Skolträdgården vid Bällefors skola – en trädgårdshistorisk undersökning med rekonstrueringsförslag

Abstract

In the mid-19th century elementary schools were founded in Sweden, and along with them came school gardens and garden education for children. During the 1890s and 1920s, standard drawings were produced, both at private initiative and at government level, to give examples of how the idealistic public school area would be designed. As a contribution to the understanding of school garden history this essay will focus on one school garden in particular in Västergötland: Bällefors elementary school. The elementary school was built along with the teacher's residence in 1922 and at the same time the school garden was designed. Since 1962, when the school was shut down, the garden has not been cared for, and the purpose of this essay is to find out what remains of the original garden and create a foundation that can be the basis for a reconstruction of the garden. Through interviews with current owners, a previous student and analysis of several school photographs, aerial photos and documents, I will answer the questions: what kind of design and plant material did the garden have? How can the garden be reconstructed and renovated to show a fair picture of the history of the site but also to be care-efficient and adapted to today's resources?