Skogskyrkogården

Travelling south via the Stockholm metro system, it only takes a few minutes before arriving at Skogskyrkogården (which is also the name of the metro stop).

In this forest cemetery – literally the English translation of “skogskyrkogård” – inaugurated in 1940, most of the graves are placed among trees in a deep forest, in this way interlacing the boundaries of human existence with the organic shapes of nature.

Since 1994, it has been classified as a world heritage by Unesco. Specifically, it was the way in which architects Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz created a completely new kind of burial ground, which later came to inspire other resting grounds around the world, that awarded the cemetery this status. 

The architecture itself has been defined as an important world contribution, and the entire site is today considered to be one of the world’s most significant modern architectural accomplishments.

Between 1935 and 1940, Gunnar Asplund designed Skogskrematoriet, which is the largest compound of the area. It consists of three chapels – of the Faith, of Hope and of the Holy Cross – as well as a crematorium and the large open hall of monuments.

Everyone who has lost a loved one, regardless of religious or spiritual beliefs, knows how hard this transition can be.

A sense of loneliness and loss is almost inevitable in the presence of death.

The entire space of Skogskyrkogården was planned with these emotions in consideration, offering solace and support by referencing biblical perspectives and enhancing the presence of God in everything from the design of a chapel to how the sun rays find their way through the many tree tops.

Most of the lighting fixtures are turned slightly upwards, so that the light is directed towards the sky, a motion further emphasised in the sculpture by John Lundqvist, called Uppståndelsemonumentet, where people stretch their bodies and lift their faces toward heaven.

The architects also planned spaces for sorrow in the layout of the cemetery. A number of paths lead up to the chapels where funeral ceremonies still are held. The paths are made for the mourners to walk together. First, one passes birch trees, but as one approaches the chapel, the light birch trees are replaced by denser and darker coniferous trees.

The changing of trees symbolises, or even intensifies, the feeling of sorrow as one approaches the chapel. After the ceremony, the mourners are led out of the chapel through a different door, signalling the moving on in life, step by step leaving sorrow behind.

Another example of how emotions are enhanced by the architecture is the stairs designed by Sigurd Lewerentz, leading up to Almhöjden.

The higher you climb, the smaller the steps will become, which is a subtle way to lend a helping hand, making sure that the visitor doesn’t become exhausted from climbing the stairs. When reaching the end of the steps, the visitor will thus not be tired but instead experiencing a sense of calm, an essential part in the coming meditation that might take place on the hill top. 

Skogskyrkogården is an emotional landscape, where the visitors’ sombre mood is softened by diligent and careful architectural planning.

The sorrow after losing someone is met with a softness and serenity in both the layout of the landscape and in the beauty of the buildings.

Only four months after its completion, Gunnar Asplund died.

He was laid to rest outside of the Chapel of Faith, which he had designed himself, and the inscription on his memory plaque states succinctly that, “hans verk lever” (in English, “his work lives”).

Skogskyrkogården 

Enskede, Sweden