The landshövdingehus (Swedish: [ˈlândsˌhœvdɪŋɛˌhʉːs]; English: "governor house") is a type of building unique to Gothenburg, Sweden.
City bylaws in the 19th century ruled that houses made of wood could be a maximum of two storeys high in order to protect against fires.
[1][2] The very first landshövdingehus was built 1875 in the district of Annedal, and was demolished in the redevelopment of the 1970s, but many other examples of these buildings remain today.
Nowadays, most areas in the districts of Majorna and Kungsladugård are owned by a single entity (the municipal housing company Familjebostäder) but this separation can still be seen in some courtyards.
The façades were cleansed of decoration and the wooden panelling was nailed vertically, with the brick ground floor being plastered smooth.
This landshövdingehus at Allmänna vägen 11 in
Majorna
was built in 1894. The original detailing is largely intact, although the windows were exchanged during a renovation in 1982. It is more luxurious than normal because of the corner placement. The building features corner towers with tower spires and bay windows. The ground floor was originally used by a department store, but is now occupied by a café.
Kvarteret Standaret, designed by Arvid Fuhre, built in 1922–1923 at Karl Johans torg is a classic example of
national romanticism
in the form of a landshövdingehus. The buildings are arranged around a central axis. Note the relation between the materials – the wooden panel covering the stone base and the distinct vertical elements.Arvid Fuhre was also the main architect of the buildings in Gothenburg 300 Years foundation Jubilee exhibition 1923 at the Liseberg, today an amusement park. The design and colour scheme of Standaret and Liseberg have great similarities. Standaret is now protected as a building of cultural significance by the city of Gothenburg.
Kvarteret Maskrosen, built 1928–1934 at Gröna vallen, is characteristic of
Kungsladugård
. The building is in a classical style, with vertical smooth wooden board (i.e. without strips) and a small yard facing the street.
Kvarteret Åkermyntan at Lugnet is built in
functionalist
style 1931–1934. Typical of this type of landshövdingehus is the austere façade totally without decoration, in contrast to earlier styles. The wooden panel is nailed vertically to give the wall a flatter look. Other details also contribute to an even surface: a brick wall without any decoration and a diminutive strip in the splice between brick and wood.
