In 1917, an architectural competition for a new cemetery in Malmö was held. The winning proposal entitled “Ås” (“Ridge”) , was submitted by Sigurd Lewerentz, and the young architect was given one year to implement his proposal. But the work took two years and seven months, and the fee was withheld by the dissatisfied customer. However, construction started and up until 1969, Lewerentz was responsible for all major new buildings and changes to the cemetery. In this newsletter, we will have a look at Östra kyrkogården in Malmö, which last year celebrated its 100th anniversary. If you would like to see more details, click on the photos and they will open in a larger format. Enjoy!
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NEWSLETTER 38


Östra kyrkogården, Malmö - by Sigurd Lewerentz

In 1917, an architectural competition for a new cemetery in Malmö was held. The winning proposal entitled “Ås” (“Ridge”) , was submitted by Sigurd Lewerentz, and the young architect was given one year to implement his proposal. But the work took two years and seven months, and the fee was withheld by the dissatisfied customer. However, construction started and up until 1969, Lewerentz was responsible for all major new buildings and changes to the cemetery.

In this newsletter, we will go on a tour at Östra kyrkogården in Malmö, which last year celebrated its 100th anniversary. If you would like to see more details, click on the photos and they will open in a larger format.

Enjoy!
 


Divided by a ridge

The plan for the cemetery was based on Hohögsåsen, a natural elevated stretch with four hills that divides the cemetery into two areas featuring various architectural styles. The area south of the ridge (left in the picture above) is strictly regulated with manicured trees and hedges, while the area north of the ridge (right in the picture above) has a looser design with free-growing plants and cohesive lawns.


From chaos to order

At the end of the 19thcentury, older artisanal tombstones began to be replaced by those industrially manufactured. Unsightly tombstones in different colors, sizes, and shapes quickly spread throughout the country’s cemeteries. Critical voices concerned with regard to uglification were soon raised with demands for stricter rules for the design of culturally and historically valuable cemeteries. The result is reflected in the early 20th century cemeteries such as Östra kyrkogården in Malmö.


Cemeteries without democracy

Here the graves are separated by hedges and gravel pathways and the appearance of the cemetery follows strict guidelines. All tombstones must have a straight end at the top and specific rules for the various gravesites govern whether they should be standing or prone. The application with a drawing of the tombstone must be approved by the Cemetery Board. A bench or other seating near the grave requires a special permit and it must be of an approved type and color. All for the individual expression of the graves to be subordinate to the whole.


Peace and quiet in the immediate area

When Lewerentz drew up plans and sketches for the cemetery, he also made requests for the surrounding area. He considered it important to have a calm and dignified framework around the cemetery and an established city plan would prevent new construction of factories or “premises for merrymaking” near the cemetery.


One of Sweden’s first memorial groves

At the end of the 1950s, requests arose for new forms of burial ceremonies. In Malmö, the old ceremony site for burials at Östra kyrkogården was given a new function and in 1959 it was inaugurated as one of Sweden’s first two memorial groves.


St. Bridget’s Chapel was to be located on the ridge

The first building in the cemetery was erected in 1927. Lewerentz wanted to place St. Bridget’s Chapel on top of the ridge, but for financial reasons, it was instead modestly cut into the ridge. He designed the chapel in the austere neoclassical style. Except for the tinted glass windows in the doors, there are no windows. Today, the building is used primarily by Orthodox believers.

 


Bus shelter with style

The city of Malmö had tram line 6 extended to the entrance of Östra kyrkogården in 1937. But only twelve years later, tram traffic was discontinued and replaced by buses that ran straight through the cemetery. Lewerentz, therefore, designed a bus shelter in a matching classical style that also serves as sun and weather protection for visitors.


Scarcity as reality and aesthetics

The two largest buildings in the area were built in 1943. The twin chapels St. Knut and St. Gertrude show a clear flirtation with Japanese architecture. With two chapels, different ceremonies could now be carried out in parallel with joint preparation and proper logistics.

During the construction of the chapels, constant changes and compromises were required. The main reason was the lack of materials and restrictions on concrete and iron that prevailed during World War II. Instead, the dominant materials became brick and natural stone with elements of wood. Some choices appear to be purely aesthetic while others were based on practical considerations.

 


Simplicity where the rooms flow together

By using the same material externally and internally, Lewerentz blurred the boundaries between outer and inner space. He often used the same material, without regularity, on nearby surfaces such as walls, ceilings, and floors.

Furniture and symbols are simple and toned down to give way to spatiality. The same ideas are repeated from the design of Östra kyrkogården as a whole.

 


Coffin reception became Chapel of Hope

The building for the cemetery’s coffin reception required a lower temperature and was partly submerged underground. In connection with the crematorium being expanded and equipped with a new cooling system, the building was converted in 1957 into the Chapel of Hope.
A church without symbols

Lewerentz’ idea of the location of the church altar is as controversial now as then: “If a central altar is omitted, it is possible that new, interesting room shapes and floor plans can be extracted.”

Ideally, he would have liked the twin chapels St. Knut and St. Gertrude to remain non-denominational and completely without religious symbols: “People with different backgrounds could then have access to the chapel and perform ceremonies using the specific symbols and of their faith.”

St. Knut’s Chapel (pictured below) can conduct civil ceremonies since the few Christian symbols in the room can easily be removed or covered.


Elevator from underground

Before the ceremony, the coffin is prepared downstairs and taken by elevator up to the chapel. Both the elevator and lift truck as well as the control room are original since they came into use in 1943.

Representing burial into the ground, the coffin used to lowered to the ground floor at the end of the ceremony. But that part of the ritual has now been discontinued as it made several visitors believe that the coffin went straight down for cremation.

 


Expanded crematorium

In connection with the construction of the twin chapels in 1943, an expansion of the existing crematorium with a state-of-the-art cooling system and equipment was carried out. The facility was taken out of use during the 1990s and today all cremation takes place in the crematorium at Limhamn cemetery.

 


The flower kiosk – the last masterpiece

Outside the gates of the cemetery entrance on Scheelegatan 38 is the flower kiosk, built in 1969. When Lewerentz designed the kiosk, he was 84 years old, and it became his last – and one of his most famous – masterpieces.

The building is in the neo-brutalist style. Le Corbusier’s concept of “béton brut” (French for raw concrete) laid the foundation for brutalism as an architectural style in the 1950s. The kiosk’s walls in checkered raw concrete without decoration or gutters contribute to the building’s clean and simple feel, and directness in shape.

 


The master chose an anonymous grave

Sigurd Lewerentz passed away on December29, 1975, and up until his demise he was engaged in the design of Östra kyrkogården. His last wish was to be buried up on the ridge. But since there is an ancient monument there, the authorities did not approve it. He then chose to be buried in an anonymous grave, in a flowerbed right next to St. Knut’s Chapel. And there he rests with his family.
Sigurd Lewerentz (1885–1975)

Internationally, Sigurd Lewerentz is known as one of Sweden’s most noted architects and is perhaps best known for his part in the creation of the Unesco World Heritage Skogskyrkogården (The Woodland Cemetery) in Stockholm. He was active for sixty years but never ran an architecture firm. The work performed was relatively limited but shows a wide range – from furniture, wallpaper, tombstones, and advertising to villas, workers’ housing, offices, shops, hotels, factories, and religious buildings as well as city plans.

Lewerentz long considered the Swedish architectural climate to difficult. After some serious disappointments, he worked from 1943 and for about ten years onwards to manufacture windows, doors, and glass sections according to the Idesta building system that he developed and patented.

In the autumn of his age, he designed St. Mark’s Church in Björkhagen in Stockholm, and St. Petri Church in Klippan in Skåne County. These iconic churches are still considered among the foremost works in Swedish architectural history. The simple tone of these two churches is also recognizable from Östra kyrkogården in Malmö.

If you have the opportunity, I recommend a visit to the exhibition “Sigurd Lewerentz: Architect of Death and Life” at ArkDes on Skeppsholmen in Stockholm which runs until August 28, 2022.
If you want to see more photos of the project – Click Here!
Lasse Olsson Photo photographing and filming architecture, interior design, and lighting. My newsletter is published 4-6 times a year and presents photographed projects.

You can read my previous newsletter om my website - Click Here!