In the early 19th century the land was bought by a Briton, John Nonnen, a passionate gardener who introduced the Dahlia to Sweden. From the beginning Liseberg continued the garden ethic as a green amusement park, with flowers and trees surrounding the attractions. An example today is the popular family attraction Kållerado, where a Swedish landscape is created around the streaming waterways. Also, the colorful summer plantations are characteristic for the park.
Today, Liseberg is one of Europe’s leading amusement parks offering entertainment, attractions and restaurants. It is the most visited tourist attraction in Sweden, with more than three million guests annually.
As part of the Gardens of Gothenburg exhibition, Liseberg has developed a new area, around 20,000 square metres of hitherto undeveloped hillside. This has been designed as a counterpoint to the lively attractions area, a space that visitors can explore at their leisure. Liseberg’s new garden is a space designed to inspire and feed the imagination.
The garden is accessed once you’ve entered the main park entrance. As visitors ascend the slopes they discover historic buildings nestling among the rocky outcrops. The winding paths take them through the Dense Wood, across the bridge over a streaming white drift of plants, with diverse flora to admire along the way. This is a place to discover mirror ponds, water rills, floral landscape and sculpture. Liseberg has invited artists to hold creative workshops and contribute to the landscapes and planting. Their work, both ephemeral and permanent, will be integrated within the landscape. Descending through the natural woodland, visitors will discover a pavilion by the Danish artist Tage Andersen before rejoining the park’s other attractions.
The gardens have been created by a team, headed by David Schofield, Liseberg’s Creative Director, working closely with Peter Törnberg and the Park’s horticultural department, based on ideas developed by Catherine Heatherington (Society of Garden Designers) and O2Landskap (a Swedish landscape architects’ office). The work has been coordinated by Andrew Fisher Tomlin, former chairman of the Society of Garden Designers.