Did you know that Södervärn wasn’t always a bus station? Once upon a time, this area was a bustling railway hub. Södervärn in Malmö now a district within Södra Innerstaden has a past life. Let’s step back in time to when trains ruled here.
In 1886 Södervärn’s railway station emerged. It was part of the Malmö-Ystad railway line. This happened because the Malmö-Trelleborg railway was inaugurated. Both railway lines shared the stretch from Malmö Västra to Södervärn. The oldest part of Södervärn sprung up around this station just north of Spårvagnsgatan. However in the early 1980s this area was transferred to Möllevången.
The horse-drawn tram reached Södervärn in 1887. Then in 1907 the electric tram line 1 arrived. For a short time in 1907 line 2 also served Södervärn’s railway station. The Södervärn district expanded significantly in the 1930s. It grew from the railway down towards Dalaplan.
Sadly line 1 was shut down in 1967. The last passenger train a service to Falsterbo ran in 1971. After that the station building and all other traces of the railway era were erased. The railway area was transformed. It became the bus station we know today for regional and local traffic.
Near Nobelvägen stands Södervärnsskolan. Today it functions as a Swedish for Immigrants school. The residential buildings in the area are mostly early 20th-century apartment buildings. Södervärn has seen many changes. From railway station to bus terminal it remains a central point in Malmö.
Speaking of landmarks have you noticed the Södervärnstornet water tower nearby? This tower completed in 1916 initially served as a water reservoir. Salomon Sörensen the city architect designed it. For years locals have playfully nicknamed it “Kuken” meaning “The Cock”. This is due to its shape. The tower provided essential water services to Malmö for almost a century. However in 2015 it was decommissioned due to impractical renovation costs. The municipality took ownership in 2018 planning to sell it. But the city changed its mind and is now looking for new public uses for it.
Did you know that the tower faced some vandalism in its past? During roof repairs in 1983 someone climbed the scaffolding. They spray-painted “Mörda Bilar Hata Data” which means Murder Cars Hate Data on the side. Even though it’s no longer a water source the Södervärnstornet remains a prominent feature. Its copper roof was renovated in 2022-2023 restoring its original color. Södervärn blends history with modern life. A place where old railways have given way to buses. A water tower stands tall as a reminder of the past. The area continues to evolve. It adapts to the needs of Malmö’s residents.