Tantolunden, Stockholm

Tantolunden is a park whose story begins with an unexpectedly practical foundation: its high ground was built up over an old rubbish dump, then covered with soil. Alfred Medin designed the park in 1885, and work continued until 1899. The winding paths were planned to curl toward a summit arranged as a circular sitting area, where visitors could stroll beneath trees.

The earliest trees went into the ground in 1896, but the reused fill dried out quickly during summer, so more soil had to be added. The western part gained a playground in 1906. On the slope toward Årstaviken, allotment cottages appeared during the 1920s; the steep land required terraces and retaining walls. The park also includes the Narvapaviljonen, a small music pavilion donated to Stockholm in 1988.