Osvald Almqvist (1884–1950), architect and Holger Blom 1906–96, City Gardeners of Stockholm.
Erik Glemme, landscape architect
Scandinavia is known for its gorgeous nature. In the 1930s the designers of the so-called Stockholm School of Park Design start bringing natural elements such as ponds, meadows and rocks together with regional flora into the city centre, onto people’s doorsteps. Their designs end up in public parks rather than in private gardens, in accordance with the ‘Swedish Model’ for the welfare state.
Architect Osvald Almqvist, Stockholm’s City Gardener in 1936–38, is the first to establish the new design methods. He formulates a cohesive park programme to be implemented by renowned landscape architect Erik Glemme. Architect Holger Blom, City Gardener in 1938–71, continues Almqvist’s work under the same guidelines. These methods become visible as a network of green spaces or as new parks such as Fredhällsparken and Rålambshovsparken. The parks offer spaces for recreation, sports, games, theatre and play.
A new concept for play is parklek (Park Play) with guided play activities in the city’s parks. They are introduced on an experimental basis at Observatorielunden and Björns trädgård in the summer months of 1936. Popular from the beginning, they will appear in many other areas of Stockholm and stay open all year round. Parklek still exists today but operates at strongly reduced capacity. Public art programmes open parks and city squares to contemporary art.
The installation of the abstract play sculpture Tufsen by sculptor Egon Møller-Nielsen in the city park of Humlegården in 1949 brings international attention to the Stockholm School.
posted on March 12, 2022