Kungsträdgården (literally, "the King's garden") is the name of a park in central Stockholm. It's also the site of a unique underground station that was very controversial when it was being built.
During the 1950s and 1960s, large areas of central Stockholm were demolished, and modern buildings were constructed. For much of this period, the downtown looked like it had been bombed -- in fact, I read recently that it wasn't uncommon for American visitors to ask whether the Germans or the Allies had bombed Stockholm.
By about 1970, Stockholmers had gotten tired of living in a city that was bulldozing its past out of existence, and that looked like the site of a major disaster of some kind. When plans to build an underground station at Kungsträdgården became known in detail, and it emerged that one entrance to the station would be placed IN the park and require a number of very old elm trees to be cut down, the people of Stockholm decided they'd had enough.
In June of 1971, when the elms
were scheduled to be felled, protests in the park turned into
full-scale riots, with police trying to deal with ordinary citizens
who'd chained themselves to the trees to save them. Even the
"all-good-things-come-from-America, if-it's-old-it's-bad"
politicians who were running Stockholm at the time realized they
couldn't continue to ignore the storm of feeling that had arisen.
The architects had said that IN Kungsträdgården was the
only possible place to put that south entrance, but suddenly it
turned out to be entirely possible to locate it nearby on
Arsenalgatan.
The station was opened on 30 October 1977.
Here are some pictures of that south entrance.
(26 February 2001)
When
you reach the platform level from the south entrance, this ceiling
catches your eye.
(26 February 2001)
This
short passageway leads to the platform.
(26 February 2001)
If
you peer over the low wall on the left-hand side, here's what you'll
see...
(26 February 2001)
...and
here's what's on the right-hand side.
These are relics saved from
some of the buildings in central Stockholm that were torn down.
(26 February 2001)
A
view of the same chamber as the picture immediately before, looking
back toward the escalators.
(26 February 2001)
This
gate leads to the left-hand chamber.
(26 February 2001)
When you reach the platform,
this fellow greets you. The name of the street that this
entrance is on (Arsenalgatan) is written on the ceiling.
Here are some pictures taken on the platforms at Kungsträdgården.
(26 February 2001)
Just
in case you find yourself at the wrong platform face, this sign
informs you that there is a train on the other platform going to the
indicated destination.
(26 February 2001)
A
train of older stock arriving.
(26 February 2001)
A
piece of artwork on one of the track walls.
(26 February 2001)
A
train of C20 stock arriving at Kungsträdgården.
(26 February 2001)
These gates are on the platform
next to the north entrance.
Here are some pictures from the north entrance.
(26 February 2001)
This
unusual column is at the top of the stairway and escalator at the
north entrance.
(26 February 2001)
This
painting is on the wall at the top of the stairway and escalator (the
people you see on the right are on their way down to the trains).
(26 February 2001)
This wall is plastered with
posters for cultural events in Stockholm.