As part of the Swedenborg Society’s programme for the Open House Festival 2023, Stockholm city guide Peter Frisk will give an illustrated talk on ‘Swedenborg’s Stockholm’.

Swedenborg was born in Stockholm and lived there for most of his adult life. He grew up in Uppsala and Skara and travelled widely around Europe (sometimes for years at a time), but it was Stockholm where he made his home, buying land on Hornsgatan in Södermalm in 1743, building a property there and designing the accompanying garden, which he did under the influence of English manorial estates that he had visited on his travels. The garden, often made accessible to the curious general public, was ornamented with exotic plants, aviaries, topiaried box-trees, a maze and garden pavilions.

Sadly, Swedenborg’s house and garden on Hornsgatan have long since disappeared and been built over, but the original summerhouse (where Swedenborg did much of his writing and had many of his spiritual experiences) still exists, having been preserved and relocated to the open-air museum of Skansen.

Many other buildings in Stockholm connected to Swedenborg’s life continue to stand today, including the block in the Old Town, on Stora Nygatan, where Swedenborg had an apartment from 1728; the Räntmästerehuset building where he resided in Linnaeus’ former apartment between 1740 and 1745; the Riddarhuset (or House of Nobles), which Swedenborg regularly attended and delivered papers to in service of his country; and Swedenborg’s local Maria Magdalena Church.

Peter will look at the places in Stockholm where Swedenborg (1688-1772) lived and worked, whilst also relating interesting stories of Swedenborg’s contemporaries and of localities connected to Swedenborg. Peter will try to create an image of a ‘Swedenborgian’ Stockholm, taking in the memorials, buildings, and other items that still exist today that are connected to Swedenborg.

Peter will look at the places in Stockholm where Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) lived and worked, whilst also relating interesting stories of Swedenborg’s contemporaries and of localities connected to Swedenborg. Peter will try to create an image of a ‘Swedenborgian’ Stockholm, taking in the memorials, buildings, and other things that still exist today that are connected to Swedenborg.

Additional places are available through Open House here

Artist and musician Peter has been a city guide in Stockholm since 1998. His knowledge and enthusiasm for Stockholm see his guided tours full of information reflecting his eclectic interests in art, literature, architecture, history and the contemporary. He is greatly interested in August Strindberg, and has lectured widely on the Swedish playwright, with particular emphasis on the so-called ‘Inferno period’ of his life, during which Strindberg was immersed in study of Swedenborg.

For more information, visit: https://www.peterfrisk.se/