The fire crackles and warms us up nicely as we sit in Wik Mat's "Töstugu" on Skuruberg and talk about Selens Fäbodar over a cup of coffee. By the way, the word Selen itself means "the area where the water flows slowly."
When you go up to Selen, because the hut is high up, the Selenbäcken stream flows in a deep crevice below the road. “They used to have mills there,” says Mats. “They actually grew grain in the hut, which was unusual. There were also mills further down at Lindon’s huts. The stream then continues and flows into Lake Jugen to continue as the Ryssån.”
Mats says, “It is the oldest long-term farm. A farm and mill inventory from 1663 – 64 says that 6 families from 5 Sollerö villages worked here. The farm probably dates back to the 16th century, perhaps earlier,” says Mats. “Old documents show that farms or täkts were 16 in number in the mid-19th century. The täkts had 4 households as co-owners so it was important to stay together. There were plenty of fenced farms that excluded the animals from the täkts (farm) themselves. The animals would graze in the forest. And there were plenty of animals. In 1845, there were 6,000 animals on Sollerön (excluding pigs) that would be shipped over to the mainland in large boats.”
A couple of log houses remain from the 18th century. The cabin in Bustäkt was restored by the Local History Association about 40 years ago. It is special with its small window openings without frames and glass with a vertical iron bar as protection against wild animals. “The last bear that was shot in Solleröskogen in historical times was shot in 1860,” says Mats.
"The last sowing in Selen took place in 1912 and Selen ceased to be a living pasture in 1914. After that, horses and sheep were let loose here in the summers. The horses that were not needed for farming back home on the island were allowed to roam freely and eat their fill in the forest around the pasture. When autumn came, they were buffered back to the island.
"People weren't afraid of hardships in the past. There are stories about how they could harness a horse and ride a sled for 3 days to fetch a load of hay when feed was scarce on the island," concludes Mats.
Today, old and new holiday homes are mixed at the chalet, which is beautifully nestled by Lake Selisjön, surrounded by “Middagsberg,” “Kvällsberg” and “Ljotberg.” To the south, Seliträdberget, the highest peak in Sollerö Forest (597m), towers.
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