rocks and Wood are one of my "favorite couples"...a perfect mix in my opinion!
Sooner or later I will love to have a house made of this two materials!!
Thanks for the beautiful pictures of this loving subjects!
I love how they have arranged the stacks of wood, they even made amazing planters!
The door on the upper floor is 🔝!!!

Glad that you like it as well!

Wow. Very beautiful place 📍📷..excellent photography...i like it....my friend kus-knee. I follow you.

Thanks!

@ kus-knee this place is lovely to spend a life there, the images you show us are truly beautiful and full of envy. congratulations for the beautiful place you have chosen to visit
thank you very much for showing us these beautiful pictures
I wish you a wonderful day

Thanks to you for your continued support!

A that I dream about, one (This hotel is like this) that I know I could never get, one I've been thinking about since I was young and I just watched someone build it, I'm so glad to see it be done so traditionally, and for at least some children to be living a life inside of it, they'll remember it for the rest of their lives.

However, but it is really incredible wood art/design.
So thanks @kus-knee for shaing with us.
Have a good day.
Steem on!

You're so lucky mannn

Appreciated!

  ·  6 years ago (edited)

I love it. beautiful shots, the calture, the colour, wood art/design all come together beautifully and most importantly, beautiful family! Regards from Melbourne Australia.

Have a good day...
Thank you...

Greeting to you in Australia!

love the architecture in that building...

Yes me too!

Wao such a stunning places....very impressive photography...wood is an important natural resourse...one if the renewable,it is prevalent in our everyday lives and economy in wood frame houses and furnitures....very beautiful hotel...very decorated hotel..such a wonderful daining Areas...the decoration of wood looks so lovely....Zermatt designing of wood looks so pricious....Have a great time sir....thanks for sharing dear..

Thanks for coming.

Most welcome

Wood is definitely adding the charm to that place everything natural and looks elegant in looks :)

Yes I agree, natural and elegant.

Wow.. Excellent organic culture in Switzerland. All things are wood. Any art of wood is my choice. Hope you enjoyed your time. Very nice photography. Thank you for sharing the wooden culture in Switzerland with us @kus-knee

Thank you!

You are most welcome

Nicely used architecture techniques for made wood designs. Amazing creative products everywhere in Swiss. They loved nature and find wooden ways for enjoy themselves.

True

Its such a beautiful, real thing have their own beauty. @kus-knee i appreciate you

Very kind of you

Actually Switzerland is a attractive country. Every citizens prefer to visit and stay long time there. You also getting experience yet. There are lot of wooded decorative designs indeed. Seriously peoples have ability to create various patterns indeed works like these. Nice one.

Yes very nice!

Another beauty from Swizerland!
Thank you for sharing this beautiful place with us @kus-knee

Thanks for coming!

Son impresionantes las construcciones que hay en Suiza hechas de madera en especial la del Hotel que nos muestras @kus-knee

Grazie per la tua visita!

I'm amazed to see this beautiful wood work, Very beautiful architecture.

They certainly are!

  ·  6 years ago Reveal Comment

Thanks for stopping by!

All things are looking beautiful.woods colour is so attractive.but I could not understand why they built using wood instead of other materials.is there any specific reason?

Wood is available and they love wood. It has lasted for close to 500 years. Amazing!

Old wooden structures are not only beautiful but also very strong if they are there for over five centuries.
The hotel and pub decorated with stacked firewood are great. Wood, stacked firewood and stones ... a gorgeous combination.

Yes it is a nice combination.

it is very beautiful!

The picture is excellent,my friends go ahead.

I'll be getting something new gifts from you in the future

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Actually i am also a photographer

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very beautiful work. It seems that I couldn't find such design or decoration style in Shanghai, because the climate is so humid. ><