| Berzelli Park | |
|---|---|
 Entrance to Berzelii Park | |
 | |
| Type | Urban park |
| Location | Norrmalm, Stockholm, Sweden |
| Status | Open all year |
Berzelii Park is a small park in central Stockholm, Sweden. The park is the location of the China Theater ( Chinateatern ), and the Berns Salonger Restaurant and Theater.
Berzelii Park was named after the Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius. The work on establishing the park was begun in 1852, under the leadership of Knut Malte Forsberg. The park's opening ceremony took place on the morning of July 13, 1858.
The Academy of Sciences initiated funding for a statue honoring Berzelius, which was to stand in the middle of the park. Artist Carl Gustaf Qvarnström (1810-1867) was commissioned to do the work. He went to Munich to model the statue and had Ferdinand von Miller cast it in bronze. It became the first public statue of a "commoner" to be produced in full figure. As the new park installations were still considered too fragile to receive a large crowd, the statue was secretly inaugurated in the middle of the night following the opening ceremony.
Other monuments have been added in and around the park, including art by Carl Milles, and a humorous statue of Hans Alfredsson (seen sticking his head out of a sewer).
The park today is located in or near the city districts of Norrmalm and Östermalm, next to the Nybroplan and the Norrmalmstorg. The area surrounding Berzelii Park was part of Nybroviken bay until the mid-19th century. In the mid-1830s, a new bridge across the bay was being planned for the 25th anniversary of King Charles XIV. On the request of the king, the part of the bay inside the bridge was replaced with landfill, which transformed the existing bridge into more of a quay. This old bridge, Ladugårdslandsbron, was demolished in 1845, but the replacement bridge wasn't opened until 1848 due to technical problems (caused by the load from the landfill). One of the cast iron railings from the old bridge is still found in the park today. [1]
Berzelii Park initially failed to develop as intended. A report published in 1890 described its lawns as "consisting mostly of dandelions," and the raised area surrounding the statue as a "sand hill". However, the situation improved when Alfred Medin became city gardener, and the same journalist later wrote enthusiastically about the park. [1]
Norrmalmstorg is a town square in central Stockholm, Sweden. It connects shopping streets Hamngatan and Biblioteksgatan and is the starting point for tram travellers with the Djurgården line. Close to the southwest is the park Kungsträdgården.
Gamla stan, until 1980 officially Staden mellan broarna, is the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Gamla stan consists primarily of the island Stadsholmen. Officially, but not colloquially, Gamla stan includes the surrounding islets Riddarholmen, Helgeandsholmen and Strömsborg. It has a population of approximately 3,000.
The City of Stockholm is situated on fourteen islands and on the banks to the archipelago where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea. The city centre is virtually situated on the water.
Sergels torg is a major public square in Stockholm, Sweden, constructed in the 1960s and named after 18th-century sculptor Johan Tobias Sergel, whose workshop was once located north of the square.
Kungsträdgården is a park in central Stockholm, Sweden. It is colloquially known as Kungsan.
Humlegården is a major park in the district of Östermalm in Stockholm, Sweden. The park borders on Karlavägen in the north, Sturegatan in the east, Humlegårdsgatan in the south and Engelbrektsgatan in the west. It is the location of the Swedish Royal Library.
Nybroplan is a public space in central Stockholm, Sweden. Located on the border between the city districts Norrmalm and Östermalm, Nybroplan connects a number of major streets, including Birger Jarlsgatan, Strandvägen, Hamngatan, and Nybrogatan. The squares Norrmalmstorg, Stureplan, and Östermalmstorg are located within 500 metres, as is the park Kungsträdgården.
Norrmalm is a city district in Stockholm, Sweden.
Järntorget is a small public square in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Located in the southernmost corner of the old town, the square connects the thoroughfares Västerlånggatan and Österlånggatan, while the two alleys, Södra Bankogränd and Norra Bankogränd, stretches east to connect the square to Skeppsbron, and two other alleys, Järntorgsgatan and Triewaldsgränd, leads south to Slussplan and Kornhamnstorg respectively.
Vasabron is a bridge over Norrström in central Stockholm, Sweden connecting Norrmalm to Gamla stan, the old city.
Ålkistan is the name of a canal, and the surrounding area, north of Stockholm, Sweden. The canal connects Lilla Värtan to Lake Brunnsviken, and delimits Bergshamra, the northern part of Solna, from the northern part of Djurgården.
Kornhamnstorg is a public square in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Known as Kornhaffn (1427), Jernboen (1586), Åkaretorget (1644), and Kornhampns torget (1651), it is connected to the streets: Munkbroleden, Lilla Nygatan, Stora Nygatan, Torgdragargränd, Funckens Gränd, Triewaldsgränd.
Riddarhustorget is a public square in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden, named after its location in front of the House of Knights (Riddarhuset).
Karl Johans Torg is a public square between the old town Gamla stan and Slussen in central Stockholm, Sweden.
The German Church, sometimes called St. Gertrude's Church, is a church in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden, belonging to the German Saint Gertrude Parish of the Church of Sweden.
Hamngatan is a street in central Stockholm. It goes from Sergels torg down to Nybroplan, past NK department store, Kungsträdgården, Norrmalmstorg, and Berzelii Park. The Djurgården line travels along this street between Nybroplan and Norrmalmstorg.
Karlberg Palace is a palace by the Karlberg Canal in Solna Municipality in Sweden, adjacent to Stockholm's Vasastaden district. The palace, built in 1630, today houses the Military Academy Karlberg.
Kungliga begravningsplatsen, known in English as the Royal Cemetery, was first used in 1922 and has been the only official burial place of the Swedish royal family since 1950, succeeding Riddarholmen Church as such. It takes up all of the small island of Karlsborg in the bay of Brunnsviken. The cemetery is part of the popular Haga Park in Solna, Sweden.
Nybroviken is a small bay in central Stockholm, Sweden.
Baron Jöns Jacob Berzelius was a Swedish chemist. Berzelius is considered, along with Robert Boyle, John Dalton, and Antoine Lavoisier, to be one of the founders of modern chemistry. Berzelius became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1808 and served from 1818 as its principal functionary. He is known in Sweden as the "Father of Swedish Chemistry". Berzelius Day is celebrated on 20 August in honour of him.
59°19′57″N18°04′29″E / 59.33250°N 18.07472°E
 | This article about a location in Stockholm County, Sweden is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |