The food we eat and how we grow it has become an increasingly important issue. And it is now one of the biggest questions of our time. Cultivation has been at the heart of Rosendal’s work since as early as 1861, when Queen Josefina, Karl XIV Johan’s daughter-in-law, leased a large area of Rosendal to the Swedish Horticultural Society. This was when Sweden’s first Master Gardener courses began, amongst other things, making Rosendal an important place for Swedish cultivation and horticulture from the outset.
The Rosendal’s Garden Foundation has managed Rosendal’s Garden since 1983; another one of the founders was the Royal Djurgården Administration. Its aim was to carry out biodynamic and commercial gardening on site. In addition, it wanted to increase knowledge and generate interest in landscape gardening. Fast-forward to today and Rosendal’s focus is being a role model, inspiration and platform for sustainable living.
A multifaceted place
At Rosendal’s Garden, children can take part in the educational gardening project ‘Play, Cultivate, Grow!’ and learn more about nature. Through the project ‘Experiment 2000m²’, Rosendal wants to illustrate the challenge of producing enough food for one person for one year; if we share the world’s agricultural land equally between all the people on earth, we each get 2000m². At Rosendal’s Garden, you’ll find vegetable patches, greenhouse farming, a rose garden, flower beds, compost and play areas. It is also home to the highest number of vines in Stockholm as well as the city’s biggest apple grove. There’s also a plant shop, wood-fire bakery, farm shop and a KRAV-certified café; the garden usually welcomes around one million visitors per year.
Rosendal’s Garden is preparing for the future
To meet the demand and prepare for the future, the Rosendal’s Garden Foundation – in partnership with the Royal Djurgården Administration – recently received planning permission for a major renovation and extension. There will be a new kitchen, more toilets and new staff rooms. There will also be premises for learning and other opportunities in line with the foundation’s visions. All while keeping its proud history in mind and focusing on the future. It is and will continue to be a place that shows the connections between earth and table, body and soul, and nature and humankind.
The expansion of Rosendal’s Garden will create safe and inclusive green areas for all (11.7)
The redevelopment and expansion ensures a safe and secure working environment and sustainable economic growth (8.1,8)
