Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

The Societety Park (Societetsparken) of Varberg here in Sweden, established in the year 1883 (1856), is one of the most famous parks in Varberg. Today it is, more or less, only used as a park that you will walk through in the wintertime, under the summer season though, the park starts blooming and then it is used for public music and singalong evenings. Earlier it was an old health resort park with its fine old traditions.

The Societetsparken was a private owned park until 1902 when the town purchased it. On this plot there was already a smaller park and it was established as early as in 1856. It was called Badhusparken (The Public Bath Park) and it belonged to the hot- and cold-bathhouses, and these baths were very well frequented. Varberg was and is, for those who already do not know, a health resort where every kind of swimming, both outside in the sea and in the pool inside, is high tradition.

From the beginning, this park, Badhusparken, was not used to drink healthy water in, but with its strategical situation behind the two bathhouses it was a perfect place for that kind of park. There was already a health resort park of this kind in Varberg,the Brunnsparken, but it had to close down because it was to small and could not compete with the Societetsparken.

To tell the truth, Societetsparken was little of a fake because it did not have its own well.The owners had to deliver water from another well, also a famous place, called Svartekällan(The Black Well), south of Varberg, where the tradition of drinking healthy water started in 1811 when the well with its excellent water was first discovered.

Throughout the many years it has happen a lot in the park. Some of the historical footprints are left but they are just footprints, lots of things have been changed, like the buildings and the pathways. A lot of trees, planted in the early days, have been cut down. They have been replaced with similar or different spieces. Also some of the flower beds beside the pathways are gone or remodelled. But instead there is a lot of new flowerbeds in the park. The Societetsparken is very well invested in according to Summer Flowers. This is because this park is very frequented by tourists in the summer season.

This essay is about some of the historical eras in the park. The work is mostly about design and use, but even people, important for the parks establishing and maintenance are written about here. It is a work that compares “now and then”. The essay will hopefully be something to relay on in the further developing work in the park.