Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
JUGENDSTIL
SWEDISH STYLE
Forget any notion of
Swedish design
and style consisting solely of IKEA flat-packs and
stripped-pine simplicity. One of the country's most splendid periods for architecture and
design was the end of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth - the era
of Art Nouveau or
Jugendstil
.
This free-flowing style was employed to decorate the facades of urban landscapes across
Europe, but the luxuriant curves and organic shapes were never so resonant as in nature-
loving Sweden. Towns across the country still boast a wealth of beautiful examples from this
elegant era: Stockholm's Östermalm area is rich in
Jugendstil
, while in Gothenburg, the curves
and curls are most apparent in Vasastan. In Malmö, Helsingborg and Lund the best houses
- often cream-stuccoed with green paintwork - are peppered with images of quirky faces,
rising suns and stylized flowers.
The twentieth century to the present
Some of the most gorgeous buildings in Sweden's cities are the result of a movement
which germinated in the final, resurgent years of the nineteenth century -
National
Romanticism
, which set out to simplify architecture and use local materials to create a
distinctive Swedish style. Its finest example, which was much influenced by the Arts
and Crafts movement in Britain, is Stockholm's
Stadshuset
, built in 1923 from plain
brick, dressed stone and rustic timber. Another luscious example is Lars Israel
Wahlmann's
Tjolöholm castle
, just south of Gothenburg - a city in which some of the
finest apartment buildings are those produced in the associated Art Nouveau style,
known in Sweden as
Jugendstil
. One beautifully renovated building in full
Jugendstil
form is the theatre in Tivoli Park in
Kristianstad
, a town otherwise known for its
Renaissance buildings. Stockholm's 1910-built
Hotel Esplanade
is a fine example,
though the cities of Gothenburg, Malmö and Lund amongst others are rich in the
heritage. The small town of Hjö on the western shores of Lake Vättern has a fine clutch
of
Jugendstil
houses.
In the second quarter of the century a new movement -
Functionalism
- burst onto
the scene, making great use of “industrial” materials such as stainless steel and concrete.
The leading architect of his generation was
Gunnar Asplund
, famed for Stockholm City
Library (mid-1920s) and his contribution to many other buildings - his interior of the
law courts in
Gothenburg's Rådhus
is a favourite among architecture students and
enthusiasts today.
The creation of the welfare state went hand in hand with the ascendancy of a
functionalist approach to architecture, which rejected many of the individualistic
features of traditional Swedish design. By the 1960s, the faceless
International Style
had
gained dominance in Sweden, as town planning gave way to insensitive clearance of old
houses and their replacement with bland high-rises.
The late 1980s and early 1990s saw restoration becoming the order of the day with
areas that had been left to decay - such as the old working-class neighbourhood of
Haga
in Gothenburg - gently gentrified and preserved. More recently the emphasis has
shifted towards environmentally sympathetic architecture. Intrinsically Nordic in their
tone, these new buildings are often low-level structures constructed from locally
sourced wood, with vast areas of glass capitalizing on natural light
A little further south, in Gothenburg, the natural science museum,
Universeum
is a
splendidly organic building - all rough-hewn wood, glass and concrete reflecting in the
pools of water outside. One of the highest-profile projects of the last decade is the
Moderna Muséet
and
Arkitekturmuséet
(Modern Museum and Museum of
Architecture) on the island of Skeppsholm, in Stockholm harbour. Designed by the
Spaniard
Rafael Moneo
, the building eloquently complements the diverse structures of
the city's waterfront without trying to overshadow them.
