Beckomberga Hospital
Encyclopedia
Beckomberga Hospital was a Swedish
psychiatric hospital
, situated in Bromma west of Stockholm
. Opened in 1932, Beckomberga was in its mid-20th century heyday one of the largest psychiatric hospitals in Europe
, housing some 2,000 mentally ill
patients. The hospital was closed in 1995.
Carl Westman
, who cooperated with chief surgeon
Ivar Andersson to plan and design the new hospital on land acquired by the Stockholm City council in 1927. The new hospital was located some distance from the city limits, intentionally kept isolated from urban areas. In 1932 the first section opened, ready to house some 600 patients. Finished in 1935, Beckomberga Hospital was already one of the largest psychiatric hospitals in Europe with room for 1,600 patients and approximately 800 staff.
Surrounded with high-class landscaping, intended to play an important part in the therapy for the mentally ill patients, the entire hospital was designed according to classical ideas with buildings and the hospital park arranged in a large-scale symmetrical pattern along a central north-south axis. The central axis starts in the south with a straight linden
tree avenue
, up to a semi-circular square before the central part of the hospital.
Four massive four-storey buildings, which were originally interconnected with high walls, create a closed rectangular courtyard. Women and men were separated in each long building, with female patients housed in the western building and male patients in the eastern. Administration was located in the southern building, and the northern housed the kitchen facility. In the center of the courtyard is located a lower bricked building which served as an auditorium
and church. The courtyard had strict landscaping with small trees, trimmed like pyramids. Almost all buildings surrounding the central complex were also strictly arranged according to the symmetrical pattern.
The buildings are relatively soberly designed with few distinct details; the overall impression is monumental. The interior, however, has gradually been changed and very little remains from the original interior. An exception is the auditorium in the central courtyard, which keeps its original interior with ceiling paintings, as well as stage and balcony with classical decoration. This building along with the administration building are listed blue (class I) – as buildings of most historical importance. The remaining original buildings are listed green (class II) – important in a culture-historical perspective.
The central hospital unit was surrounded with a park with spacious lawns and extensive gardens and linden tree avenues, though some natural hill formations were kept. Since the hospital opened in the mid 1930s, only a few more buildings were added; the hospital area therefore kept its original character. However, since the hospital finally closed in 1995, the city council has decided to convert the area into a housing development, putting the future of the historic buildings and park in jeopardy.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
, situated in Bromma west of Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. Opened in 1932, Beckomberga was in its mid-20th century heyday one of the largest psychiatric hospitals in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, housing some 2,000 mentally ill
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
patients. The hospital was closed in 1995.
History
Beckomberga Hospital was built in 1929–1935 by architectArchitect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Carl Westman
Carl Westman
Ernst Carl Westman was a Swedish architect and interior designer. He was an early adopter of the National Romantic Style, but turned later to the neo-classical style of the 1920s.-Biography :...
, who cooperated with chief surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
Ivar Andersson to plan and design the new hospital on land acquired by the Stockholm City council in 1927. The new hospital was located some distance from the city limits, intentionally kept isolated from urban areas. In 1932 the first section opened, ready to house some 600 patients. Finished in 1935, Beckomberga Hospital was already one of the largest psychiatric hospitals in Europe with room for 1,600 patients and approximately 800 staff.
Surrounded with high-class landscaping, intended to play an important part in the therapy for the mentally ill patients, the entire hospital was designed according to classical ideas with buildings and the hospital park arranged in a large-scale symmetrical pattern along a central north-south axis. The central axis starts in the south with a straight linden
Tilia
Tilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The greatest species diversity is found in Asia, and the genus also occurs in Europe and eastern North America, but not western North America...
tree avenue
Avenue (landscape)
__notoc__In landscaping, an avenue or allée is traditionally a straight route with a line of trees or large shrubs running along each, which is used, as its French source venir indicates, to emphasize the "coming to," or arrival at a landscape or architectural feature...
, up to a semi-circular square before the central part of the hospital.
Four massive four-storey buildings, which were originally interconnected with high walls, create a closed rectangular courtyard. Women and men were separated in each long building, with female patients housed in the western building and male patients in the eastern. Administration was located in the southern building, and the northern housed the kitchen facility. In the center of the courtyard is located a lower bricked building which served as an auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
and church. The courtyard had strict landscaping with small trees, trimmed like pyramids. Almost all buildings surrounding the central complex were also strictly arranged according to the symmetrical pattern.
The buildings are relatively soberly designed with few distinct details; the overall impression is monumental. The interior, however, has gradually been changed and very little remains from the original interior. An exception is the auditorium in the central courtyard, which keeps its original interior with ceiling paintings, as well as stage and balcony with classical decoration. This building along with the administration building are listed blue (class I) – as buildings of most historical importance. The remaining original buildings are listed green (class II) – important in a culture-historical perspective.
The central hospital unit was surrounded with a park with spacious lawns and extensive gardens and linden tree avenues, though some natural hill formations were kept. Since the hospital opened in the mid 1930s, only a few more buildings were added; the hospital area therefore kept its original character. However, since the hospital finally closed in 1995, the city council has decided to convert the area into a housing development, putting the future of the historic buildings and park in jeopardy.