Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Second part - XIII. Internal Communications - 3. Country Roads. By J. P. Velander, Ph. C., Stockholm
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996
XIII. INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS OF SWEDEN.
»for», he says, »because of the deep roads and the marshy lands it is difficult to
make one’s way on horseback».
But from time to time, arrangements were made to improve the roads. In 1664,
it was enacted that all thoroughfares between towns, parishes, and courts of assizes
should be improved, in some places they should be altered, leveled, and
straightened. In this connection the roads were divided into various parts to be kept
»well cleared and in good repair» by the peasantry; at the same time an
ordinance was issued about surveying the roads and putting up mile-posts.
Nevertheless, at the end of the 18th century there existed but few carriage roads
except the highroads, and, on the whole, it was not till the 19th century that
the roads of Sweden were put into a condition comparable with their actual state.
In Skåne, S. G. von Troil, Governor at Malmö (1851/74), made himself known
on account of his successful attempts for the improvement of the roads.
Since 1840, the State has, to an ever increasing extent, contributed towards
keeping the roads in a good condition. That same year subventions to the amount
of 75,000 kronor were granted »for the laying out of new roads or else for the
improvement and reconstruction of hilly and rather bad roads»; moreover, the
people in the neighbourhood of them were enjoined to contribute towards the costs
of construction as well as to take the maintenance upon themselves for the futuie.
The supply has ever since constantly been on the increase, so that in 1900 an
amount of 1 million kronor was granted for the purpose. By those means a
length of road of about 13,000 km. has been constructed or improved since 1840.
The construction of new roads has of låte chiefly been carried on
in the North of Sweden. During 1841/1900, State subventions of 20-85
million kronor were granted for the construction of new high-roads
and the repavement of old ones; the total cost calculated for these roads
amounts to 32-22 million kronor. Out of the State grant, 2-68 million
kronor have fallen to the Län of Norrbotten and 2 *9 to that of
Vesterbotten. Of låte years, the share of Norrland has still more increased,
so that for 1896/1900, an amount of 1,885,000 kronor fell to the four
northernmost Läns out of a total of 4,054,000 kronor. — In several L&ns
the County Councils also grant subventions for construction and
re-pavement of roads.
Conformably to old decrees of law, the roads were divided into four kinds:
highroads, that should be 6 meters wide (20 feet), church-roads and mill-roads, which
should be 3*6 m. wide (12 feet), and market-roads. In the 18th century, there
was also a difference made between court- or hundred-roads, uniting two hundreds
and their courts of assizes, and parish-roads, comprising the former church- and
mill-roads; less important were the village-roads, that had to be kept in good
repair by the respective villages. During later times the public roads were
classified into high-roads or king’s highways, hundred-roads, and parish-roads. The
law of 1891 concerning roads, which has been in force since 1895, makes no
other difference than between highroad» and village-roads. In 1895, there were
20,287 km. of highroads and 38,462 km. of village-roads, to which may be added
the 801 km. of streets of towns considered to constitute part of the line of roads
in the kingdom.
Keeping the roads in repair has of old fallen to the soil, L e., to all
those in Sweden who owned and cultivated the ground, and was
consequently quite early divided among the farms. Only the construction and
repair of large bridges was made a joint business of one or more hundreds.
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