The past, present for the future

State Party: Sweden

Site: Skogskyrkogården

Year of Inscription: 1994

Skogskyrkogården is a Swedish cemetery from the early 20th century located in central Stockholm. 

When I visited it in 2011, my first struggle was finding out how to pronounce its name. I still can't. 

What mattered to me in this moment of my early #ChasingWorldHeritage days, was finding out what was the meaning of this site to humanity.

Unlike the Day of the Dead in Mexico, Skogskyrkogården is not about a tradition, but rather a place. But, what would make this an outstanding cemetery? Was someone important buried there? Was it super old and beautiful?

Well... Swedish people were buried here (of course, every human being is important), but most of the Swedish prominent figures like Alfred Nobel are buried somewhere else. Moreover, this site is only about one century old, unlike the Royal tombs of Luxor, in Egypt.

Why would this site be World Heritage then? Well, I found out it was definitely beautiful and very modern.

Not far from the main centre of Stockholm...

...all you have to do to get there is take the metro, the tram or the bus...

...and a few stations later you will be there.

When I visited in November, around 5pm it was already dark...

...and as I was young, my photography skills were still developing, so I don't have many pictures, or at least, good quality ones.

When Skogskyrkogården was founded at the beginning of the 1900s, the aim was to create something original and special.

Its design blends vegetation and architectural elements, taking advantage of irregularities in the site to create a landscape that is finely adapted to its function. In 1912, Stockholm City Council acquired a tract of former gravel pits overgrown with pine trees for the purpose of creating a new cemetery. An international architectural competition for its design was won by two 30-year-old Swedish architects, Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz.

Many architectural works listed as World Heritage represent breaking points in traditional design. As I learned from making this post, Skogskyrkogåren has had a profound influence on cemetery design in many countries of the world, combining nature with art in a place of rest.

Skogskyrkogården is an example of the application of the concept of architecture completely integrated into its environment. Each construction on its own would lose much of its meaning if isolated from the landscape for which it was conceived. 

Being a 'professional World Heritage chaser', now I can say I didn't visit much of this place's Outstanding Universal Values. 

As a young backpacker in his early twenties, I didn't really do a lot of research about the main features of the sites I visited. I wish I can go back one day and explore a bit more!

But as for now, I have been there and seen the "main" things to see, as you can see from my pictures. But there's an official website where you can download maps, read a more detailed history and analysis of the place, and see pictures of much more quality. Here I share some of the places you can't miss visiting: 

• Woodland Chapel: The cemetery’s first and smallest chapel. It was designed by Gunnar Asplund and inaugurated in 1920.
• Chapel of Resurrection: Designed by Lewerentz and completed in 1925, it looks like a neoclassicist temple.
• Visitors Center
• The Woodland Crematorium and its three chapels: Faith, Hope and the Holy Cross.
• Have a walk in nature
• Almhöjden: A meditation grove that stands just to the right of the main entrance.
• Granite Cross
• The Wall: A raw limestone wall 3.6 kilometres in length surrounds Skogskyrkogården.

As an interesting fact, one of my favourite DJs lies in this cemetery. Tim Bergling "Avicii", who passed away on the 20th of April 2018 was buried here. For privacy reasons, his tomb is not signalled, but if I ever go back, I will definitely wear my headphones and play his last record.

As a Mexican, I have a "close" cultural relationship with the dead. I mean, we celebrate the Day of the Dead, and at my grandparents' town, since I was a child, I learned the tradition of visiting our dead ones in the cemeteries every 1st and/or 2nd of November. I remember being amazed the very first time I visited the Island of Janitzio, in Patzcuaro...

...or the cemetery of Mixquic, where indigenous communities come to spend the night with their dead ones, bringing food, flowers, and drinks.

In fact, this tradition is Intangible World Heritage by UNESCO, and it's amazing! 

My visit to Skogskyrkogården happened during the first days of November, and it was the first time I saw something (somehow) similar outside of my country.