Skogskyrkogården: the Woodland Cemetery

In the quiet of this crisp windless morning, the trees seem so still.

At Skogskyrkogården, the tall pines surround the graves, solemn in their silence, as though they are mourners gathered around for a perpetual funeral ceremony.

Rigid as the tombstones, they seem to be empathising with the dead that they watch over.

Yet the trees are alive, strong and healthy. Their stillness does not mean death.

It means peace. And this is what they reflect back out through the cemetery.

These pines give us comfort to lay loved ones to rest here because they will never be alone.

As the sun passes across the sky, as snow falls and melts, as more join them in the earth, they lie in a park of peace. And all around, watching on, are the towering living trees.

At Skogskyrkogården in Stockholm – known as The Woodland Cemetery in English – life and death are fused together.

The natural course of a human’s story is commemorated in a place where man and nature meet. That was the aim of the cemetery’s design, which was guided by gentle hands.

Named as a World Heritage Site in 1994, I think this is one of the most interesting places to visit in Stockholm. It’s not what you may expect to find in the city, but it’s a masterpiece of design and architecture that will stay with you long after you’ve visited.

The history of Skogskyrkogården

So, how did it all come about? Well, the story starts in the early 20th century when Stockholm was facing a shortage of burial sites.

To build a new cemetery, the city council acquired an old gravel pit and the forest surrounding it. But rather than just do things the way they had always been done, the council launched a design competition for the new space.

The winners were two young Swedish architects, Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz. Beginning in 1917, they created Skogskyrkogården with the remarkable plan to incorporate the forest into the layout.

Unlike most cemetery design at the time, there was no rigid structure to the design. It acquiesced to the elements of the landscape, rather than bending the ground to its will.

There was something primitive to the concept.

And, thinking about it, is that not life? We are all primitive at our core, following our base instincts as we navigate through the years we’ve been gifted.

We cannot bend nature to suit us, we live within its boundaries.

But rarely do we find our time taking us down a straight path without unexpected curves.

Although Skogskyrkogården officially opened in 1920, three years after work started on the site, there was construction here for more than two decades.

The Woodland Chapel, ready by 1920, was the first major structure here. Another of the key landmarks, the Woodland Crematorium, wasn’t completed until 1940.

Although the two architects worked closely together on the initial phases, they focused more on their own interests as the project progressed – Asplund on the buildings and Lewerentz on the landscape.

Both 32 years old when they started work on the cemetery, they were in their mid-fifties by the time most of the work was finished.

For Asplund especially, it really was the work of a lifetime, because he died from a heart attack in 1940, the same year his final building was completed. (And, yes, he was buried here at Skogskyrkogården – while Lewerentz was buried in 1975 at a cemetery in Malmö that he designed later by himself.)

I don’t know exactly what was in the minds of Asplund and Lewerentz as they laid out this cemetery. Some of their comments in later years referred to a return to the past.

The rejection of discipline in the design was, in some ways, a rejection of the idea of industrialisation that was taking hold in Sweden at the time.

They found influence in old Nordic culture and symbols.

Those buried were saved from the cities and returned to a primordial landscape.

Although it’s interesting to think about their intentions, the Woodland Cemetery is a bit like any piece of art – what’s more important is what you think and how it makes you feel.

And to get a broad perspective, there are quite a few different areas to explore.

Things to see at Skogskyrkogården

When you visit Skogskyrkogården, one option is certainly to wander around aimlessly at your own pace. That would actually fit with the ethos of the site, which was intended to be organic and free-flowing.

But, having said that, there are some important attractions at Skogskyrkogården that will definitely add to your appreciation of the cemetery, so I would recommend trying to see each of these when you visit the Woodland Cemetery.

The Almhöjden

Coming in from the main entrance, one of the first important things you’ll see in front of you is an artificial hill called the Almhöjden (Elm Hill), which gets its name from the grove of elm trees at the top.

It is one of the most distinctive landscape features of Skogskyrkogården and serves as a focal point of the design. You can climb a series of wide low steps to reach the top for views across the surrounding area.

About 50 metres away from the elm trees is a large dark granite cross that rises up from the landscape and is silhouetted against the sky.

It’s a striking welcome (or farewell) to the Woodland Cemetery, a symbolic introduction to what lays ahead, a transition from the life outside to the death within.

Despite the obvious relationship to Christianity, the architects also rejected that exclusive connection in later years, claiming the shape is open to interpretation even by non-Christians.

“To those who see it as such, a consolation, to those who do not, simply a cross.”

Because who are they to tell any of us what to believe? Who are they to force a particular meaning on anything within Skogskyrkogården?

Woodland Crematorium

The granite cross is near the entry to the Woodland Crematorium, which was one of the last buildings to open (in 1940) and is considered to be Gunnar Asplund’s final masterpiece.

The building’s exterior features clean lines and a modernist aesthetic, with a colonnaded portico leading to a cross-shaped reflection pool, the design balancing functionalism with symbolism.

There are three chapels as part of the complex, named Faith, Hope, and the Holy Cross. They each have their own distinct character, with the Faith Chapel large and bright, the Hope Chapel more intimate with a domed ceiling, and the Holy Chapel small and intended for personal reflection.

The Woodland Chapel

You’ll find a very different aesthetic at the Woodland Chapel, which was one of the first buildings to open in the cemetery (in 1920).

It’s about 250 metres away from the Woodland Crematorium and feels like it is hidden in the forest, on a small path surrounded by trees. In fact, it just looks like a small house and is quite easy to miss.

The intimate chapel exemplifies Nordic classicism with its simple but elegant design. The building’s exterior features white-painted wood and a pyramid-shaped copper roof, while the inside is bathed in natural light from a large skylight.

The decorations inside are fairly sparse, which intentionally focuses the attention on a sculpture of an angel by Carl Milles.

Way of the Seven Wells

Even if you are wandering randomly, at some point you’ll likely hit the main path through the centre of the gardens. Leading from the Almhöjden to the Chapel of Resurrection, it is called the Way of the Seven Wells.

The path is 888 metres long and is one of the best examples of the natural design of the Woodland Cemetery, with a changing landscape that transitions from dense forest to open meadow.

The path is lined with carefully placed trees and crosses, creating a rhythmic progression that encourages reflection.

In a way, it represents that emotional journey that many people may have at the cemetery, including areas to stop for pause and contemplation. 

Chapel of Resurrection

I think one of the best things to do at Skogskyrkogården is compare the Woodland Chapel and the Chapel of Resurrection, because here you can see the magic that was produced by the collaboration between Lewerentz and Asplund.

While Asplund created the small rustic chapel in the trees, Lewerentz designed the Resurrection Chapel, which opened in 1925, with a more monumental design.

The exterior has a portico with massive white columns, while the interior is long, narrow, and high. There is almost no decoration on its grey walls, although the floor tiled with Carrara marble is gorgeous and the main axis is askew, creating an artistic effect in itself.

Visitor Centre

If you’re interested in learning even more about the story of Skogskyrkogården, then head to the Visitor Centre, which has a small exhibition about the site, as well as a bookshop on a selection of topics like architecture and World Heritage.

The Visitor Centre is set within a pavillion from 1923 that was originally used as a staff quarters, with lockers, changing rooms, dining rooms, and tool storage.

Nowadays, it also has staff who can answer any questions you have about visiting the Woodland Cemetery, as well as a cafe where you can have a bit of a break.

Visiting Skogskyrkogården

There are so many ways you can approach a visit to Skogskyrkogården, but my top tip would be to come in not just as a tourist looking at it as a World Heritage Site, but also as a person who can have an emotional experience.

I don’t mean that you need to get emotional. What I mean is that the landscape is intended to take you on a journey and make you feel things… so let that happen.

As I spend time here, I start thinking about how life does not have a simple single meaning. Our conscious years are what we make of them, meandering through the forest of our time, primitive and natural.

Like in death, we hope we are not alone, we hope we are looked after, we hope we find peace. That’s what I take away. You will likely find your own meaning.

It’s very easy to reach Skogskyrkogården from central Stockholm by public transport and will only take about 15 minutes.

If you’re coming by car, there are limited spots inside the cemetery (around the Visitor Centre is your best bet), but there are lots of parking lots or even street parking around the outside.

An important thing to remember is that this is a cemetery. There will usually always be funerals, mourners, and other solemn events taking place. So, although tourists are more than welcome here, you’ll need to act respectfully.

None of the chapels are open to tourists because they are in regular use all week.

You will be able to see inside one of the chapels on an official guided tour. They happen about once a week (normally on Saturday) during the summer months. Have a look at the calendar here.

Another good option to learn more about what you’re seeing is the free audio guide. This is available on your phone or tablet through a browser or app. You can access it here.

A few other bits of useful visitor information:

• Dogs are allowed on a leash but there’s an official note that the cemetery “is not a a dog park”.
• Photography is allowed but you’re requested to never disturb ceremonies or mourners.
• You are not allowed to enter any of the chapels, even if the door is open.
• There is a public bus service (no 183) on the site, leaving every 30 minutes from outside the metro station with several stops inside the cemetery.
• There are toilets near the main buildings but not in some of the other woodland areas.

There is an outdoor exhibition located at the main entrance towards Sockenvägen. The exhibition will guide you through the one hundred years that has passed since the cemetery was inaugurated.

For more information, see the official website of Skogskyrkogården.

If you’re hungry, I recommend eating at the nearby Karl o Kristinas Trädgård, which offers delicious Swedish food. Or, as I’ve mentioned, there’s a small cafe at the visitor centre for a drink and a snack.

And as you explore other parts of Stockholm, don’t forget that there’s another World Heritage Site here – so try to make time to visit Drottningholm Palace, if you haven’t already.