How about a quick trip back to the 1770s? That’s when Stora Katrineberg farm was built. It stands as the namesake of this area. The oldest structure in the district is Stora Katrineberg farm. Once it served as a summer retreat in Brännkyrka parish.
Fast forward to 1822. Carl Östberg a factory owner purchased the estate. King Karl XIV Johan would stop at Stora Katrineberg to use the restroom. He did this before entering the city through Hornstull. Östberg passed away at his summer residence in 1842. His daughter Emelie Östberg Sehmann inherited the estate.
In the late 1870s the area around Liljeholmen became attractive to developers. The Western Main Line railway passed by Liljeholmen in 1860. Charles J Smith tried to convince the owner of Stora Katrineberg to sell land. It would be for development. It wasn’t until the 1890s that any development took place. This was under the new owner Johan Albert Amundson.
The area closest to the farm was the most developed. The first industry a gelatin factory arrived in 1892. Stockholms Galvaniseringsfabrik established itself in 1895. The galvanizing factory was a dangerous workplace. Over the years it claimed the lives and health of several workers. Sveriges Förenade Spritförädlingsverk also set up facilities here. So did Stockholms Vaddfabrik.
Liljeholmens Tryckeri started in 1880 on Stora Katrineberg land. It was near the bridgehead of the floating bridge. When the first fixed bridge was planned around 1910 the printing house had to move. It relocated to the tram halls on Brännkyrkagatan / Ringvägen. In 1923 Liljeholmens Tryckeri moved to Hornsgatan 145. In 1936 it moved to its final address at Brännkyrkagatan 27. The business remained there until the late 1990s.
In the early 20th century some five-story apartment buildings went up. The most lavish was built from 1904-1906 at Liljeholmsvägen 8–12. It also served as the municipal building. Liljeholmen’s municipal society commissioned the architectural firm Dorph & Höög to design the house. In addition to apartments the building housed a parish office. There was also a district doctor, police station, pharmacy and midwife.
Between 1893 and 1904 the small Liljeholmen shipyard was located by the water. AB Gustaf Ericssons Automobilfabrik was established there. Gustaf Ericsson started a factory in 1907 with 200 employees. They manufactured cars, motorboats and engines. At an exhibition that year they displayed Sweden’s first six-cylinder car. The factory experienced financial difficulties and production ceased. AB Svenska Maskinverken later used the old car factory. So did AB Stockholms Ångtvätt and Levins skofabrik.
In the 1960s and 1970s large parts of Liljeholmen were run down. Most of it was demolished. Stora Katrineberg remained with its intact buildings from the late 1800s. Despite requests from the Stockholm City Museum most of it was demolished in the early 1980s. This made way for a new office complex.
The old apartment buildings on Liljeholmsvägen remained. So did Stora Katrineberg farm with its two wings. Also remaining were three older industrial buildings. One of these was demolished in the early 1990s. In the winter of 2003/2004 another older building was demolished. It was originally a factory for AB Sveriges Förenade Spritförädlingsverk. Later it was Liljeholmen’s dairy.
Today not much remains of the earlier buildings. The residential building Stora Katrineberg 19 was built in 2009. It is adjacent to the two preserved older residential buildings. The architectural firm Kjellander and Sjöberg designed the building. It was nominated for Stockholm Building of the Year in 2010.
In a beautiful location along Liljeholmshamnen lies the office property Stora Katrineberg 16. It has three buildings with approximately 42000 square meters of leasable area. Here you can also find a hidden cultural treasure in the middle of the urban environment. A genuine 1770s farm originally a summer house. King Karl XIV Johan used to pass through here to freshen up on his travels.
Stora Katrineberg today is easily accessible. It is located right by Liljeholmstorget with several public transport options. There is a subway station, several bus lines and light rail.
Atrium Ljungberg wants its tenants to recycle smartly and reduce their environmental impact. They have implemented several major investments in their properties. These include the Returab-Systemet, green leases and solar cell installations on roofs. They also have beehives for biological diversity.
So, as you stand here take a moment to appreciate the layers of history. From royal pit stops to industrial innovation Stora Katrineberg has seen it all.