Pildammsparken (''Willowpond Park'') is a neighbourhood and park in

Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, design in a neoclassical style and covering an area of 45 hectates. The park was founded for the

Baltic Exhibition The Baltic Exhibition () was held in Malmö, Sweden from 15 May to 4 October 1914. (The official closing date, September 30, was later extended by four days, as permitted in the general rules.) A Swedish world's fair The event showcased the indust ...

of 1914, but its two dams predate it, as a

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

for the inhabitants of Malmö. The ponds and surrounding parkland provide habitats for fish, insects, and plant life while attracting visitors to the area.

History

Pildammsparken was originally Malmö's water reservoir. Its name, Pildammarna (Willow Ponds or Willow Dams), derives from the

willows Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions. Most species are known ...

planted along the protective embankments of the dams to reinforce them. Water from the reservoirs was supplied to public pumps at

Stortorget Stortorget (, "the Grand Square") is a public square in Gamla Stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. It is the oldest square in Stockholm, the historical centre on which the medieval urban conglomeration gradually came into being. To ...

(Great Square), where Malmö residents collected it. In 1914, the area was selected as the site for the Baltic Exhibition, a grand event showcasing advancements in technology and design. The exhibition area was designed by architect

Ferdinand Boberg Gustaf Ferdinand Boberg (11 April 1860 – 7 May 1946) was a Swedish architect. Biography Boberg was born in Falun. He became one of the most productive and prominent architects of Stockholm around the turn of the 20th century. Among his most ...

with assistance from then- Crown Princess Margareta. The event was a major success, attracting nearly a million visitors. Remnants from this time, such as the Margaretapaviljongen (Margareta Pavilion), Blomstergatan (the Flower Street), an old granite fountain, and a fire station, remain in the park today. Following the exhibition, Danish landscape architect Erstad-Jörgensen proposed a design for the park inspired by English romantic park styles. His plan, characterized by soft lines, expansive lawns, and scattered tree groups, was partially implemented around the smaller dam in 1915. In 1926, city engineer Bülow-Hübe revised the plan, giving the remaining part of the park a neoclassical and monumental character. He unified the park into a cohesive whole, resulting in a large-scale folk park. Central to the park is Tallriken (The Plate), a circular event space 160 meters in diameter. Over time, various sculptures have been added to the park, including ''Galathea'' by Nils Möllerberg, ''Kastanj'' (Chestnut) by Bertil Nilsson, and the more contemporary ''Strykjärn'' (Flatiron) by Hiroshi Koyama, which has been both celebrated and controversial. The park underwent significant renovations in 1983–1984, during which the large dam was emptied and cleaned to improve water quality. Lighting installations were also added to enhance evening visits, particularly in Galatheas hage (Galathea's Grove) and along the dam's promenade.

Features

The park is split into four distinct areas: the eastern section contains the central dam and , the old water tower; the southern section features Margaretapaviljongen (Margareta Pavilion) and Blomstergatan (the Flower Street); the western section, contains a wooded area and Tallriken; the northern section includes Galatheas hage (Galathea's Grove) and the smaller dam.

The dams

The central dam in Pildammsparken is home to three fountains that create impressive water displays reaching heights of up to 25 meters. Introduced on

Walpurgis Night Walpurgis Night (), an abbreviation of Saint Walpurgis Night (from the German language, German ), also known as Saint Walpurga's Eve (alternatively spelled Saint Walburga's Eve) and Walpurgisnacht, is the Vigil#Eves of religious celebrations ...

in 1989, these fountains were later enhanced with music and colorful lights in 1999. Light shows occur nightly after sunset, every half hour until 1:00 a.m. The dams face significant leakage problems, losing approximately 170 million liters of water annually—equivalent to the yearly consumption of 3,300 people. To mitigate this, Malmö municipality fills the ponds with potable water each year. In 2024, the city initiated efforts to locate and address the leaks, employing high-tech equipment such as

interferometric Interferometry is a technique which uses the '' interference'' of superimposed waves to extract information. Interferometry typically uses electromagnetic waves and is an important investigative technique in the fields of astronomy, fiber opt ...

sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances ( ranging), communicate with or detect objects o ...

and

georadar Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is a geophysical method that uses radar pulses to image the subsurface. It is a non-intrusive method of surveying the sub-surface to investigate underground utilities such as concrete, asphalt, metals, pipes, cables o ...

to survey the pond bed. Malmö municipality is exploring solutions, including sealing the pond bed and identifying alternative water sources such as treated

wastewater Wastewater (or waste water) is water generated after the use of freshwater, raw water, drinking water or saline water in a variety of deliberate applications or processes. Another definition of wastewater is "Used water from any combination of do ...

stormwater Stormwater, also written storm water, is water that originates from precipitation (storm), including heavy rain and meltwater from hail and snow. Stormwater can soak into the soil ( infiltrate) and become groundwater, be stored on depressed lan ...

, or

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and Pore space in soil, soil pore spaces and in the fractures of stratum, rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available fresh water in the world is groundwater. A unit ...

Margaretapaviljongen and Blomstergatan

The Margaretapaviljongen (Margareta Pavilion) and the Blomstergatan (Flower Street) are a legacy of the Baltic Exhibition. They lie on the southern end of the park and consist of a small pavilion and a path leading to it, sidelined by flowers. Blomstergatan was originally designed by Crown Princess Margareta for the Baltic Exhibition, and it has been restored to its original design. The restoration included reconstructing the original brick walls, which store heat and improve the local climate for flowers. Issues such as poor irrigation and excessive pruning have also been addressed, enabling a vibrant display of flowers during spring and summer. A nearby building once housed the Margareta Restaurant, but it has closed and is in poor condition following a fire. As of March 1, 2024, Malmö City owns the building, and its future is under review. Pildammsparken features two themed playgrounds: Spindellekplatsen (Spider Playground) and Teaterlekplatsen (Theater Playground). Additionally, the park offers two outdoor gyms, one near the old water tower and another in the southeastern woodland area.

References

{{Districts of Malmö Neighbourhoods of Malmö Parks in Malmö World's fair sites in Sweden