Järnskog's local heritage society wins Swedish Culture On The Road-award

Swedes have since 2009 celebrated Motorhistoriska Dagen, Historic Vehicle Heritage Day, on their National Day, June 6. This year the day became part of a worldwide celebration as 2016 is named World Motoring Heritage Year by FIVA, the international federation of historic vehicles.

On June 6, Sweden's National Day, The Historic Vehicle Heritage Day is celebrated. Almost one hundred events with historical vehicles were held around the country. Five of them were nominated in the organizer contest Kultur på väg, Culture On The Road. Behind the competition is the Swedish federation for historic vehicles, Motorhistoriska Riksförbundet, and classic vehicle magazine Nostalgia Magazine.

This year's Culture On The Road-award goes to Järnskog's local heritage society in Koppom, midwestern Sweden. The motivation reads:

“For having in an exemplary manner having brought together the traditional National Day celebrations, with folk dancing and quire singing, with the local youth and their interest in car-derived tractors. This resulted in a positive meeting between generations.”

– We have received with great joy the news that our society won the Culture On The Road-award, says Anders Överby, a member of Järnskog's local heritage society and the initiator of the event. This will be an incentive to develop the event next year.

He wants to highlight the importance of these tractors for rural development during the 1900s. Peter Edqvist, president of the Swedish federation for historic vehicles, agrees;

– I am very happy that Järnskog's local heritage society won. The car-derived tractors, the so called EPA- and A-tractors, are a unique cultural heritage only found in Sweden why they deserve attention, especially on a day like this. Not to mention the youths who today are the ones who manage and preserve these vehicles!

Speaking of the world's unique cultural heritage; FIVA, the international federation of historic vehicles, has named 2016 as World Motoring Heritage Year – both in recognition of motoring history, and to celebrate a new dawn for the historic vehicle movement throughout the world. This year also marks the 50^th anniversary of FIVA, the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens.

Patron of World Motoring Heritage Year is UNESCO, the UN organization for education, science and culture. Sweden's contribution to the worldwide celebration is The Historic Vehicle Heritage Day that took place on June 6.

This year's jury

The jury for the 2016 Culture on the road-award consisted of Peter Edqvist, Jan Tägt, Malin Erlfeldt and Göran Schüsseleder from Motorhistoriska Riksförbundet and from Nostalgia Magazine Mikael Sandholm and Stig L. Sjöberg. In addition, Torsten Nilsson, director of collections at The Swedish Air Force Museum and Per-Börje Elg, swedish motorhistorian.