The Woodland Cemetery in Gamla Enskede, made 1915-1940 by Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz and on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1994. From the entrance avenue to the granite cross and the crematorium chapels, up the elm-covered meditation hill, to Asplund's Woodland Chapel and along the Path of the Seven Wells to Lewerentz's Resurrection Chapel. Greta Garbo is buried here.
Best time: A clear morning or late afternoon, any season; Stadsmuseet runs guided walks in the summer half of the year. Walk quietly: it is a working cemetery
The route, stop by stop
- 1Woodland Cemetery
Enter by the main entrance: from here the long route leads up to the large granite cross and the portico of the crematorium; the whole site is counted among the most important works of modern architecture. The cemetery has about 100,000 graves, the most of any in Sweden. 10 min.
- 2Heliga korsets kapell (Skogskrematoriet)
Asplund's crematorium complex with the chapels of the Holy Cross, Faith and Hope behind the open portico. 15 min outside.
- 3Meditationslunden (Almhöjden)
The elm-covered hill shaped by Lewerentz west of the chapels, also called Meditationslunden. Climb to the top for the view back over the cross and the pond. 15 min.
- 4Skogskapellet
Asplund's small Woodland Chapel of 1919-1920, the first chapel here, a simple timber chapel in the forest with a porch on twelve columns. 15 min.
- 5Sju brunnars stig
The Path of the Seven Wells, a dead-straight path through tall pines towards the Resurrection Chapel. 15 min.
- 6Uppståndelsekapellet
Lewerentz's Resurrection Chapel, consecrated on 26 December 1925, at the southern end of the cemetery. 10 min.
More walks in Stockholm
- Gamla stan beyond the crowds: Riddarholmen, Stortorget and the back lanes
- Söder heights at sunset: Mariaberget, Monteliusvägen and Skinnarviksberget
- East Södermalm: Fjällgatan, Vita bergen and the 18th-century wooden houses
- Djurgården: Vasa, Rosendal and the art villas to Blockhusudden
- Skeppsholmen and Kastellholmen: the museum island and the citadel
- Östermalm and Strandvägen: Hallwylska, the market hall and the waterfront boulevard
- Kungsholmen waterfront: City Hall, Norr Mälarstrand and Rålis to Västerbron
- Långholmen and Reimersholme: the prison island and the bathing rocks
- Hagaparken: Gustav III's pavilions and the Copper Tents on Brunnsviken
- Vasastan: Strindberg's Blue Tower, the observatory hill and Asplund's library
- Tunnelbana art ride: T-Centralen, Kungsträdgården, Rådhuset, Solna centrum, Stadion, Tekniska högskolan