Norra Vallgatan 90
in Malmö

Norra Vallgatan 60, Malmö — Norra Vallgatan 90

The property includes Norra Vallgatan 90 and Västergatan 23–25. In the 1800s, however, Västergatan 23—not Norra Vallgatan—served as the primary entrance. Up until around 1810, Norra Vallgatan was simply a defensive embankment and a barrier against the sea. Everything beyond the embankment is reclaimed land from the Öresund.

Tenants and owner

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

Malmö Becomes an Open City

King Gustav IV Adolf decided in 1805 that Malmö would become an "open city"—completely without fortifications. The embankments were dismantled, and the city received new land for development. The old castle was turned into a prison, and Gamla Väster became a quiet corner on the city's edge. Norra Vallgatan connected to Slottsgatan, but there were no bridges to the harbor or to the south side of the city.

In winter, large ships were moored in the canal. Back then, the Öresund froze every year. This marked the end of the so-called "Little Ice Age," and it was often possible to walk across the ice to Copenhagen. There were even kiosks on the ice, selling hot drinks to those making the crossing!

850,000 Tickets to the Baltic Exhibition

The 1914 Baltic Exhibition brought big changes to the area. In preparation for this massive event, Norra Vallgatan was upgraded. Slottsgatan was cut directly through the cemetery and linked to the new Fersen Bridge. This became the route to the exhibition for hundreds of thousands of visitors. Although Malmö had fewer than 100,000 residents, 850,000 tickets were sold! Most visitors traveled by train or boat, taking the special X1 tram along Norra Vallgatan to what is now Pildammsparken, where the exhibition was held.

Norra Vallgatan, Malmö — Norra Vallgatan with the "Ringlinjen" around 1910

Up until the late 1800s, Gamla Väster was dominated by one- and two-story houses. Sailors, captains, and shipyard workers lived here, along with craftsmen of all trades. Inside the courtyards were workshops and small factories. One special feature of Gamla Väster was its hotels—nearly every other house was a hotel or boarding house. Usually, these were small operations with 15–20 rooms—easy for a single family to run.

Canal in Malmö — Up until 1914, large ships could navigate the canals. Before then, all bridges were drawbridges. After that, only fixed bridges were built and mooring in the canals ceased. (We've made the sky bluer.)

Proximity to the harbor and the station brought plenty of guests: some stayed just one night before catching a train or boat to the continent, others—such as traveling salesmen—stayed longer, spending a week or two finding customers in their line of work.

Västergatan 25

The house was built in 1905. Its façade is quite simple, with hints of Jugendstil, though even more imaginative proposals for its decoration were never realized. The builder may have been Hjalmar Nilsson, but his modesty prevailed—his name does not appear on the façade today. The sketch shown was one of three rejected designs for Västergatan 25. Others have succeeded in immortalizing themselves on a nearby building façade (IDstory).

Here was one of the roughly thirty hotels in Gamla Väster. It started as "Rooms for Travelers" during World War II, becoming Hotel Vesta in 1945.

Vesta was, in Roman mythology, the goddess of fire and the hearth whose flame never went out—a fitting name for a warm, welcoming hotel. On the ground floor, Café Germania opened—likely a political statement. Germania was the German equivalent of "Mother Svea," and also the name chosen by Hitler and Speer for the new "world capital" planned after World War II.

caryatids — Caryatids support parts of the façade

Västergatan 23

The "Laurell House" was ready for occupancy in March 1885. Here lived tax-collector Herman Laurell. With such a grand title, it’s no wonder he built himself an equally grand residence.

The houses at Västergatan 23 and 25, together with no. 21, became the headquarters of Bevaknings AB Securitas during the 1960s and ’70s. Number 25 was linked to the building on Norra Vallgatan by a one-story connecting wing, which housed the Securitas Central—where all their alarms went. It was a technical marvel for its time.

In 25 stood a business called Levande Information AB. It was brought into the Securitas group because it trained their staff in the security school, later called Securitas School. This company was also among the first to use internal TV for training. Its clients included banks, the military, the merchant fleet, and more.

No. 21 housed the Securitas Alarm workshop. This company also used internal TV, but for industrial surveillance and security purposes.

Norra Vallgatan 90 — Norra Vallgatan in 1970, with no. 90 to the left.
Today, most other houses have been demolished.

Logo

In 1972, Förenade Vakt changed its name to Bevaknings AB Securitas. The three dots in the logo stood for: Honesty, Vigilance, and Helpfulness. Competitors jokingly called them “Three Lingonberries”!