The Scandinavian Outdoors

Nature and culture have often been described as two opposing forces. One grounded in the rhythm and matter of the earth, the other created artificially by man. Regardless, we need both in our lives. We’ve selected three places that represent both great culture and beautiful nature. They are very different from one another; one massive park in Oslo, one an impressive Danish castle by the sea, and the third a museum in Stockholm’s archipelago, with works of art not only inside the building but also in the forest around it, for visitors to experience while exploring the woods and perhaps even going for a swim. 

Frogner Park

Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland is one of Norway’s best-known artists, mainly associated with the impressive Vigeland Park, part of Frogner Part in the eastern part of Oslo, and the capital’s main tourist attraction. 

In 1921, the town of Oslo had decided to demolish Vigeland’s house in order to build a library. As compensation, he was granted a new building where he would be able to live and work. But in exchange, Vigeland promised to donate all his subsequent works to Oslo. 

His new studio was on Nobels gate (a strange coincident, as Vigeland was the designer of the Nobel Peace Prize medal), and for the next twenty years, he devoted his life to an open exhibition of his work; Vigeland Sculpture Arrangement (or Vigelandsanlegget in Norwegian) in Frogner Park. 

The installation features 212 bronze and granite sculptures, all designed by Vigeland, placed in a geometrical order that culminates in the Monolith (“Monolitten”), with 121 figures struggling to reach the sculpture’s top. 

The bridge was the first part to be opened to the public, in 1940. It forms a 100-metre-long connection between the Main Gate and the Fountain (originally planned to be in front of the Parliament of Norway, in Eidsvolls plass), lined with 58 sculptures, including one of the park’s most popular, “Angry Boy”.

Don’t miss the sundial, forged in 1930, at the end of the installation’s axis, or the Wheel of Life stone sculpture, depicting four adults, a child, and a baby. 

The latest addition, completed in plaster in 1942, only months before one of the models for the work, Jewish refugee Ruth Maier, was sent to Auschwitz, where she was murdered. Since 2002, a bronze cast of this work is now installed in the park, contextualising the volatile political climate and specifically the Nazi occupation of Norway during Vigeland’s seminal years while creating the sculptures of the park. 

Artipelag

During the last several decades, many art institutions have transformed into tourist destinations in their own right. Many of them have been inspired by the extreme success of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao – even the city’s name has over the years become synonymous with the signature museum building. 

When Björn and Lillemor Jakobson contacted architect Johan Nyrén, they also mentioned Bilbao as part of the brief, but in an unexpected way: Their ambition was to create the complete opposite of what Guggenheim had done. Landmark buildings such as the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum, the Sydney Opera House or the Burj Khalifa have become iconic because of the way the design starkly contrasts with the surrounding nature.

At Artipelag, the goal was instead to adapt to the existing nature, and to adhere to its particular topography and personality, not changing it. 

The name “Artipelag” can be slightly irritating when you first hear it. You think you recognize its meaning, but fail to fully being able to explain it. This is because it combines three common concepts that are not evidently related to one another: art, activities and archipelago. 

Perched on the cliffs off an island in the south part of the Stockholm archipelago, approximately 20 kilometres from the city centre, it sits on 22 hectares of land. Its long, decked walkway, made from local larch tree, follows the direction of the fjord, continuing through the surrounding forest and stretches 800 metres in total, every part accessible to wheelchairs.

As much as possible of the natural landscape was left untouched throughout the construction process, and many rocks, trees and bushes were kept and even put back into their previous place, once the building was completed. The paths around the art centre are clearly marked, so that visitors will leave the many blueberry and lingonberry twigs intact.

The roof, inspired by the Oslo Opera House, is accessible for any who wants to rest between exhibitions and do some sunbathing. This is where the café and restaurant grow their herbs and vegetables. As far as possible, Artipelag grow their own food and source what they can locally, which aligns its current practice with its initial philosophy.

Artipelag is not a generic art destination, but a celebration of the specific qualities found in this particular place and part of the world. The building consists of 10 000 square metres, while the actual art centre itself spans over 3000 square metres, and is thus one of Sweden’s largest art museums. 

The exhibition space covers approximately 1000 square metres, and includes a wall that measures 65 metres in total, with large windows turning towards the Baggen-fjord outside. 

Ever since it opened in 2012, the strategy has been to avoid niche exhibitions, instead striving for a variety and inclusivity in what is displayed. 

Artipelag not only showcases art but also design, architecture and everything in-between, while also setting up operas and dance performances. The interior space is minimalist, mostly made from naturally grey concrete that was moulded on site. Inspired by Baden-Baden’s Museum Frieder Burda, the visitor’s experience should be as if “one were walking on air” when passing through the large, bright spaces, as Björn Jakobson once stated.

Even before having completely stepped inside the museum, it is possible to see straight through the building, as opposite the entrance is a large glass wall, overlooking the forest and beyond that, the fjord that connects this water to the Baltic Sea.

Kronborg Castle

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy”

— William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Hamlet (1602)

It’s unexpected that one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays takes place in a Danish castle on the east coast, but at time of Shakespeare’s lifetime, Elsinore (or Helsingør in Danish) was an important military location, the stronghold from which the King of Denmark controlled the Sound through which all traffic to and from the Baltic Sea had to pass. 

At the site of Krongborg, the Sound is only four kilometres wide, which means that the castle had tremendous geopolitical significance, as ships had to pay “sound dues” to pass through. 

Originally a middle age-fortress, Kronborg was rebuilt into a magnificent castle between 1574 and 1585. Only a few years later, in 1629, much of the castle was destroyed in a fire, and in 1658, it was besieged by the Swedes, who occupied parts of Denmark while stealing many of its most valuable art treasures.

The castle was expensively decorated, with the northeast corner containing the king’s residence and the southwestern corner containing a large, arched banquet hall. The Queen’s Gallery allowed the Queen passage from her chambers in the north wing to the gigantic ballroom in the south wing. This ballroom was the largest hall in northern Europe when it was completed in 1582, and today the walls are hung with a series of paintings from the early 1600s. 

In the Little Hall, seven tapestries have survived from a series of originally forty, portraying one hundred Danish kings. 

The two most significant masterpieces in this collection are “Tapestry depicting Oluf” (1376–1387) and “Tapestry depicting Knud VI” (1182–1202).In 1590, James VI of Scotland stayed in the  castle, following his marriage to Anne of Denmark. The castle that the royal couple stayed in would have been lavishly decorated by king Fredrick II, around 1579. This would also explain how Shakespeare came to hear about the castle, which was a perfect fit with the story of Hamlet as the play is based on a Norse legend on the rise and fall of the great rules of Denmark, including the tale of “Amleth”, which Shakespeare turned into “Hamlet”. 

The play is regularly played at the castle, with the title role being played by actors such as Christopher Plummer, Laurence Olivier and Jude Law. 

During the Swedish siege, many parts of the castle were stolen or destroyed. After the war, the defences were strengthened significantly, and for the following centuries, Kronborg was considered to be the strongest fortress in all of Europe. However, the royal family decided not to return, and the castle was eventually turned into a prison.

Visiting today, the castle remains a symbol of the complicated and often strained relationship between the Nordic countries, while also – through the refined style of northern baroque that marks the buildings – showcasing the rich aesthetic history and influence of Denmark.