Humlegården is a major park in the district of

Östermalm Östermalm (; "Eastern city-borough") is a 2.56 km2 large district in central Stockholm, Sweden. With 71,802 inhabitants, it is one of Sweden's most populous and exclusive districts. It is an extremely expensive area, having the highest ho ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Sweden. The park borders on

Karlavägen Karlavägen is a street in the burough of Östermalm in Stockholm. It extends from Birger Jarlsgatan to Oxenstiernsgatan. Engelbrektskyrkan, Humlegården and Tyska skolan are situated along it. See also *Geography of Stockholm The City of ...

in the north,

Sturegatan Sturegatan is a street in the borough of Östermalm in Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic ...

in the east, Humlegårdsgatan in the south and Engelbrektsgatan in the west. It is the location of the

Swedish Royal Library The National Library of Sweden (, ''KB'', meaning "the Royal Library") is Sweden's national library. It collects and preserves all domestic printed and audio-visual materials in Swedish, as well as content with Swedish association published abr ...

(''Kungliga biblioteket''). Kungs bibliotek

History

Royal Park

Humlegården was originally the ''Royal Fruit Garden'', established by King

Johan III John III (; 20 December 1537 – 17 November 1592) was King of Sweden from 1569 until his death. He attained the Swedish throne after a rebellion against his half-brother Erik XIV. He is mainly remembered for his attempts to close the gap bet ...

in the 16th century. The name ''humle'', meaning hop, indicates that hops were one of the major plants grown in the garden. In 1686-87, Queen

Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark (11 September 1656 – 26 July 1693) was Queen of Sweden as the wife of King Charles XI. She is often admired for her generosity and charity. The name ''Ulrike'' is a Danish version of the name; in Swedish she is ...

had a pavilion,'' Rotundan '', built there for herself and her children.

Recreation Park

Already in the 17th century, parts of the park were opened to the public. In 1764, the park was opened for public recreation. There were, however, restrictions on who was allowed to be admitted. From 1773 until 1780, the

Stenborg Troupe The Stenborg Company () was a Swedish theatre company, active in Sweden and Finland in the 18th century. It was also called Stenborgska skådebanorna ('Stenborg Stages'), Svenska komeditruppen ('Swedish Comedy Troupe') and Svenska Comedien ('Swed ...

performed in the '' Rotundan'', in the former pavilion of the queen, then referred to as '' Humlegårdsteatern'' (Humlegården theater). From 1853-1877, the ''Humlegårdsteatern'' was again in use.

Public Park

The park was completely opened to the public in 1869. At Engelbrektsplan next to Humlegården, the Djursholm line of the Roslag Railway ended from 1895–1960 and on the other side of the park, on Lidingövägen, the Lidingö Tram line ended from 1914–1967. Today the park is a popular recreational area for locals, hosting a small soccer ground, skateboard ramp, children's playground and lawns.

Monuments and statues

The park is the site of a number of statues. In the centre of the park is ''Linnémonumentet'', a large statue commemorating botanist and zoologist

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

(1707–1778). The monument was designed by Johannes Frithiof Kjellberg (1836-1885) and dates to 1885. Other notable statues commemorate historian Anders Fryxell (1795–1881), chemist

Carl Wilhelm Scheele Carl Wilhelm Scheele (, ; 9 December 1742 – 21 May 1786) was a Swedish Pomerania, German-Swedish pharmaceutical chemist. Scheele discovered oxygen (although Joseph Priestley published his findings first), and identified the elements molybd ...

(1742–1786), author

Fredrika Bremer Fredrika Bremer (17 August 1801 – 31 December 1865) was a Finland, Finnish-born Sweden and Norway, Swedish Swedish literature, writer and feminism in Sweden, reformer. Her ''Sketches of Everyday Life'' were wildly popular in Britain and ...

(1801– 1865) and Lutheran priest Peter Wieselgren (1800-1877). Other works include ''Farfadern'' by

Per Hasselberg Per Hasselberg (1 January 1850 – 25 July 1894), until 1870 Karl Petter Åkesson, was a Swedish sculptor. He has received critical acclaim mainly for his delicate and allegorical nudes, copies of which are widely distributed in public places ...

(1896), ''Tuffsen'' by Egon Möller Nielsen (1949), ''Isobartema'' by Martin Holmgren (1970), ''Cordillera de Los Andes'' by Francisco Gazitúa (2000) and ''

Hjalmar Söderberg Hjalmar Emil Fredrik Söderberg (2 July 1869 – 14 October 1941) was a Swedish novelist, short story writer, playwright and journalist. His works often deal with melancholy and lovelorn characters, and offer a rich portrayal of contemporary Stoc ...

'' (1869–1941) by Peter Linde (2010). In 2022, a sculpture to commemorate the life and work of acclaimed Swedish DJ and music producer,

Avicii Tim Bergling (8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii, was a Swedish DJ, remixer, and record producer. At age 16, he began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first record deal. He rose ...

"Standing Waves" was unveiled. The wind sculpture, designed to represent his music, was designed by Adèle Essle Zeiss and Liva Isakson.

Gallery

File:Carl Vilhelm Scheele.jpg, ''Carl Wilhelm Scheele'' File:Gustaf Mallmquists Peter Wieselgren.JPG, ''Peter Wieselgren'' File:Walter Runeberg Axel Fryxell.JPG, ''Anders Fryxell'' File:Fredrika Bremers staty - Humlan (gabbe).jpg, ''Fredrika Bremer'' File:KB, Farfadern, Per Hasselberg.JPG, '' Farfadern '' File:Tufsen02.JPG, ''Tuffsen'' File:Cordillera de los Andes - front 2 - 2008-05-29 (gabbe).jpg, ''Cordillera de Los Andes'' File:Martin Holmgren Isobartema 01.JPG, ''Isobartema'' File:Konstverket "Standing Waves" på minnesplatsen för Avicii.jpg, ''Standing Waves''

References

Other sources

* Johan Flodmark (1893) ''Stenborgska skådebanorna: bidrag till Stockholms teaterhistoria'' (Norstedt, Stockholm)

External links

Park documents for Humlegården
{{DEFAULTSORT:Humlegarden Parks in Stockholm Urban public parks