The long-debated 'Devil Statue' in Bergsjö, Nordanstig, is set to be installed at Vadeån to honor the local musical tradition. Despite past protests and delays since its purchase in 2008, the 2.7-meter, 400-kilogram sculpture has received approval from the county administrative board. While some locals, including a Sweden Democrat politician, find the statue unsettling, others see it as a potential landmark.
Controversial 'Devil Statue' Finally Finds a Home in Bergsjö
Controversial 'Devil Statue' Finally Finds a Home in Bergsjö
The 'Scapegoat'—or 'Devil Statue'—is finally set to be installed at Vadeån in Bergsjö, Nordanstig Municipality.
Soon, there will be a buzz at Vadeån in Bergsjö, Nordanstig Municipality.
The 2.7-meter-long and 400-kilogram sculpture, known as the 'Scapegoat' or 'Devil Statue', will finally be placed in the stream to honor the area's musical tradition.
The 'Scapegoat' has been a topic of debate since the municipality decided to purchase it in 2008. Protests followed, delaying the project until a new decision was made in 2023.
Hudiksvalls Tidning reports that the county administrative board has given the green light to start the installation.
"Finally, it's settled!" says Lars Hed (M), the deputy chairman of the municipal board, to the newspaper.
However, not everyone is equally excited.
The Sweden Democrat opposition councilor Eva Andersson previously stated that the 'Scapegoat' "looks creepy", and several neighbors appealed against the placement of the pitch-black goat.
The reasoning?
"It makes you recoil, it's so damn ugly /.../ It's evil," explained one neighbor to SVT.
No Comparison to Hudiksvall's 'Scarecrow'
The 'Scapegoat' isn't the only sculpture in the spotlight in the county right now.
In Hudiksvall, about 30 kilometers south, the 'Hudik Girl' was installed earlier in August.
A sculpture costing millions that led to angry letters and petitions—usually cheerful Hudiksvall residents wrote that they "hate that damn scarecrow" and compared the 'Hudik Girl' to a "dinosaur".
The sculpture had to be stored in a large protective box during installation.
"People have threatened to kick it apart," explained one of the installers to SVT.
M-top Lars Hed, however, does not want to compare and says that "the public likes the statue" in Nordanstig.
He predicts instead that the 'Scapegoat', which cost 560,000 to purchase, could become a "landmark".
"Many might think it's unnecessary spending, but some form of decoration is necessary. It should exist in urban areas, I think that's very important," he tells Hudiksvalls Tidning.