Norrviken Gardens

Rudolf Abelin began Norrviken in 1906 as a demonstration of garden history: separate compartments laid out down the slope in distinct styles - a baroque garden with clipped hedges and a water axis, a Renaissance garden, a Japanese garden, a romantic woodland walk, a villa garden - each meant to be read against the others. Abelin was a writer and propagandist for gardening as much as a designer, and the place was built to teach. The site steps down towards Skalderviken with the sea in view from the upper terraces. Ownership and funding have been unsettled for years, with periods of closure, so opening is worth checking before travelling.

Background

The founder, Carl Rudolf Zacharias Abelin (1864-1961), was a horticulturist and pomologist, and he started the gardens about 3 kilometers northwest of Båstad as a place for horticultural experiments and as his family's home. From 1986 a limited company ran the site, with the Norrviken Gardens Foundation there to keep it maintained and developed in Abelin's spirit. In 2006 it was named Sweden's most beautiful park and Europe's second most beautiful. Money troubles followed, and in 2013 the company Lilla Båstad bought the gardens together with Villa Abelin, the main building. The villa now holds shops, a restaurant and a gallery.

Source: Wikipedia, "Norrviken Gardens"

What to look for

• Compartments in different historical styles - baroque, Renaissance, Japanese.
• A water axis down the slope - the baroque garden's spine.
• A romantic woodland walk - at the lower end.
• Sea views from the terraces - over Skalderviken.

When to go

May to September; check that it is open. Two hours.

Things to know

The gardens have gone through closures and changes of management, and maintenance has varied. The season is short. The slope means steps throughout. Bastad's tennis week crowds the whole area.

Nearby

Bastad is east; Hovs Hallar is on the north coast.

Key facts