What are the best places to go for summer vacation? Why not heading to Stockholm, the Swedish capital? For the Escape Plan column, our author writes about places and projects that are a must-visit in Stockholm – especially if you’re an urban planner.
Situated at Lake Mälaren’s outlet in the Baltic Sea, Stockholm resembles a landscape divided into several smaller islands and land areas. City development began on the small islet that is today Gamla stan, where architectural elements of both the Middle Ages and Classicism can be viewed. In spring, the city park Kungsträdgården is a must-see with its flower roof of pink, fluffy Sakuras and its mixed functionality. Stockholm is characterized by attentive adaptation and inspiration from external trends, but has also shown proof of innovation. In the 40s, the Modernist park policy “the Stockholm style” got international recognition and is still well preserved along the path of Norr Mälarstrand. By introducing the concept of “Stockholmian Landscape-urbanism”, Stockholm reinforces its notion as a leading-edge urban visionary with the extensive ongoing project Hagastaden.
Escape Plan: Stockholm – four places, four facets
Gamla stan
Gamla stan (the Old town) is the small islet where Stockholm was founded in 1252, and an obvious choice to get better acquainted with the “Venice of the North”. On 36 hectares of land, attractions such as the Royal Palace, the Great Church, several museums and all kinds of restaurants and shops are situated. The dominant architecture is of neoclassical style, employed until the late 1850s, a few houses even containing medieval fragments and facades. With charming cobblestone streets and narrow alleys, a pleasant walk starts on Västerlånggatan, the city’s most important business street until the 20th century. It runs from Mynttorget in the north to Järntorget in the south, continuing further down towards the Slussen area and the famous “Guldbron”, a bridge inaugurated by the end of 2020 connecting the Old Town with the hip Södermalm.
[tcl-gallery id = “1”]
Norr Mälarstrand
Another attraction is Norr Mälarstrand street on the island of Kungsholmen. Strolling down this path by the water, completed in 1943 by eminent city gardener Holger Blom and his assistant, the also renowned Erik Glemme, you are offered not only winding promenades, small bridges and playgrounds, but also an unbeatable view of Riddarfjärden. The functionalist park style became known in the ’30s and ’40s as “the Stockholm style”. The original plantings along the route are largely preserved from this time, with groves of alder, willow, poplar and birch, undulating lawns at the shoreline, and native aquatic plants. Following the route all the way down to the city, you will pass the City Hall, where the annual Nobel party is held.
[tcl-gallery id = “2”]
Kungsträdgården
Stockholm’s most central park is a park for all seasons. With historical roots dating back to the 15th century, today it is a meeting place and green center that connects Hamngatan and Karl XII’s square down to Strömgatan. In winter, part of the square is transformed into an ice rink and at the end of April, the cherry trees bloom in the northern part, an exquisite experience that has become a tradition for many Stockholmers to enjoy. The park is flexible, with many different spaces and functions, such as water games in the Forum pond, sculptures, chess games, long wooden benches and generous seating stairs. By continuing east towards Strandvägen, you will pass the ancient Dramaten, the Royal Dramatic Theater. Only a stone’s throw away, the Teatergrillen restaurant on Nybrogatan street features one of Stockholm’s oldest preserved interiors. The menu is classically Scandinavian and the atmosphere exclusive with large sofas and a luxurious touch of French boudoir.
[tcl-gallery id = “3”]
Hagastaden
A project that has been in full swing in the northern part of the city since 2014 is the famous Hagastaden. The aim is to unite the dense city with the surrounding landscape and strengthen the green link between the inner city, Solna, and Haga. To mimic a slowly developing city, the architectural goal is a symphonically oscillating verticality. Hagastaden extends from Vasastan and Norra Stationsgatan into Karolinska University Hospital and Karolinska Institutet, further out to Hagaparken. Hagastaden is unique in terms of density and ambition; nothing like this has ever been built in all of Scandinavia. Six thousand new homes and 50,000 jobs are what the project is expected to offer, with a completion date set to 2030.The budget of about 70 billion kronor will be expressing “Stockholmian landscape-urbanism” and provide evidence of innovation in a time where densification is a prominent keyword in urban planning.
[tcl-gallery id = “4”]
Place to stay: Hotel Diplomat, Strandvägen 7C
Restaurant: Teatergrillen, Nybrogatan 3
//
Read the Escape Plan of Algiers here.
Algiers is a city with remarkable architectural diversity, and a historical and cultural richness that makes it possible to travel through space and time. The city has always been a source of inspiration for artists, architects and writers such as Le Corbusier and Albert Camus. Algiers’ first occupation by a foreign power occurred in the 7th century B.C. with the establishment of the Phoenician maritime trading base Ikosim (Seagull Island). Pirates, Romans, Vikings, Arabs and Ottomans all settled here. European urban development began with the arrival of the French in 1830. Today, after many changes, Algiers presents itself as a city with a thousand facets and many different styles.
Algiers city walk recommended by Kamel Louafi:
Kamel Louafi is a Berliner, German-Algerian, cartographer, landscape architect, artist and author. He first studied cartography in Algeria and then landscape architecture at the TU Berlin. Despite not being involved in the day-to-day running of a business anymore, he continues to participate in social discourse whenever possible.
[tttgallery]
Front de Mer
Arriving by ship or plane, visitors first see Algiers’ maritime façade, which has a typical Mediterranean character. The Front de Mer project was initiated in 1860 by Napoleon III, with the basic aim of providing Algiers with an orderly Haussmann-like façade that would give the city a modern character and restore the link between the port and city. This large-scale project was entrusted to the architect Pierre-August Guiaucahain and architect and engineer Frédéric Chassériau. They built imposing buildings of different styles that meander like a string of pearls on a boulevard running along the coast. Overlooking the sea, they have undoubtedly shaped Algiers’ famous image as the white city.
1 Notre Dame d’Afrique
The Notre Dame d’Afrique basilica stands atop a steep coastal cliff with a view over the Casbah and the entire bay. It was built in 1872 as a Roman Catholic pilgrimage church of the Virgin Mary by the architect Jean-Eugène Fromageau.
[tttgallery id=”604″]
2 Casbah, Ketschaoua Mosque, Place des Martyrs
The Casbah, also called Medina – built in the 16th century – is Algiers’ old city. Its narrow streets, renovated palaces and museums bear witness to the reason it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1992. The Casbah is not only an urban heritage site, but also a symbol of Algerian resistance to the French.
At the foot of the Casbah lies the Ketschaoua Mosque, which is also classified as a World Heritage Site. It was originally built in 1436 and is considered a unique combination of Moorish and Byzantine architectural elements, and is a symbol of the history of the city of Algiers. Under the rule of Dey Hassan, it was transformed into a typical Ottoman mosque in 1794. During the French colonial period, it was used by the Catholic Church and renamed –
St. Philippe Cathedral in 1832, a name it retained until Algeria gained its independence in 1962, when it once again became a mosque. The façade is the work of the French architect Albert Ballu. North of the Ketschaoua Mosque is the Place des Martyrs. It was the first square built by the French army in 1830 as a parade ground, and was extensively renovated according to archaeological findings in 2017. The result is, unfortunately, a catastrophe.
Planners from Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Spain, Italy, Germany and Turkey have been involved in the preservation and development of this old city as an area of world cultural heritage from the time of independence in 1962 until today – its deterioration has nevertheless continued. In December 2018, a cooperation agreement including more than one million euros for for the development of the Casbah was signed. The contract was awarded to the French architect Jean Nouvel. This triggered an outcry from French intellectuals (mainly Franco-Algerians) and Algerian architects. They accused Nouvel of furthering the destruction of the Casbah and asked him not to accept the contract.
The question has to be asked, as to what right there is to demand that only Algerians be allowed to work on the Casbah, given that Algiers’ urban development is based on the ideas and intentions of the Berbers, Phoenicians, Ottomans, French, Algerians and Russians?
[tttgallery id=”605″]
3 Hotel Aurassi
Due to its varied cuisine and the café-bar from whose terrace one has a good view of the Bay of Algiers, the hotel is a popular destination for the city’s inhabitants.
4 Climat de France
South of the Casbah, the Climat de France housing estate by architect Ferdinand Poullion was built in the 1950s. It was a response to the challenge of large-scale housing construction but also took many urban concerns into account, as well as offering what were then new ideas of urbanity and comfort for its residents.
5 Haussmann Architecture
The architecture east of the Place des Martyrs in the Rue Didouche Mourad and the Rue Larbi Ben M’hidi in the Messonier neighbourhood bears particular witness to the tradition of European cities as envisioned by Georges-Eugène Haussmann.
6 Grande Poste, Place du Gouvernement
The La Grande Post building at the Jardin de L´Horloge is a Neo-Moorish structure designed by architects Jules Voinot and Marius Tudoire. Today it houses the Museum of Postal History.
7 Cathedrale Sacre Coeur d`Algiers
The architects and civil engineers Paul Herbé, Jean Le Couteur and Rene Sarger built the Sacre Coeur d’Algiers cathedral in the Rue Ibn Hazim in 1956. They were inspired by the Gospel of John, i.e. “God has pitched his tent among us”: A slender dome that floats on several columns rises 35 metres above the floor of the nave. The dominant material inside the church is concrete.
South of the Casbah, the Climat de France housing estate by architect Ferdinand Poullion was built in the 1950s. It was a response to the challenge of large-scale housing construction, but also took many urban concerns into account, as well as offering what were then new ideas of urbanity and comfort for its residents.
8 Hotel El Djazair
The Hotel el Djazair, the former Dey Palace and an example of Moorish architecture, became the seat of the Lord George’s British mission. In 1889 it was converted into a hotel, while retaining the name of the English lord (Hotel Saint-George). In 1974 the hotel was closed due to an enlargement by the French architect Fernand Pouillon. The garden on the slope is lush, and the choice of plants is varied and beautiful. The hotel and its café is a popular destination for intellectuals, couples and tourists.
[tttgallery id=”606″ template=”content-slider”]
9 Residence des Glycines
The Centre Études Diocésain is a library managed by monks, and offers overnight accommodation in the centre of Algiers. Lectures are also held there.
10 Balcon Saint-Raphael
The terrace and the Balcon Saint-Raphael, with its view of the Bay of Algiers, are still unique today. In the 1920s a new building was planned that would have blocked the view, but after negotiations between the owners a compromise was reached. In 1923 the Claridge Hotel Corporation (the real estate firm) reached a unique agreement with the city’s administration: The balcony would remain free of buildings and in return, the municipality would build road connections and supply lines for the project.
11 Oscar Niemeyer
The Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer came to Algiers in the 1960s for political reasons and was courted by the then President of the Revolutionary Council and later President Houari Boumediene. Niemeyer’s most prominent buildings in Algiers are EPAU University and the La Coupole D’Alger Arena, an oval indoor sporting arena made of concrete.
12 Jardin d`Essay Hamma
Jardin d`Essai Hamma, an 80-hectare botanical garden, was laid out by the French army in 1832 and further developed by the respective directors of the garden, and has also been used as an experimental garden. It is home to around 3,000 plant species and trees. Palm avenues, various bamboo trees, dragon trees, exotic shrubs and colourful flower beds invite visitors to take an extended stroll. In 2009 the garden reopened after restoration work was completed.
13 Memorial du Martyr, Riad el-Feth
The cultural and commercial complex Riadh el-Feth, built in the 1980s, is dominated by the Maqam Echahid/Mémorial du Martyr (Martyrs’ Memorial). Polish sculptor Marian Konieczny designed the memorial, which is dedicated to the Algerian Revolution and is based on an idea by the painter Bachir Yellès. The memorial was inaugurated in 1982, on the 20th anniversary of Algeria’s independence, to commemorate the victims of the war with France. The Central Museum of the Army, the National Museum of the Mujahadeen and a large esplanade form the Riadh El-Feth, a favourite place of those seeking leisure, history and relaxation within the shops, restaurants, cinemas, museums and bookshops. Cultural events take place regularly on the forecourt.
14 Promenade des Sablettes
For a long time the inhabitants of Algiers had no access to the sea, but in 2017 that changed. Now the young and old, as well as families and couples come to this former coastal desert area by car, bus or even on foot. Today, the Promenade des Sablettes, which were designed by Frenchman Arte Charpentier and ceremoniously opened in 2014, are a hive of activity.
[tttgallery id=”607″]
15 Grande Mosque
In 2008, the Frankfurt architecture firm KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten and Darmstadt engineering firm Krebs + Kiefer won an international competition for the Djamaa el Djazaïr, the Great Mosque of Algiers . It will be the third largest mosque in the world after the two Islamic pilgrimage sites in Mecca and Medina. The gardens were designed by the Munich landscape architect Rainer Schmidt.
[tttgallery id=”608″]
_
Read the “Escape Plan” about Algiers by Kamel Louafi in topos 106.
All pictures were taken by Kamel Louafi.
