Skogskyrkogården
Encyclopedia
Skogskyrkogården is a cemetery
located in the Enskededalen
district south of central Stockholm
, Sweden
. Its design reflects the development of architecture
from national romantic
style to mature functionalism
.
Skogskyrkogården came about following an international competition in 1915 for the design of a new cemetery in Enskede
in the southern part of Stockholm
, Sweden
. The design of the young architects Gunnar Asplund
and Sigurd Lewerentz
was selected. Work began in 1917 on land that had been old gravel quarries that were overgrown with pine
trees and was completed three years later. The architects' use of the natural landscape created an extraordinary environment of tranquil beauty that had a profound influence on cemetery design throughout the world.
The crematorium, with its remarkable Faith, Hope, and Holy Cross Chapels was Gunnar Asplund's final work of architecture, opened shortly before his passing in 1940. In 1994, Skogskyrkogården was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site and although it does not have the number of famous interments as the Norra begravningsplatsen
, its much older counterpart in northern Stockholm, it is a major tourist attraction. At the Tallum Pavilion, visitors can see an exhibition about the cemetery and the story of its origins and the two architects whose vision created it.
Skogskyrkogården is connected to a metro station
by the same name (see Skogskyrkogården metro station
).
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
located in the Enskededalen
Enskededalen
Enskededalen is a district in Skarpnäck borough, Stockholm, Sweden. Enskededalen has 2,253 inhabitants as of December 31, 2007.Enskededalen consists mostly of detached housing which were built as a garden city in the 1920s....
district south of 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....
. Its design reflects the development of architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
from national romantic
Romantic nationalism
Romantic nationalism is the form of nationalism in which the state derives its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs...
style to mature functionalism
Functionalism (architecture)
Functionalism, in architecture, is the principle that architects should design a building based on the purpose of that building. This statement is less self-evident than it first appears, and is a matter of confusion and controversy within the profession, particularly in regard to modern...
.
History
Enskede
Enskede may refer to*The districts of Gamla Enskede in Enskede-Årsta-Vantör borough, Stockholm*Enskededalen, a district of Stockholm's Skarpnäck borough*Enskede gård in Söderort, Stockholm...
in the southern part of 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....
. The design of the young architects Gunnar Asplund
Gunnar Asplund
Erik Gunnar Asplund was a Swedish architect, mostly known as a key representative of Nordic Classicism of the 1920s, and during the last decade of his life as a major proponent of the modernist style which made its breakthrough in Sweden at the Stockholm International Exhibition...
and Sigurd Lewerentz
Sigurd Lewerentz
Sigurd Lewerentz . He was an architect, but initially trained as a mechanical engineer at the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg . Later he took up an architectural apprenticeship in Germany...
was selected. Work began in 1917 on land that had been old gravel quarries that were overgrown with pine
Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris, commonly known as the Scots Pine, is a species of pine native to Europe and Asia, ranging from Scotland, Ireland and Portugal in the west, east to eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains, and as far north as well inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia...
trees and was completed three years later. The architects' use of the natural landscape created an extraordinary environment of tranquil beauty that had a profound influence on cemetery design throughout the world.
The crematorium, with its remarkable Faith, Hope, and Holy Cross Chapels was Gunnar Asplund's final work of architecture, opened shortly before his passing in 1940. In 1994, Skogskyrkogården was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site and although it does not have the number of famous interments as the Norra begravningsplatsen
Norra begravningsplatsen
Norra begravningsplatsen, literally "The Northern Cemetery" in Swedish, is a major cemetery of Metropolitan Stockholm. The cemetery is located in the municipality of Solna.Inaugurated on June 9, 1827, it is the burial site for a number of Swedish notables....
, its much older counterpart in northern Stockholm, it is a major tourist attraction. At the Tallum Pavilion, visitors can see an exhibition about the cemetery and the story of its origins and the two architects whose vision created it.
Skogskyrkogården is connected to a metro station
Stockholm Metro
The Stockholm Metro is a metro system in Stockholm, Sweden. The first line opened in 1950, and today the system has 100 stations in use, of which 47 are underground and 53 above ground. There are seven lines numbered from 10 to 19, in three groups identified by a color: the Green, Red and Blue lines...
by the same name (see Skogskyrkogården metro station
Skogskyrkogården metro station
Skogskyrkogården metro station is on the green line of the Stockholm Metro, located in Gamla Enskede, Söderort, very close to the cementery Skogskyrkogården . The station was opened on October 1, 1950. The distance to Slussen is 5 km....
).
Notable interments
- Anton NilsonAnton NilsonAnton Nilson was a Swedish militant socialist and convicted murderer.Nilson was born and grew up in a peasant region in Skåne, the southernmost province of Sweden...
(1887-1989), revolutionary communist - Gunnar AsplundGunnar AsplundErik Gunnar Asplund was a Swedish architect, mostly known as a key representative of Nordic Classicism of the 1920s, and during the last decade of his life as a major proponent of the modernist style which made its breakthrough in Sweden at the Stockholm International Exhibition...
(1885-1940), architect - Greta GarboGreta GarboGreta Garbo , born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, was a Swedish film actress. Garbo was an international star and icon during Hollywood's silent and classic periods. Many of Garbo's films were sensational hits, and all but three were profitable...
(1905-1990), actress - Ivar Lo-JohanssonIvar Lo-JohanssonIvar Lo-Johansson was a Swedish writer of the proletarian school.He described the situation of the Swedish land-workers, statare, in his novels, short stories and journalism, which encouraged the adoption of certain land reforms in Sweden...
(1901-1990), writer - Oscar A.C. Lund (1885-1963), silent film actor, director
- Lennart "Nacka" SkoglundLennart SkoglundKarl Lennart "Nacka" Skoglund, , was a Swedish football player.-Biography:Nicknamed through-out his career as Nacka , Lennart Skoglund was a star of two Swedish World Cup sides in the 1950s. First as a young inside-left in 1950 and then as a mature left winger on home soil in 1958...
(1929-1975), football star - Alma JohanssonAlma JohanssonAlma Johansson was a Swedish missionary who worked in the city of Mush in the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1901, the Missionary Society of Swedish women sent Johansson to Mush , where she stayed until December, 1915. She worked at a German orphanage for Armenian children...
(1880-1970)- missionary - Pelle LindberghPelle LindberghPer-Eric Göran "Pelle" Lindbergh was a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender who played parts of five seasons in the National Hockey League for the Philadelphia Flyers.-Playing career:...
(1959-1985) - Team Sweden and NHL goaltender with Philadelphia Flyers