Berzelii Park
Encyclopedia
Berzelii Park is a small park
in central Stockholm
, Sweden
, located next to Nybroplan
and Norrmalmstorg
. Berzelii Park is also the location of Chinateatern
and the restaurant Berns Salonger
.
initiated the funding for a statue of Berzelius, commissioning artist Carl Gustaf Qvarnström (1810-1867) for the work. He went to Münich
to model the statue and had Ferdinand Von Miller
cast it in bronze. It became the first public statue of a "commoner" to be produced in full figure. There are also other monuments in and around the park, including art by Carl Milles
and a humorous statue of Hans Alfredsson sticking his head out of the sewer.
The work on establishing the park was begun in 1852 under the leadership of Knut Malte Forsberg who had it completed the following year. An opening ceremony took place on the morning of July 13, 1858. As the park remained to fragile to receive a large crowd, the statue was secretly inaugurated in the middle of the night.
The entire area surrounding the present park was part of the Nybroviken
bay until the mid-19th century. In the mid-1830s a new bridge across the bay was planned for the 25th anniversary of King Charles XIV. On the request of the king, the part of the bay inside the bridge was replaced by landfill installation, which transformed the bridge to more of a quay. The old bridge, Ladugårdslandsbron, was demolished in 1845 but the new bridge wasn't opened until 1848 due to technical problems caused by the load from the landfill. One of the cast iron railings from the bridge is still found in the present park.
Apparently the park failed to develop as intended as a report published in 1890 described its lawns as "consisting mostly of dandelions" and the raised area surrounding the statue as a "sand hill". However, the situation quickly improved as Afred Medin became city gardener, and the same critic later wrote enthusiastically about the park.
.
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
in central Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, located next to Nybroplan
Nybroplan
Nybroplan is a public space in central Stockholm, Sweden. Located on the border between the city districts Norrmalm and Östermalm, Nybroplan connects a number of major streets, including Birger Jarlsgatan, Strandvägen, Hamngatan, and Nybrogatan...
and Norrmalmstorg
Norrmalmstorg
Norrmalmstorg is a square in central Stockholm. The square connects shopping streets Hamngatan and Biblioteksgatan and is the starting point for tram travellers with the Djurgården line...
. Berzelii Park is also the location of Chinateatern
Chinateatern
Chinateatern or commonly known as "China" is a private theatre in Stockholm, Sweden, located at Berzelii Park in Stockholm city. Originally built 1928 as a movie theatre but has over the years simultaneously been used as a theatre stage for revues, comedies and musical shows...
and the restaurant Berns Salonger
Berns Salonger
Berns Salonger is a restaurant and entertainment venue, in Berzelii Park, in central Stockholm, Sweden. The building was constructed from 1862–63, by H.R. Berns. The building was extended in 1886. Berns often holds concerts and other shows and has a capacity of 1,200.Berns is the setting for the...
.
History
19th century
The park was named after the Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius, whose statue stands in the middle of the park. The Academy of SciencesRoyal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. The Academy is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization which acts to promote the sciences, primarily the natural sciences and mathematics.The Academy was founded on 2...
initiated the funding for a statue of Berzelius, commissioning artist Carl Gustaf Qvarnström (1810-1867) for the work. He went to Münich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
to model the statue and had Ferdinand Von Miller
Ferdinand Von Miller
Ferdinand von Miller was a German artisan who is noted for his furtherance of bronze founding.-Biography:Von Miller was born in Fürstenfeldbruck....
cast it in bronze. It became the first public statue of a "commoner" to be produced in full figure. There are also other monuments in and around the park, including art by Carl Milles
Carl Milles
Carl Milles was a Swedish sculptor, best known for his fountains. He was married to artist Olga Milles and brother to Ruth Milles and half brother to the architect Evert Milles...
and a humorous statue of Hans Alfredsson sticking his head out of the sewer.
The work on establishing the park was begun in 1852 under the leadership of Knut Malte Forsberg who had it completed the following year. An opening ceremony took place on the morning of July 13, 1858. As the park remained to fragile to receive a large crowd, the statue was secretly inaugurated in the middle of the night.
The entire area surrounding the present park was part of the Nybroviken
Nybroviken
Nybroviken is a small bay in central Stockholm, Sweden.Nybroviken separates the city district Östermalm from the peninsula Blasieholmen. North of the bay is Berzelii Park and Norrmalmstorg. To the south Nybroviken connects to the bay Ladugårdslandsviken...
bay until the mid-19th century. In the mid-1830s a new bridge across the bay was planned for the 25th anniversary of King Charles XIV. On the request of the king, the part of the bay inside the bridge was replaced by landfill installation, which transformed the bridge to more of a quay. The old bridge, Ladugårdslandsbron, was demolished in 1845 but the new bridge wasn't opened until 1848 due to technical problems caused by the load from the landfill. One of the cast iron railings from the bridge is still found in the present park.
Apparently the park failed to develop as intended as a report published in 1890 described its lawns as "consisting mostly of dandelions" and the raised area surrounding the statue as a "sand hill". However, the situation quickly improved as Afred Medin became city gardener, and the same critic later wrote enthusiastically about the park.
20th century
In the hot summer of 1951, Berzelii Park was the scene of the Berzelii Riots, when bored - and usually drunk - young people used to gather in the park night after night. The continuing riots escalated and reached their peak on the night of August 26, when there was a stand off between 3,000 young people and policemen called in from five different cites, including military policeMilitary police
Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
.