Föreningsgatan 13-15
in Malmö

The building at Föreningsgatan 13–15 features a sculpture climbing up a tower, beautifully adorned with the twelve figures of the Zodiac.

Zodiac Signs & The View

If you believe in star signs, it might not be too surprising to spot flying lamps strung above the street in the photo above. For those wishing to get a little closer to the stars we call suns, just climb the stairs to a cozy seating nook—with a round table and two chairs—nestled inside the glass dome at the very top. Come along for the view↓

Tenants and owner

Shops and other businessesꜜ
Vacant premises: not updated
Owner: not updated

Föreningsgatan 13–15 is marked in red and sits in the Norsen block. The building was constructed by HSB in 1989.

It is mostly offices and covers about 3,600 square meters. See a larger map↓

Föreningsgatan

Here comes Malmö’s very first electric tram rolling by. Föreningsgatan was Malmö’s original ring road.
More about Föreningsgatan’s history↓ and the story of Föreningsgatan 13–15 ↓

Map of Lugnet

This map shows the entire area generally called Lugnet.

Lugnet

These old workers’ quarters from the 1800s didn’t get their name because things were especially tranquil—it was likely anything but. The name comes from an inn in the nearby Elefanten block. And honestly, that would make a great name for a beer :-)

In 1913, more than 5,000 people lived in Lugnet, and the sanitary conditions had only just begun to improve. The demand for housing in booming Malmö led to some small houses being torn down and replaced by larger apartment buildings. But the major demolitions began in the 1960s, and this huge transformation of Lugnet has sparked many debates ever since.

Föreningsgatan

We’re at Malmö’s first ring road, Föreningsgatan. Ever since the city’s founding in the Middle Ages until the early 19th century, Malmö was surrounded by water—Östra Rörsjön and Västersjön. Only along Södra and Östra Förstadsgatan was there solid land. To circumnavigate the city, a road was needed to unite Södervärn and Östervärn, the city’s old outposts.

The road itself may actually predate the current city. The precursor to "Nedre Malmö," located by the sea, was a farming village called "Övre Malmö," somewhere between Triangeln and Pildammarna—likely near today's hospital district.

Triangeln

At Triangeln, the roads from Trelleborg and Ystad meet those from Limhamn and Östervärn, all converging via Föreningsgatan into a crossroads that has surely been lively in every era. Farmers from Söderslätt brought their goods and mingled with merchants and artisans from the continent. Later, surplus farm workers from Söderslätt arrived—eventually forming the backbone of Malmö’s working class. All were drawn to the big city, and all traveled those country roads toward the city’s main avenues.

Many never moved further. A job at Kockums Mechanical Workshop or another factory in this suburb and a cheap apartment with a craftsman in Lugnet was often their first contact with urban life in late 1800s Malmö. Kockums operated between 1840–1914 at what is now Davidshallstorg, right next to Lugnet. Read more about Lugnet in [ this IDstory ].

Föreningsgatan 13–15

Along the old approach roads, simple one-storey houses were built during the 1800s. Some were later given a second floor, but many were demolished to make room for bigger buildings as the century ended. Number 13–15 sat on a slanting corner plot down towards Lugnet. The houses lost in the big Lugnet clearances were built in the 1870s and 1880s.

The Artwork and the Building

With its curved façade and decorative tower, this property stands out among everything built after the sweeping clearances of the ’60s and ’70s. Its strong profile as a corner building and entrance marks the route—all traffic into Lugnet comes via Bolagsgatan.

The developer invested in expressive ornamentation, and the architect—Kurt Hultin—took full advantage of the street’s curve. Lessons were learned from the gray, monotonous architecture that replaced the small-scale workers’ housing. Fittingly, this was one of the last buildings erected in the new Lugnet.

The Zodiac

The constellations ↗ svW of the Zodiac are imagined groupings of stars. In ancient Babylonia and Egypt, they were named after animals—but seeing those shapes in the night sky certainly demands imagination!

Astrology↗ svW can be entertaining, but is entirely unscientific—unlike astronomy↗ svW, which is a scientific discipline.

Cupola roof — The Zodiac has 12 constellations, and the cupola roof
has 12 window sections. And a dusting of snow.

View eastward. To the right, you catch a glimpse of the Ferris wheel in Folkets Park.

View west and southwest. Scandic Hotel towers behind an ice sculpture. To the left is the spire of St. Johannes Church↗ svW.

Born under Aries, copper relief with glass inlays by Walter Bengtsson↗

You are Aries, Leo, or Aquarius.
You are Taurus, Gemini, or graceful Virgo.
You’re the Fish weighed by Libra
or Sagittarius who draws the bow.
You are Capricorn, Cancer, or Scorpio
among the stars’ countless millions.
Surely the developer deserves a thank you
for including us all in his Zodiac. W.B.