About
Northernmost
|
The History - The Present - The Future
The History
Northernmost is an old, historic farmhouse located in northern Czech Republic in the village of Severni. Today, Severni is home to about 60 residents and exists as a sleepy village nestled within Czech Switzerland, only 5km from the German border. Built by a German family in the late 19th century, Northernmost has since endured two World-Wars and a period as a Communist farming collective. In the first half of the 20th century, Severni was a thriving German village called Hilgersdorf, which boasted a post office, courthouse, textile and logging businesses, cattle, hotels, several restaurants and bars, and a flourishing summer tourism industry. However, two world wars took their toll on Hilgersdorf, especially World War II. After the war, the Germans living in these Czech lands were forced to leave their homes, only able to take what they could carry, leaving generations of furniture, appliances, household goods, food, and personal items. Furthermore, many of the German homes were ransacked and burned to ensure the Germans would not return. But today, there is one large stone and brick building in Severni dating back to the late 19th century that was spared all the turmoil and destruction, Northernmost. Since it was a working farm with horses and cows the Communists made it a collective and ran a sawmill in addition to the agricultural work. Today, there are many people in and around Severni, who remember helping with the cows and horses as children. After the fall of Communism the house passed through several owners, before Glenn with his eye for unique opportunities, decided to purchase Northernmost in 2004. An avid biker and lover of the outdoors, Glenn purchased Northernmost because of its prime location for outdoor activities and the peace of mind offered by its rural setting. Today, Northernmost exists as a place where friends and family gather to enjoy one another's company and the beautiful landscape of Czech and Saxon Switzerland. The Present Northernmost enjoys this low-key existence, standing tall and reflecting on what its seen over the past century. And so to do the people who arrive at Northernmost, slow down and reflect upon all they've seen. After all, the 20th century was an unprecedented time in the ever-quickening march of human history. And as we sprint into the 21st century we are often left with the feeling of rushing through time, finding ourselves somewhere without knowing how and why we are there. But there exists Northernmost. No clocks hang on the walls at Northernmost. The metronome of time (and Prague) no longer count out the seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years, and lifetimes. For in all that one does at Northernmost there exists a meditative quality, when one finds oneself wrapped in the moment. Working on the farm, biking in the forest, swimming in an old quarry, relaxing by the campfire, the burden of time is lifted from the mind and body. Thus, Northernmost is more than just a place. It is an idea, a feeling. The combination of community and natural beauty make it so. And when people come and experience Northernmost, hopefully they are able to make some sense of it all, and return to their homes in the city with a sense of clarity and rejuvenation. But if ever life becomes too much, there exists Northernmost, steadfast and tall, a reminder that one's life does not have to be burdened by the weight of time, but that it is perfectly natural to pause and reflect. To be in the moment, wrapped in Earth's natural beauty, just as Northernmost is. The Future Northernmost has the potential to become both a textile and Communist agriculture museum. Quite a fitting future for such an historic place, and a chance for Northernmost to continue its existence as a refuge for human body and spirit. The wooden print blocks have a particularly intriguing history. Typically, a town elder (woman) from a village would visit the factory each year and work on a new, incredibly intricate design that women wore in traditional folk fashion. Once drawn the process of carving forms would begin and as many as 50 forms might be used for one pattern. They were multi colored textiles of extreme beauty which are now printed only by modern means. (View Photo Gallery of Print Blocks) Glenn's unique collection of artifacts transcends conventional aesthetics and presents a view of art and artifacts as symbols of the common, yet unique individual. In today's profit driven world, items are mass produced, often at an inhuman pace, with any inconsistencies viewed as defects. But Glenn's collection reminds and reassures us that their is beauty in and something to be learned from handmade print blocks and tools used by human hands. Within each handmade block lies hours of human creativity, effort and skill. The blocks were not mass produced by an inanimate machine, but carefully crafted by a living, breathing, feeling individual. Likewise, the tools have marks of wear both from hands and from the Earth. The tools represent the link between man and his partnership with the Earth; the tool is the symbol of man's ability to exist. Thus, there exists a connection; a human connection in these mementos that elicits an organic feeling that the products of current society lack. Every individual has his or her story, and their stories are embedded within the wood blocks and tools, to which their hands gave life. And thus it is the human aspect of Glenn's collection that makes it unable to be reproduced, both physically and symbolically. And so, perhaps after all its witnessed, housing mementos of the past is a fitting future for Northernmost. Like an old man living out his days, no longer concerned by grandeur and glory, but existing in the moment, as a bastion of wisdom for those who seek it. Wisdom that could only have been acquired through years of existence. And so, if you are willing to inquire, Northernmost is willing to impart its wisdom; a beacon of the past, but also a perennial teacher and symbol of our connection to the Earth and one another. |