The garbage-alley in Strömslund
Trollhättan
The district Strömslund is Sweden's oldest planned residential area. There, narrow cleaning alleys were built for the collection of waste - the so-called "Slaskegator". One of these has now been renovated and opened to the public.
On the west side of the river Göta älv, not far from the centre of Trollhättan, lies the residential area of Strömslund. It was founded in 1889 and is the oldest planned area for workers cottages in Sweden. The founder, the German engineer Eduard Leopold Albert, wanted to create a healthy and regulated area of cottages for workers. That is also shown in the planning of the area and in the booklet, written by Albert, published 1902 about the district.
The area was laid out in a square-pattern and the houses were built detached. The public buildings such as churches, assembly-halls and schools were usually placed on the highest points in the area. Straight through the blocks were garbage-alleyways built with draining- and sewer systems with sumps and small buildings for garbage. Also along these lie outside-toilets (privies), small slaughter-houses, piggeries, washing- (and brewing) houses as well as woodsheds. The garbage was thus easily reached and carted away through the alleyways. These were locally called "Slaskegator".
In times the alleyways lost their original importance. Many sheds were demolished as new ones were built for modern purposes. In the 1970s the common area in the alleyways was privatised and was, in many places, occupied by new small houses and sheds.
However the garbage-alley in the block named Frigga has passed through the years with few changes. Here most of the sheds are preserved, among others the last garbage-house in Strömslund, from the time of Albert. At the initiative of the community of Trollhättan these sheds have now been carefully restored. The alley has also been cleared of bushes and weeds and got back its status as a common area. In that way one of the garbage-alleyways in Strömslund has once more been open to the public.
In spite of the planning, in those days, for health and cleanliness in the community, the garbage-alley was probably both nasty smelling and cluttered. Today instead it is a picturesque alley peacefully stretching in between the small red- coloured buildings. At the same time it is a historical site which tells us about the farsightedness of social engineering-skills and everyday life in Strömslund at the turn of the century.
