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05.06.2020

Garden Society of Gothenburg

The Garden Association is an urban park in the centre of Gothenburg, limited to Nya Allén, Vallgraven, Södra vägen and Ullevigatan. The park now has a rose garden, greenhouses, palm trees as well as shops, cafes and street scenes for various performances. There is also a Garden restaurant in the park. The park's rosary was awarded three stars in the Michelin Guide and is therefore classified as one of Gothenburg's main attractions.

The first park in Sweden was declared a memorial building by the Gothenburg Garden Association on 2 June 1992.  Already in 1976, Palm House in the park became a memorial building. 

The motives of the park as a memorial building 

The Garden Association Park started to be built in 1842. It is one of the earliest public parks in the country and the most magnificent at the time of its creation. Due to its English influence, it occupies a unique position in comparison with later landscaped urban parks, which were designed according to the ideal German park layout. The plant plan, as well as the choice of plants in the form of discounts and plantings, have maintained their original character to this day, with their typical plant variety and winding paths. A couple of the earliest park buildings were built in the earliest period of the park, the director's villa in 1847 and the student residence in 1868, while many others were added at the turn of the century. Today, the Garden Association Park is one of the best preserved public parks of the middle of the 19th century and also has a special place in the Swedish history of the park.

Garden Society of Gothenburg

History

The Gothenburg Garden Association was founded in 1842 after Charles XIV Johan's decision of September 28, 1842 "to leave the Segerlinde Meadow (about 18 acres) for this purpose". Previously, it belonged to the famous Gothenburg tractor driver and hotel manager Laurentius Segerlinde.

The initiator was Henrik Elof von Normann, captain of the Geta Artillery Regiment, a large lover's flower, who travelled to Berlin in the summer of 1840 and visited its large botanical gardens. Other founders were: Sahlgrenska's chief physician, P.C. Westring, commercial consultant James Dixon, associate professor M.V. von Duben, Dr. AG Franck, pharmacist at AH, master branch of JE Areschoug and jeweler JE Tengstedt.

In 1842, the magistrate in Gothenburg decided that 1000 ricksdallers would contribute annually to the newly established Garden Association. The money meant that the association's gardeners would take care of the city's parks and plantations. The agreement has been extended several times.

Garden Society of Gothenburg

In March 1843, architects Viktor von Hegerfelt and Heinrich Kaufmann were commissioned, together with gardener Franz Tepel, to draw up drawings and calculate the cost of the plant in the field. Nevertheless, both Hegerfelt and Tepel were allowed to retire in August 1844, but it was nevertheless the joint company of Hegerfelt and Kaufmann "ByggnadsContoiret" (founded in 1842) that was commissioned to build the garden plant. Soon it proved to be a problematic and expensive job, since the entire area consisted of a blue clay "pile was like turning a match into a cake". The city promised financial support with 5000 ricksdaler banks and a few thousand girls with "excellent good compost" from Larmgatan, which would "prepare wonderful vegetation in such a stupid mud", and also a favorable agreement was signed with the "Artillery Staff Council" to get the whole wasted horse from two years to 250 ricksdaler banks a year for compensation.

On May 29, 1863 it was decided that the Garden Association should be equipped with a gas pipeline. As the business expanded, a new economical building designed by Gegerfelt was built on Slussgatan in 1874.

From the very beginning, the seed trade was the main source of income, and most of it amounted to 40,000 copies of their catalogue. The building for the seed trade was completed in November 1876, designed by Gegerfelt. Legendary in this context was the seed trade manager and comrade Gustav Alfred Gustafsson, who for 50 years (1887-1937) managed the seed trade in a very profitable way. The building was extended in 1890, and in 1920 it was completely renovated.

Due to the economic downturn, the park was handed over to the municipality of Gothenburg in 1975.

Garden Society of Gothenburg

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