The Wall

A long stone wall, designed by Sigurd Lewerentz, surrounds the entire cemetery. The oldest section was constructed between 1923 and 1932.

Photo: Mattias Ek.

In the 1920s, Sweden faced high unemployment. To address this, the government initiated projects like building roads, bridges, and the wall around Skogskyrkogården.

Workers constructed the wall manually. They drilled and blasted stones, dug with shovels and hoes, transported soil with wheelbarrows, and mixed cement on-site. Stones were moved using horse-drawn carriages.

We gathered people from all sorts of professions; there were unemployed bakers and shoemakers. They were not used to this kind of heavy work, so it was very difficult for many.

A blacksmith described working on the wall.

Today, the wall spans 4,228 meters, making it one of the longest stone walls in the country.

Updated