The Northern Cemetery (Solna, Sweden)

Norra Begravningsplatsen, literally “The Northern Cemetery” is a major cemetery of Metropolitan Stockholm, located in the municipality of Solna.

The Northern Cemetery in Solna, was built in 1815 in an area belonging to Karlberg’s royal estate which was deeded a general burial place for Stockholm residents. It opened on June 9th, 1827 and the burial site was expanded and adapted several times after the city’s growing needs, especially in the 1860s and 1870s. The oldest, southeast, part was planned by the architect Carl Gustaf Blom-Carlsson after French-class pattern with a semi-circular place and lime-tree lined avenues.

At the Northern Cemetery there are two chapels for funeral ceremonies, Norra kapellet and Stora Gravkoret. Immediately next to the Northern Cemetery was a provisional crematorium built in 1887 as the first crematorium in Scandinavia. In 1909 it was replaced when a new crematorium was put into service. The new crematorium was then taken out of service in 1989, after 80 years of operation.

Within the Northern Cemetery there are a large number of beautiful and magnificent grave arrangements that range from smaller headstones to great mausoleums, many of which are located in the hill called “Lindhagens kulle”. 

Famous architects such as Gustaf Lindgren, Gunnar Asplund, Sigurd Lewerentz and Lars Israel Wahlman together developed the Northern Cemetery to be one of the country’s most impressive and rich burial places. There are many sculptures, relics and other artistic ornaments created by some of Sweden’s most outstanding sculptors, such as Carl Eldh and Carl Milles.

Architect Jan Wahlman has designed the garden of remembrance, which was opened in 1987. At the memorial and meditation site is a sculpture group by Anita Bruzewizt-Hansson called Music in the branches.

At the cemetery you can find a burial area especially for infants and children. One special aspect of the area is the playful atmosphere through the wooden climbing sculptures. These sculptures are carved and made out of elderly elm trees that had once grown at the cemetery.

Important personalities at the cemetery

Many prominent Swedes are buried at the Northern Cemetery, for example:

• Alfred Nobel (inventor and industrialist),
• August Strindberg (author),
• Ingrid Bergman (actress),
• Ragnar Östberg (architect and artist),
• Ferdinand Boberg (architect and designer),
• Per Albin Hansson (former prime minister),
• Salomon August Andrée (initiator and leader of the Andrée-expedition) to name just a few.