Gøteborg Sweden and the tale of two sons

Gothenburg in the 1790s

I have been revisiting  Gothenburg in Sweden.  I go several 

times a year and am always charmed by its wide boulevards, 

green-banked canals, busy river, lovely shops and 

relaxed pavement cafes.

On this occasion I was  struck by the tragic fate of two 
 sons who were born into wealthy Swedish families.

A short drive from the city, in Mølndal, lies Gunnebo.

While staying in Gothenburg  in the summer of 

1795, Mary Wollstonecraft was taken on a day-trip to visit 

the newly built country house of Gunnebo. It was the dream 

project of Scottish born John Hall who was, by the late 

18th century,  one of the richest merchants in Sweden.

Mary Wollstonecraft, however, failed to be impressed by 

Gunnebo. She disliked the pretentiousness of the French and 

Italian-styled wooden building and the 

classical formality of the grounds.     

Nevertheless, Gunnebo was very much admired by 

Gothenburg society and it became the jewel in the crown of 

John Hall's empire.

When John Hall died, in 1802 this empire, including 

Gunnebo, passed to his only son whose every whim had 

been indulged since childhood by a doting father.  

John Hall the younger had no head for business and 

only three years later the family firm was declared 

bankrupt.

I first saw Gunnebo two hundred years after 

Mary Wollstonecraft's  visit and unlike her, I was 

enchanted by the house and the gardens.  Like a sleeping 

beauty, Gunnebo has been rescued from years of neglect 

and today it is possible to take a tour of the house; wander 

freely in the grounds and admire the immaculate kitchen 

gardens.

.....................

Raoul Wallenberg was born into one of Sweden's 

wealthiest families.  While working in the Swedish 

Diplomatic Mission in Nazi occupied Budapest he issued 

protective Swedish passports to Jews,  saving thousands of 

Jewish lives.

However, in 1945, he was captured and  imprisoned by 

Soviet forces. 

This monument, in the grounds of Haga Church, 
Gothenburg is a photo-based work in bronze and graphic 
concrete by artist Charlotte Gyllenhammar.
It is a very moving memorial to the man and his 
deeds.

2012 is the centenary of the birth of Raoul Wallenberg. 

However, his fate still remains a mystery.

As for John Hall the younger: he died in 1830, a broken 
man. Having lost his fortune, his wife divorced him and
 he ended his days as a ragged tramp on the streets of 
Stockholm.


Anna