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Kungsträdgården

December 01, 2023

For other uses, see King's Garden.

Kungsträdgården (Swedish for "King's Garden") is a park in central Stockholm, Sweden. It is colloquially known as Kungsan.

Kungsträdgården
Kungsträdgården in July 2009
TypeUrban park
LocationNorrmalm, Stockholm, Sweden
Owned byStockholm Municipality
StatusOpen all year
Kungsträdgården on a snowy December morning
Kungsträdgården, cherry blossom
Stockholm, Sweden.
Ice skaters in winter

The park's central location and its outdoor cafés makes it one of the most popular hangouts and meeting places in Stockholm. It also hosts open-air concerts and events in summer, while offering an ice rink[1] during winters. There is also a number of cafés, art galleries and restaurants; for example Galleri Doktor Glas, a name taken from the novel Doctor Glas by Hjalmar Söderberg published in 1905.

The park is divided into four distinct spaces (south to north): (1) Square of Charles XII; (2) Molin's Fountain; (3); Square of Charles XIII and (4) "Fountain of Wolodarski" (which does not have an official name). The park is administered and events in it organized by the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce.

Overview edit

 
Art at the metro station Kungsträdgården

A number of Stockholm landmarks are found around the perimeter of Kungsträdgården:

South of the park is the quay Strömgatan interconnecting the bridges Strömbron and Norrbro, both of which stretches over to the Stockholm Old Town and the Royal Palace.

North of the park is Hamngatan with the department stores PK-huset and Nordiska Kompaniet (NK) facing the park.

Kungsträdgårdsgatan stretches along the park's eastern side. A series of prominent buildings are lined-up along it: Stockholm Synagogue by Fredrik Wilhelm Scholander, 1867–70,[2] Jernkontoret by Axel Kumlien, 1875,[3][4] Palmeska huset by Helgo Zettervall, 1884–86, today the headquarters of Handelsbanken,[5] and Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken (SEB), then the Kungsträdgården Stockholm metro station.

On the western side are the Royal Swedish Opera with the Opera Bar, Saint James's church, Ivar Kreuger's Matchstick Palace designed by Ivar Tengbom, and Sverigehuset (home to a tourist information centre) designed by Sven Markelius, 1961–69.[6]

History edit

 
Kungsträdgården seen from north. Engraving from Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna, 1716.
 
Postcard of Kungsträdgården around 1890–1900

Though the royal kitchen garden is known to date back to the Middle Ages, it is first mentioned in historical records as konungens kålgård ("king's cabbage garden") in 1430. (See also Trädgårdsgatan.) The royal property in the area was considerably enlarged through an acquisition in 1454 and further expanded throughout the following century. This utilitarian garden was gradually transformed into an enclosed royal Baroque pleasure garden and accordingly referred to as "King's Garden"[7] throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. The garden was a symmetrical composition centred on a fountain and separated from the waterfront by the Makalös Palace ("Peerless").[8][9]

However, the demolition of the walls began in the early 19th century, and for the inauguration of the statue of Charles XIII in 1821, his successor Charles XIV John had most of the garden replaced by a gravelled open space ordered to be named "Square of Charles XIII". When Makalös was destroyed by fire in 1825 the park was extended south down to the waterfront. Notwithstanding the area became a popular spot for bourgeois social life and military drilling, Charles XIV's initiative never was appreciated, and in the 1860s the space was subsequently furnished with the tree-lined avenues still giving the park its character and through which the old name prevailed. In addition, the park's showpiece, the tall and elaborate Molin's Fountain, was cast in bronze and given a space in the park.[8][9]

The following century saw several proposals to have the northern section of the park replaced by various buildings, but during WWII a contract determined the area should remain a park and in 1970 it finally became the property of the city.[8]

In the 1970s, construction of the metro station caused much controversy since the plans called for the old elms to be cut down, which led to violent protests and a tree-hugger campaign on May 12-May 13, 1971 with people chaining themselves to the trees, the so-called Battle of the Elms. Eventually these protests not only saved the trees and caused the station entrances to be located east and west of the park, but they also marked the end of a period when many old buildings in central Stockholm were demolished.[10]

The park had a reputation for rioting youth, prostitution, and drug dealing in the 1980s. Extreme-right demonstrations in the 1990s by the statue of Charles XII altered its reputation. It was redesigned in the late 1990s to it present shape.[10] In 2004, 285 new linden trees were planted to replace the sick elms (of which some dated back to the 17th century) and new pavilions with cafés were added.[11]

Squares of both Charles edit

 
Statue of Charles XII
 
Statue of Charles XIII

The southern third of the park. called Karl XII:s torg ("Charles XII's Square") is centred on the statue of Charles XII by Johan Peter Molin, inaugurated for the 150th anniversary of the king's death on November 30, 1868. The square, until then forming a section of the levelled park carrying the name of Charles XIII, was subsequently renamed after Charles XII and transformed into more of a park than a square.[12]

The park is centred on the statue of Charles XIII, King of Sweden from 1809 until his death in 1818, commissioned by his successor Charles XIV John. The Neoclassicist composition of Gustaf Göthe (1779–1838), inaugurated in 1821, is escorted by four lions sculpted by Bengt Erland Fogelberg (1786–1854), added in 1824, and each of which are holding a ball carrying the Norwegian and Swedish coat of arms alluding the Swedish-Norwegian Union initiated by the king. The anchor under the king's right arm reminds us of his great naval victories during the Russo-Swedish War 1788-1790.[13]

Now, Stockholmers were widely displeased with Charles XIII and therefore referred to the statue as "a gardener without a garden just as a king without honour" and, as Charles XII is surrounded by four backs from mortars, in Swedish called kruka ("pot") and Charles XIII is flanked by four lions, again popular humour used the opportunity to throw some dirt at the latter by referring to both statues as "a lion among pots and a pot among lions".

On the location for the statue of Charles XII was the palace Makalös ("Peerless"), owned by the Constable of the Realm and Count of Läckö Jakob De la Gardie and completed in 1642. The palace was transferred to the Crown under King Charles XI and rebuilt into an armoury in 1690. Following the death of Gustav III in 1792 the palace was rebuilt into an opera house. The opera house burned to the ground during a performance in 1825, fragments from it today exhibited in the nearby metro station. Since the exposition of 1866, the western part of the square, named Lagerlunden ("The Laurel Grove"), is renowned for the exclusive dining-rooms of the rebuilt opera house.[14][15]

In the early 1970s, this was the location for the Battle of the Elms (Slaget om almarna), protests which ended the demolition of central portions of Stockholm. In the 1990s, the square was made a popular gathering spot for right-wing extremists and neo-Nazis usually holding parades on November 30 every year. Occasionally, this has resulted in clashes with left wing protesters and real battles have taken place in Kungsträdgården. Today it is mostly known for the so-called Tehuset ("Tea House") offering coffee, sandwiches, and other refreshing things.[10]

Fountain of Molin edit

 
Fountain by J. P. Molin, 1866
 
Detail of the plaster original showing Nix playing his harp

The fountain of Johan Peter Molin, originally carved in plaster, was the centrepiece of a Scandinavian art and industry exposition in 1866. While the exposition's main building, stretching 200 metres across the park and crowned by a dome 30 metres wide, was over-crowded with objects, it failed to attract an audience. The fountain was, however, appreciated to the extent a subscription was raised to have it cast in bronze, and was subsequently inaugurated in 1873 on the same location.[16]

The mythological characters inhabiting the fountain are the ocean god Ægir and his wife Rán with their nine daughters, all listening to the river spirit Nix playing his harp. It symbolizes Stockholm located between the upper bowl, Lake Mälaren, and the lower basin, the Baltic Sea. The six swans, still offering fresh water to passers-by, were late additions, the artist condescending the audience's apprehension of the sculpture as mere luxuriousness. [17]

For the inauguration of the fountain, willow trees were planted in the park. These are a hybrid of the willow species Peking Willow (Salix babylonica), in English known as Thurlow Weeping Willow (Salix × elegantissima) but in Swedish given the name fontänpil ("fountain willow") in recognition to still the admired artwork.

As one of thirteen objects selected for a project 1999–2006 to decorate prominent buildings and milieus in Stockholm with fiber optics, the fountain was furnished with a score of light sources accentuating the sculptures and cascades of water, toppled by a laterally emitting cable in the upper bowl.[18]

Fountain of Wolodarski edit

 
The park in 2007

In August 1998, a total number of 63 Sakura trees ("Japanese cherry") were planted; each spring when they all blossom is an experience of beauty and scent in the park. Additionally, city architect Alexander Wolodarski commissioned artist Sivert Lindblom to design the large bronze urns now lined up along the new rectangular fountain. Lindblom has also furnished the small square Blasieholmstorg just east of the park with Byzantine horses.

Wolodarski's renewal of the park has been met with protest focusing on the "Baroque" scale and geometry of his design. Others have been critical about the park being "handed over" to an entrepreneur – for example,[19] the head of the city's garden department was upset nothing much remains of the park, notwithstanding the park was even reshaped into a golf course to suit a Mercedes-Benz campaign.

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ "Skridskobanan". City of Stockholm., Opening hours and some more information.
  2. ^ Guide, Mårtelius, p 22.
  3. ^ Guide, Mårtelius, p 23.
  4. ^ Wisth
  5. ^ Guide, Mårtelius, p 27.
  6. ^ Guide, Hultin, p 95.
  7. ^ The garden is referred to as H:K: M:ttz Trägårdh, Konnungz Trägårdhen, Konungens Tregårdh, and Kongl. Trägårdhen throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. King Charles XI calls it Kongs-Trägordhen during the 1690s.
  8. ^ a b c Stockholms gatunamn, p 175.
  9. ^ a b Guide till Stockholms arkitektur, Mårtelius, p 12.
  10. ^ a b c Wahlgren, pp 20–23.
  11. ^ "Kungsträdgården rustas upp". Stockholms stadsbyggnadskontor. c. 2004.
  12. ^ Wrangel, Stockholmiana I–IV, p 171.
  13. ^ Statens Fastighetsverk
  14. ^ Stugart, DN, 2005-10-19
  15. ^ Stockholms gatunamn, p 163.
  16. ^ Wiberg
  17. ^ Explore Stockholm
  18. ^ City of Stockholm, Nattljus
  19. ^ Hallemar

References edit

  • Mårtelius, Johan (1999). "Norra Innerstaden". Guide till Stockholms arkitektur (in Swedish) (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Arkitektur förlag. ISBN 91-86050-41-9.
  • (in Swedish). Stockholm City Museum. Archived from the original on 2008-01-26. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
  • Wisth, Britt (1982). (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm City Museum. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-09. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
  • (in Swedish). Statens fastighetsverk. Archived from the original on 2011-06-12. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  • Wiberg, Jacob (2005). (in Swedish). Populär Historia. Archived from the original on 2011-05-20.
  • "Molins Fontän" (in Swedish). Explore Stockholm. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  • "Utvalda platser – Nattljusprojektet" (in Swedish). City of Stockholm. Retrieved 2008-01-20.[dead link]
  • Wahlgren, Anders (2005). (PDF) (in Swedish). Handelskammartidningen. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-11-11. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  • "Norrmalm". Stockholms gatunamn (in Swedish) (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Kommittén för Stockholmsforskning. 1992. ISBN 91-7031-042-4.
  • Stugart, Martin (2005-10-19). (in Swedish). Dagens Nyheter. Archived from the original on 2007-10-01. Retrieved 2007-02-16.
  • Wrangel, Fredrik Ulrik (1912). "Stockholmiana I–IV". Project Runeberg. Retrieved 2007-02-16.
  • Dan Hallemar (October 2004). (in Swedish). Swedish Association of Architects. Archived from the original on 2011-05-24. Retrieved 2008-01-20.

Literature edit

External links edit

  Media related to Kungsträdgården at Wikimedia Commons

59°19′52.5″N 018°04′17.1″E / 59.331250°N 18.071417°E / 59.331250; 18.071417

December 01, 2023
kungsträdgården, other, uses, king, garden, swedish, king, garden, park, central, stockholm, sweden, colloquially, known, kungsan, july, 2009typeurban, parklocationnorrmalm, stockholm, swedenowned, bystockholm, municipalitystatusopen, year, snowy, december, mo. For other uses see King s Garden Kungstradgarden Swedish for King s Garden is a park in central Stockholm Sweden It is colloquially known as Kungsan KungstradgardenKungstradgarden in July 2009TypeUrban parkLocationNorrmalm Stockholm SwedenOwned byStockholm MunicipalityStatusOpen all yearKungstradgarden on a snowy December morningKungstradgarden cherry blossomStockholm Sweden Ice skaters in winterThe park s central location and its outdoor cafes makes it one of the most popular hangouts and meeting places in Stockholm It also hosts open air concerts and events in summer while offering an ice rink 1 during winters There is also a number of cafes art galleries and restaurants for example Galleri Doktor Glas a name taken from the novel Doctor Glas by Hjalmar Soderberg published in 1905 The park is divided into four distinct spaces south to north 1 Square of Charles XII 2 Molin s Fountain 3 Square of Charles XIII and 4 Fountain of Wolodarski which does not have an official name The park is administered and events in it organized by the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce Contents 1 Overview 2 History 3 Squares of both Charles 4 Fountain of Molin 5 Fountain of Wolodarski 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 Literature 10 External linksOverview edit nbsp Art at the metro station KungstradgardenA number of Stockholm landmarks are found around the perimeter of Kungstradgarden South of the park is the quay Stromgatan interconnecting the bridges Strombron and Norrbro both of which stretches over to the Stockholm Old Town and the Royal Palace North of the park is Hamngatan with the department stores PK huset and Nordiska Kompaniet NK facing the park Kungstradgardsgatan stretches along the park s eastern side A series of prominent buildings are lined up along it Stockholm Synagogue by Fredrik Wilhelm Scholander 1867 70 2 Jernkontoret by Axel Kumlien 1875 3 4 Palmeska huset by Helgo Zettervall 1884 86 today the headquarters of Handelsbanken 5 and Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken SEB then the Kungstradgarden Stockholm metro station On the western side are the Royal Swedish Opera with the Opera Bar Saint James s church Ivar Kreuger s Matchstick Palace designed by Ivar Tengbom and Sverigehuset home to a tourist information centre designed by Sven Markelius 1961 69 6 History edit nbsp Kungstradgarden seen from north Engraving from Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna 1716 nbsp Postcard of Kungstradgarden around 1890 1900Though the royal kitchen garden is known to date back to the Middle Ages it is first mentioned in historical records as konungens kalgard king s cabbage garden in 1430 See also Tradgardsgatan The royal property in the area was considerably enlarged through an acquisition in 1454 and further expanded throughout the following century This utilitarian garden was gradually transformed into an enclosed royal Baroque pleasure garden and accordingly referred to as King s Garden 7 throughout the 17th and 18th centuries The garden was a symmetrical composition centred on a fountain and separated from the waterfront by the Makalos Palace Peerless 8 9 However the demolition of the walls began in the early 19th century and for the inauguration of the statue of Charles XIII in 1821 his successor Charles XIV John had most of the garden replaced by a gravelled open space ordered to be named Square of Charles XIII When Makalos was destroyed by fire in 1825 the park was extended south down to the waterfront Notwithstanding the area became a popular spot for bourgeois social life and military drilling Charles XIV s initiative never was appreciated and in the 1860s the space was subsequently furnished with the tree lined avenues still giving the park its character and through which the old name prevailed In addition the park s showpiece the tall and elaborate Molin s Fountain was cast in bronze and given a space in the park 8 9 The following century saw several proposals to have the northern section of the park replaced by various buildings but during WWII a contract determined the area should remain a park and in 1970 it finally became the property of the city 8 In the 1970s construction of the metro station caused much controversy since the plans called for the old elms to be cut down which led to violent protests and a tree hugger campaign on May 12 May 13 1971 with people chaining themselves to the trees the so called Battle of the Elms Eventually these protests not only saved the trees and caused the station entrances to be located east and west of the park but they also marked the end of a period when many old buildings in central Stockholm were demolished 10 The park had a reputation for rioting youth prostitution and drug dealing in the 1980s Extreme right demonstrations in the 1990s by the statue of Charles XII altered its reputation It was redesigned in the late 1990s to it present shape 10 In 2004 285 new linden trees were planted to replace the sick elms of which some dated back to the 17th century and new pavilions with cafes were added 11 Squares of both Charles edit nbsp Statue of Charles XII nbsp Statue of Charles XIIIThe southern third of the park called Karl XII s torg Charles XII s Square is centred on the statue of Charles XII by Johan Peter Molin inaugurated for the 150th anniversary of the king s death on November 30 1868 The square until then forming a section of the levelled park carrying the name of Charles XIII was subsequently renamed after Charles XII and transformed into more of a park than a square 12 The park is centred on the statue of Charles XIII King of Sweden from 1809 until his death in 1818 commissioned by his successor Charles XIV John The Neoclassicist composition of Gustaf Gothe 1779 1838 inaugurated in 1821 is escorted by four lions sculpted by Bengt Erland Fogelberg 1786 1854 added in 1824 and each of which are holding a ball carrying the Norwegian and Swedish coat of arms alluding the Swedish Norwegian Union initiated by the king The anchor under the king s right arm reminds us of his great naval victories during the Russo Swedish War 1788 1790 13 Now Stockholmers were widely displeased with Charles XIII and therefore referred to the statue as a gardener without a garden just as a king without honour and as Charles XII is surrounded by four backs from mortars in Swedish called kruka pot and Charles XIII is flanked by four lions again popular humour used the opportunity to throw some dirt at the latter by referring to both statues as a lion among pots and a pot among lions On the location for the statue of Charles XII was the palace Makalos Peerless owned by the Constable of the Realm and Count of Lacko Jakob De la Gardie and completed in 1642 The palace was transferred to the Crown under King Charles XI and rebuilt into an armoury in 1690 Following the death of Gustav III in 1792 the palace was rebuilt into an opera house The opera house burned to the ground during a performance in 1825 fragments from it today exhibited in the nearby metro station Since the exposition of 1866 the western part of the square named Lagerlunden The Laurel Grove is renowned for the exclusive dining rooms of the rebuilt opera house 14 15 In the early 1970s this was the location for the Battle of the Elms Slaget om almarna protests which ended the demolition of central portions of Stockholm In the 1990s the square was made a popular gathering spot for right wing extremists and neo Nazis usually holding parades on November 30 every year Occasionally this has resulted in clashes with left wing protesters and real battles have taken place in Kungstradgarden Today it is mostly known for the so called Tehuset Tea House offering coffee sandwiches and other refreshing things 10 Fountain of Molin edit nbsp Fountain by J P Molin 1866 nbsp Detail of the plaster original showing Nix playing his harpThe fountain of Johan Peter Molin originally carved in plaster was the centrepiece of a Scandinavian art and industry exposition in 1866 While the exposition s main building stretching 200 metres across the park and crowned by a dome 30 metres wide was over crowded with objects it failed to attract an audience The fountain was however appreciated to the extent a subscription was raised to have it cast in bronze and was subsequently inaugurated in 1873 on the same location 16 The mythological characters inhabiting the fountain are the ocean god AEgir and his wife Ran with their nine daughters all listening to the river spirit Nix playing his harp It symbolizes Stockholm located between the upper bowl Lake Malaren and the lower basin the Baltic Sea The six swans still offering fresh water to passers by were late additions the artist condescending the audience s apprehension of the sculpture as mere luxuriousness 17 For the inauguration of the fountain willow trees were planted in the park These are a hybrid of the willow species Peking Willow Salix babylonica in English known as Thurlow Weeping Willow Salix elegantissima but in Swedish given the name fontanpil fountain willow in recognition to still the admired artwork As one of thirteen objects selected for a project 1999 2006 to decorate prominent buildings and milieus in Stockholm with fiber optics the fountain was furnished with a score of light sources accentuating the sculptures and cascades of water toppled by a laterally emitting cable in the upper bowl 18 Fountain of Wolodarski edit nbsp The park in 2007In August 1998 a total number of 63 Sakura trees Japanese cherry were planted each spring when they all blossom is an experience of beauty and scent in the park Additionally city architect Alexander Wolodarski commissioned artist Sivert Lindblom to design the large bronze urns now lined up along the new rectangular fountain Lindblom has also furnished the small square Blasieholmstorg just east of the park with Byzantine horses Wolodarski s renewal of the park has been met with protest focusing on the Baroque scale and geometry of his design Others have been critical about the park being handed over to an entrepreneur for example 19 the head of the city s garden department was upset nothing much remains of the park notwithstanding the park was even reshaped into a golf course to suit a Mercedes Benz campaign See also editHistory of StockholmNotes edit Skridskobanan City of Stockholm Opening hours and some more information Guide Martelius p 22 Guide Martelius p 23 Wisth Guide Martelius p 27 Guide Hultin p 95 The garden is referred to as H K M ttz Tragardh Konnungz Tragardhen Konungens Tregardh and Kongl Tragardhen throughout the 17th and 18th centuries King Charles XI calls it Kongs Tragordhen during the 1690s a b c Stockholms gatunamn p 175 a b Guide till Stockholms arkitektur Martelius p 12 a b c Wahlgren pp 20 23 Kungstradgarden rustas upp Stockholms stadsbyggnadskontor c 2004 Wrangel Stockholmiana I IV p 171 Statens Fastighetsverk Stugart DN 2005 10 19 Stockholms gatunamn p 163 Wiberg Explore Stockholm City of Stockholm Nattljus HallemarReferences editMartelius Johan 1999 Norra Innerstaden Guide till Stockholms arkitektur in Swedish 2nd ed Stockholm Arkitektur forlag ISBN 91 86050 41 9 Stockholmskallan Kungstradgarden in Swedish Stockholm City Museum Archived from the original on 2008 01 26 Retrieved 2008 01 19 Wisth Britt 1982 Jernkontorets bildfris PDF in Swedish Stockholm City Museum Archived from the original PDF on 2012 02 09 Retrieved 2008 01 19 Karl XIII s staty i Kungstradgarden in Swedish Statens fastighetsverk Archived from the original on 2011 06 12 Retrieved 2008 01 20 Wiberg Jacob 2005 Stockholm 1866 in Swedish Popular Historia Archived from the original on 2011 05 20 Molins Fontan in Swedish Explore Stockholm Retrieved 2008 01 20 Utvalda platser Nattljusprojektet in Swedish City of Stockholm Retrieved 2008 01 20 dead link Wahlgren Anders 2005 Kungens kokstradgard blev Stockholms hjarta PDF in Swedish Handelskammartidningen Archived from the original PDF on 2007 11 11 Retrieved 2008 01 20 Norrmalm Stockholms gatunamn in Swedish 2nd ed Stockholm Kommitten for Stockholmsforskning 1992 ISBN 91 7031 042 4 Stugart Martin 2005 10 19 Ar det rester av slottet Makalos nere i T Kungstradgarden in Swedish Dagens Nyheter Archived from the original on 2007 10 01 Retrieved 2007 02 16 Wrangel Fredrik Ulrik 1912 Stockholmiana I IV Project Runeberg Retrieved 2007 02 16 Dan Hallemar October 2004 Kungarna av Kungsan in Swedish Swedish Association of Architects Archived from the original on 2011 05 24 Retrieved 2008 01 20 Literature editWastberg Per 1986 Kungstradgarden en antologi av Per Wastberg in Swedish Albert Bonniers Forlag AB ISBN 91 0 046958 0 External links edit nbsp Media related to Kungstradgarden at Wikimedia Commons59 19 52 5 N 018 04 17 1 E 59 331250 N 18 071417 E 59 331250 18 071417 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Kungstradgarden amp oldid 1169855085, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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