Some Examples of Early Twentieth-Century Scandinavian Church Architecture

Högalid Church, Stockholm, 1923

In Scandinavia, among the designers of Lutheran churches during the first part of the last century, there was a distinct 'Other Modernism' in their architecture, one which partook in large measure of the regional art nouveau and national romantic movements then at their apogee in Central and Northern Europe. The results were quite wonderful, and bear further study. Some examples follow below, from the quadrilingual Dutch work of the period, Moderne Kerken in Europe en America, which also includes some strange Central European and French monstrosities, not shown here--though I admit a secret fondness for the etherial openness of Perret's Notre Dame du Raincy, just not all that exposed concrete. I have dozens more scans from this book and others of the era I will post in the next few weeks, with any luck.

Engelbrecht Church, Stockholm, 1923
Skelleftea Church, Stockholm, 1926
Högalid Church, Stockholm, 1923