Vita Bergen is a beautiful mountainous park located in the eastern part of Stockholm. It got the present name in 1956. It is believed that the park was named after the bright colour of mountains that could be seen above the park. During the 18th century only poor families that mainly worked in textile factories nearby settled in this region. During the 19th century this part of the city was considered the poorest, and as such, the most derelict part of Stockholm. Famous writer August Strindberg mentioned this in his works.
At the beginning of the 20th century began the great reconstruction of this area. Houses that used to belong to the poor were demolished, as well as unregistered fortification on the slopes of the White Mountains, and the first monument was the Sofia Church. At the edges of the park a few housing buildings were kept that are today considered cult houses, but they for sure have gone through serious reconstructions, which was the reasonable step having in mind that most of them had no electricity of sewer system. In 1888, this place began turning into a park. At its highest point (46 meters), the Sophia Church is located. There is also a theatre in the open, built in 1954 on the proposal of city gardener at the time, Holger Blom.
South of the theatre is a music pavilion built in 1907, and it was designed as eco-temple. The pavilion was renovated in 2008 under the initiative of city administration, and it is considered one of the most significant cultural monuments in Stockholm. The city administration of Stockholm agreed that it was important to preserve the Vita Bergen park as cultural reserve of interesting industrial and socio-historical buildings, and it was only possible with agreement that the appearance of the place would not be changed in order to preserve its authenticity.
You may enjoy visiting the park for the reason that the nature will take you aback, and the buildings will take you back in the old times of Sweden.
Author of the article:
Maja Glavaš, tour guide
Contact: [email protected]; instagram: travel_europe1
