Carl Axel Setterberg (1812-1871) was a Swedish-born Finnish architect. Setterberg provided much of the urban design for the city of

Vaasa, Finland Vaasa (; sv, Vasa, , Sweden ), in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki ( sv, Nikolajstad; literally meaning "city of Nicholas),

Biography

Setterberg was born at Bogsta parish in

Södermanland Södermanland ( or ), locally Sörmland, sometimes referred to under its Latin form ''Sudermannia'' or ''Sudermania'', is a historical province or ''landskap'' on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Östergötland, Närke, Västmanla ...

, Sweden. He studied to become an architect at the

Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts ( sv, Kungliga Akademien för de fria konsterna), commonly called the Royal Academy, is located in Stockholm, Sweden. An independent organization that promotes the development of painting, sculpture, architec ...

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

from 1834–1841. In May 1841, he got a job as

building contractor A general contractor, main contractor or prime contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and the communication of information to all involved parties throughout the course of ...

in Gävleborg province, where he worked the following ten years. In this position he led many important building projects in

Gävle Gävle () is a city in Sweden, the seat of Gävle Municipality and the capital of Gävleborg County. It had 77,586 inhabitants in 2020, which makes it the 13th most populated city in Sweden. It is the oldest city in the historical Norrland (Swede ...

and designed several public buildings. When he heard that the city of

Vaasa Vaasa (; sv, Vasa, , Sweden ), in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki ( sv, Nikolajstad; literally meaning "city of Nicholas),

in Finland had burned down to the ground in 1852, he became interested in the opportunities surrounding the rebuilding of the city. He travelled to Vaasa where the job as county architect was open, and in January 1853 he was temporarily appointed for the job after impressing the county

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Berndt Federley (1799–1863). In 1855, he permanently became county architect after he had becoming citizen of the

Grand Duchy of Finland The Grand Duchy of Finland ( fi, Suomen suuriruhtinaskunta; sv, Storfurstendömet Finland; russian: Великое княжество Финляндское, , all of which literally translate as Grand Principality of Finland) was the predecessor ...

. In 1854, he became the city architect and was commissioned with drawing up the new city plan on the isthmus of Klemetsö, about seven kilometres (4.3 miles) to the northwest from the old town. The new town of Nikolaistad (Finnish: ''Nikolainkaupunki''), named after the late

Tsar Nicholas I , house = Romanov-Holstein-Gottorp , father = Paul I of Russia , mother = Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg) , birth_date = , birth_place = Gatchina Palace, Gatchina, Russian Empire , death_date = ...

, rose in 1862. The new city had a modern square layout and was divided by wide streets. Setterberg also designed many of the city's public and private buildings, like the Holy Trinity Church in 1869. In 1871, Setterberg died at Nikolaistad (renamed Vaasa during 1917). In year 2000, Setterberg was voted the most significant person from

Vaasa Vaasa (; sv, Vasa, , Sweden ), in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki ( sv, Nikolajstad; literally meaning "city of Nicholas),

of all time. The

poll Poll, polled, or polling may refer to: Figurative head counts * Poll, a formal election ** Election verification exit poll, a survey taken to verify election counts ** Polling, voting to make decisions or determine opinions ** Polling places o ...

was a part of Vaasa's 400th anniversary celebration.Vaasa 400 - Poll about the most significant person from Vaasa - The result
(only in

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

and

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Setterberg, Carl Axel 1812 births 1871 deaths People from Nyköping Municipality Finnish architects 19th-century Swedish architects Finnish people of Swedish descent Naturalized citizens of Finland Swedish emigrants to Finland