Solna Centrum is a metro station in Stockholm, Sweden, designed by Anders Åberg and Karl-Olov Björk, and inspired by the 1970s and rural exodus. The station’s theme is the environmental ruin caused by mass industrialization, deforestation, and rural policies. The art exhibition in the station was completed in 1992.
The station’s murals depict a family leaving their countryside home and moving to the city due to the increasing difficulty of rural life in the 1970s. The theme is also represented in a closed gas station, broken glass bottles surrounding a berry picker, and deforestation scenes with loggers cutting down trees and a hunter trailing behind an elk.
Throughout the station, visitors can see various dioramas, including one of an excavator machine that plays with depth perception. When viewed from one angle, the diorama shows only a father and son fishing in a lake, but when viewed from another angle, the entire scene is revealed.
One of the dioramas features the White House, representing power and the people, with details such as a yellow helicopter in the sky, symbolizing President Nixon’s escape, and the lyrics to Bob Dylan’s song “The Times They Are A Changing” on the ground. Another diorama depicts a village that used to be called Hagalund, which is now part of Solna. The old houses in the village were demolished to build the blue buildings seen outside the station, except for artist Olle Olsson’s house, which has been converted into a museum. One of the most interesting elements is the flying bus, which is one of the oldest light rail lines, opened in 1922, that used to run from Bantorget to Sundyberg.
The station also features depictions of industry, including a train with a toxic chemical symbol, representing the gas used as a pesticide, and a factory that pollutes the forest. The most impressive photo opportunity can be found on the main stairs with red ceilings and black walls. The green of the forest, the red of the sunset, and the black of the mountains create a stunning atmosphere that makes this station one of the best in Stockholm.
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