Asplund Exhibition | Röhsska Museum

Asplund and the Town Hall
27 September 2025 – 30 August 2026

Experience Gunnar Asplund, one of the Nordic region’s most influential architects, in a unique exhibition about Gothenburg Town Hall at the Röhsska Museum! Asplund, who designed the extension of the Town Hall, is highlighted here through a selection of furniture, textiles, and parts of the building’s interior. Visitors will also encounter drawings and reproductions that illuminate everything from intricate details to the overall design.

Gunnar Asplund (1885–1940) is one of Sweden’s most renowned architects, whose work has also left an international mark. In addition to the extension of Gothenburg’s Town Hall, he designed the Stockholm Public Library and the Woodland Cemetery. His work is characterized by a holistic approach and an eye for detail.

The exhibition offers a glimpse into an iconic environment that is usually closed to the public. Through photographs, sketches, and original objects on loan from the Town Hall—such as chairs, lamps, and tables—visitors can experience Asplund’s thoughtful and creative masterpiece, where every detail matters.

A Modern Building for a Modern Justice System

During the 1930s, attitudes toward law and justice began to shift, with a more humane view on crime emerging. Legal institutions were expected to focus on correction and rehabilitation rather than punishment. Influenced by these ideas, Asplund designed the Town Hall interior with soft shapes and natural light to inspire hope in the accused.

From Criticized to Iconic Masterpiece

The extension faced heavy criticism when completed in 1936, but has since been re-evaluated by architectural experts worldwide. Praised for its soft modernism, it is now considered a model example of how new architecture can be integrated with the old. Today, the Town Hall and its interiors are regarded as one of the masterpieces of Scandinavian modernism.

Gunnar Asplund

Gunnar Asplund (1885–1940) was one of Sweden’s leading architects of the 20th century and a key figure in Nordic classicism and functionalism. He also served as a professor at the Royal Institute of Technology and had a major influence on a younger generation of architects. His work is marked by a strong sense of spatiality, light, and form.