Albert Lilienberg (1879-1967)

His aim was to create a varied urban area for ordinary people, which with its 'feeling of comfort creates good local patriots', in his own words. When you visit this part of Gothenburg today, it's clear that he got it right. Wide streets are combined with green alleyways and small coffee shops. And you'd be hard-pushed to find a part of Gothenburg more loved by its residents than Kungsladugård.

Albert Lilienberg was one of Sweden's finest town planners, and he is the man behind several areas of the city. One feature they all share is that they are particularly suitable for walking, due to their varied character. Lilienberg had extensive knowledge of local traditions, but he was also influenced by England, and especially liked the German school of thought. He always based his designs around the existing landscape; he preserved trees and groves, and used hills and other natural variations to give the area its character. Through Kungsladugård run wide, impressive main streets with plenty of room for trams, and a growing number of cars. These main streets are intersected with dense housing along narrow streets, and pleasant open areas. The buildings include everything from large villas to terraced houses, and 'landshövdingehus', the traditional three-storey workmen's dwellings which are so typical for Gothenburg.

The first 'landshövdingehus' in Gothenburg were built in the 1870s, as a way of providing cheap housing for workers. Local fire regulations stated that wooden houses must not be more than two storeys high, but you couldn't make money on buildings of less than three storeys. The solution was to build the first floor in stone or brick, and the then Governor ('landshövding') approved the first drawings. Today, there are well-preserved landshövdingehus in all parts of Gothenburg, and this type of housing often figured in Liljenberg's plans. He left the actual design of the buildings to other architects, but he always issued guidelines, and was keen for the buildings to add interest to the already varied urban environment. Some of the buildings have front gardens; others have bay windows or a carefully formed balcony.

Albert Lilienberg is often said to be Sweden's foremost town planner, and he played an important part when Gothenburg expanded during the first few decades of the 20th century. From 1907-27, he was the First City Engineer of Gothenburg, which is why his name can be found on many important planning documents. Some examples are Bagaregården in the eastern part of Gothenburg, the beautiful Landala egnahem and Nedre Johanneberg with its large, redbrick buildings. He took an interest in traditional architecture, and was one of the people behind the publication Bebyggelsehistorisk tidskrift (Building History Magazine), which is now the biggest publication in its field in Scandinavia. He was also involved in the international debate, and took inspiration from city planners from all over the world. He chaired town planning congresses in both London and New York, and was an honorary member of the Town Planning Institute.

Text: Per Nadén