Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Sweden Tingsryd SV Kyrkö Car Cemetery

Kyrkö Car Cemetery

A peat bog in southern Sweden provides a cozy and photogenic home for junked Volvos, Saabs, and the occasional American muscle car.

Tingsryd SV, Sweden

Added By
Henrik Johansson
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Car at the car graveyard   Susanne Nilsson
The Kyrkö car cemetery   hrnick / Atlas Obscura User
The Kyrkö car cemetery   hrnick / Atlas Obscura User
The site has become a photographer’s dreamland   Pelle Sten
“Could it be love?”   Susanne Nilsson
In the Kyrkö peat bog   maaddin
The Kyrkö car cemetery   hrnick / Atlas Obscura User
The Kyrkö car cemetery   hrnick / Atlas Obscura User
The Kyrkö car cemetery   hrnick / Atlas Obscura User
  Addeo / Atlas Obscura User
  Bart Severein / Atlas Obscura User
  Bart Severein / Atlas Obscura User
  Bart Severein / Atlas Obscura User
  Addeo / Atlas Obscura User
  Addeo / Atlas Obscura User
  Bart Severein / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Maybe it was the cultural activists who saved the Swedish "car cemetery," or maybe it was the locals in support of the “Bog Man” who ran it. Maybe it was the City Council, who came around to see the value of preserving poignant and photogenic decay of old Saabs and Volvos. Or maybe it was simply some bad weather.

The story of the car cemetery begins with Åke Danielsson, who lived in the village of Ryd in southern Sweden. In 1935 he bought a piece of forested peat bog, where he harvested the natural fuel and fertilizer by hand. As demand grew, “Åke on the Bog” upped production by building himself a peat shredder using old car engines.

With the post-war years came a boom in car ownership, and the village of Ryd’s old cast-offs were often abandoned to the surrounding forest. Åke started gathering them up, and with no training in engines or auto mechanics—he didn’t even have a driver’s license—he learned all he could from the old junkers. A little side business in spare parts caught on, and soon he had a skrotbilar – loosely translated, a “scrap yard”—and the parts business outstripped the peat. The collection grew until 1974, the year Åke bought his last car.

Over time the empty shells took on an aesthetic life of their own, attracting tourists and shutterbugs. Even though Åke had been keenly aware of the risk of contamination to his peat bog, careful to always remove the gas, oil and batteries, City Hall wasn’t so keen on the whole setup. They decided the cars had to be sent to an authorized recycling site, imposing a fine if it wasn't done by a November 1998 deadline.

That’s when some bad weather struck. The plan had to be postponed, which gave Åke’s supporters valuable lobbying time. All kinds of people rallied to his defense, including journalists, photographers, and even the director of the Småland Museum in nearby Växjö. The voices of support won out, and a 49-year permit for the site was issued.

Åke Danielsson passed away in 2000, but not before seeing his scrap heap saved from the scrap heap. What’s to happen after the year 2047 is anyone’s guess, but the skrotbilar is staying put. At least for the time being.

Related Tags

Abandoned Cars Automotive History Forests Ecosystems

Know Before You Go

The Kyrkö Car Cemetery can be found driving west on Värendsgatan 2 (Hwy 119) from the town of Ryd in southern Sweden. Follow Hwy 119 for about a mile and a half (2.4km) and the parking area will be on your right.

Community Contributors

Added By

hrnick

Edited By

Martin, Addeo, Bart Severein, Bia73

  • Martin
  • Addeo
  • Bart Severein
  • Bia73

Published

October 3, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://skrot.rydinfo.com/historia/
  • https://www.visittingsryd.se/sv/bilkyrkogarden-pa-kyrko-mosse
  • https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyrk%C3%B6_mosse
  • http://www.samlaren.org/bilkyrkogard/
Kyrkö Car Cemetery
Värendsgatan
(Hwy 119)
Tingsryd SV
Sweden
56.466187, 14.655158
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Jättegrytorna i Tararp (The Tarap Giant Kettles)

Karlshamn N, Sweden

miles away

Sweden's Oldest Olive Tree

Osby, Sweden

miles away

'Apan och Kaninen' ('Bunny and Monkey')

Osby, Sweden

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Sweden

Sweden

Europe

Places 381
Stories 42

Nearby Places

Jättegrytorna i Tararp (The Tarap Giant Kettles)

Karlshamn N, Sweden

miles away

Sweden's Oldest Olive Tree

Osby, Sweden

miles away

'Apan och Kaninen' ('Bunny and Monkey')

Osby, Sweden

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Sweden

Sweden

Europe

Places 381
Stories 42

Related Places

  • Old Car City in White, Georgia.

    White, Georgia

    Old Car City

    One of the world's largest automobile junkyards is a unique landscape of metal and moss.

  • Entrance to Jungle Park Speedway.

    Bloomingdale, Indiana

    Jungle Park Speedway

    The overgrown remains of one of the premier auto-racing speedways in the Midwest—and also one of the most deadly.

  • Aldridge Sawmill.

    Zavalla, Texas

    Aldridge Sawmill

    The 19th-century ruins hide deep in an overgrown forest.

  • A view of the convent from the courtyard.

    Mexico City, Mexico

    Desierto de los Leones (Desert of the Lions)

    Explore the atmospheric ruins of an abandoned convent in the dense forests of Mexico's first national park.

  • Deertrail ruins.

    Sooke, British Columbia

    Abandoned Deertrail Resort

    A crumbling cliffside ruin hidden in the woods.

  • A vacant shell in 2017 awaits future tenants.

    Washington, D.C.

    Embassy Gulf Service Center

    Behind an abandoned storefront is an example of pioneering 1930s gas station architecture.

  • Oakland, New Jersey

    Van Slyke Castle Ruins

    The remains of a century-old mansion that met a fiery demise years after it was deserted.

  • “The Umbrella” at the base of the gorge

    Şuşa, Azerbaijan

    Hunot Gorge

    A scenic canyon with thick forests and historic ruins.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.