Support Herman Bergman Konstgjuteri AB

The situation is urgent: the foundry has been given notice to vacate by the turn of the year by the property owner, who intends to demolish the property. If the foundry is forced out, the business will cease to exist, and with it, 130 years of invaluable craftsmanship will be eradicated.

Therefore, we request that the government, the City of Stockholm, and the County Administrative Board immediately take measures to ensure its preservation through protective legislation in the current detailed development plan, to prevent a national cultural treasure from being lost before any potential planning work can even begin.

Concrete Demands – Immediate Action

We demand that the City of Stockholm, the City Planning Committee, and the County Administrative Board act immediately:

1. Immediate protection: Immediately implement a demolition ban and a strong cultural heritage protection provision (Q-marking) for the property Kristinedal 8 within the framework of the current detailed development plan. This is necessary to stop the urgent demolition intent.

2. Securing the operation: Secure the property so that it explicitly allows "cultural craft and industrial activity" (Art Foundry).

The Friends' Association of Herman Bergman Konstgjuteri demands that the city takes its responsibility to preserve this cultural heritage – historically, presently, and in relation to the World Heritage Site Skogskyrkogården – by immediately stopping the demolition threat from the property owner.

Demolition or conversion of the property Kristinedal 8 would mean an irreversible eradication.

Why is it important?

By the turn of the year, Herman Bergman's 130-year-old art foundry has been given notice to vacate the building where they operate, despite the property being classified as culturally and historically interesting. The property owner's demolition plans have been rejected twice, but they are still on the table. At the same time, they have not been offered a replacement premises that can meet the technical requirements of an art foundry. Nor financial compensation to restart in a new location.

Everyone at the foundry is working as usual – but under an uncertainty that should not exist in a society that claims to protect cultural heritage and professional expertise.

That a fully functional and in-demand business is left in limbo is difficult to comprehend.

Everyone familiar with the foundry knows that the work they do depends on the environment they work in. The furnaces, the melt, the workflows – everything is there to handle a craft that is analog, physical, and requires presence. It's not something that can be moved around just anywhere. It is based on collaboration, timing, and the experience found in the people and in the rooms they work in.

This is not a question of saving an "old house." It's about saving a cultural operation and the only building in Stockholm that was built as an art foundry from the ground up. The foundry's goal is to survive as a company, retain its staff, and preserve its craftsmanship, which would be possible if they are allowed to remain in their current premises. If this proves not to be possible, they need resources to build an art foundry in another location. If these resources are not offered, the company risks going under. It's about giving an established and still active cultural operation reasonable conditions to continue contributing. Every year, public art is created here that people encounter in parks, squares, and other public spaces. It is work that affects more than just those at the foundry.

That is why we turn to you who are art and culture conscious. To make it clear that this is a situation that should be openly discussed. When such a central part of Swedish art production risks being pushed aside without a well-thought-out plan, it should be brought to attention. If you believe that cultural heritage, professional expertise, and functional creative environments are worth defending – talk about this. Share the information. Ask why we repeatedly dismantle what still works and means something.

The art founders want to continue their work. The only thing we ask for is reasonable conditions for them to be able to do so. Now we need your voice!

Sincerely, Leif Schölin The Friends' Association of Herman Bergman vanner@hermanbergman.se

https://bergmanskonstgjuteri.se/ Photo: Holger Ellgaard