Marcel Burger - Third time's the charm

To some known as the heart of Sweden, these is the land of the famous wooden horse.

Dalarna was once "the wild west" of Sweden, where centuries ago the rich farmers not only defied the church, by adopting the wooden horse as a symbol, but also rose against the Danes that occupied much of Southern Sweden. 500 years later Dalarna is to tourists what Sweden is in the tourist guide books: an area rich in nature, red wooden horses and traditions like dancing around the Midsummer pole. Modern furniture of Ikea is still based on the farm interior kept for generations in the works of Dalarna painter Carl Larson.

Ever since I came to Sweden for the first time in 2001, as a tourist, I've been visiting Dalarna. Returning feels like a yearly must. This album kicks off with a few photos I made for my 2008 travel guide book published by Elmar publishing company in the Netherlands and Belgium.

The world's biggest Dala horse, symbol of the region, stands in Avesta. Made out of concrete though, as the cracks show. It is the cover model of my travel guide book Wereldwijzer Zweden, published in 2008 in the Netherlands and Belgium.

In the lands of famous painters Carl Larson and Anders Zorn, near Falun.

The former copper mine of Falun, UNESCO World Heritage with most of the town. Legend has it a goat found the metal by digging in the ground. Even though the mine is no longer active, the rest product of mining copper is used to make the typical red-brown paint protecting many wooden buildings in Sweden against the elements. Photo from 2012.

Spelmän ("Play men") are traditional musicians who traditionally provide live music to ceremonies and dance events in rural societies. They are common sights on weddings, such as this one in 2014, and festivals in Dalarna and other Swedish regions.

July flower fields in Tällberg, on the eastern bank of the big lake Siljan. Photo from 2015.

Älvdalen is often wrongly translated as the Valley of the Elves, but it sounds wonderful, and so is its landscape nearby.

The Njupeskär is with 93 metres Sweden's highest waterfall ...

... and is located in Fulufjället National Park, which feels very much like Narnia.

At the highest public road of Sweden lies the Nipfjället mountain. Close to the border with Norway, one has great views over the landscape from 1100 metres high. Proud to have captures my parents making it to the first top here.