Korngatan - A Beautiful Pencil Stroke from Kirseberg

A landscape full of slopes usually makes an interesting composition for a painter. Kirseberg is no exception. Kirseberg is a city within a city. It is a century-old settlement on the east side of Malmö (Sweden), and is very beautiful. On one hand, it has got a lot of greenery around it. On the other hand, it has sprawling houses, shops and showrooms embracing the modern world. Somewhere in the heart of its history lies a small street bearing a touch of heritage. The street has a name – Korngatan.

There is a small road by the name Kirsebergsgatan which leads to the very picturesque Korngatan. There is also another landmark building opposite to Korngatan – it is an old school by the name Kirsebergsskolan.

Each step through the walkway leaves one mesmerized. First, a stone-paved alley opens a visually charming picture in front of our eyes.  The fenced houses are calm and serene. Almost all the houses have well-maintained gardens. Flowers and colors are in abundance.

The road twists and turns. It is as if the road is playing a hide and seek game with the Sun. At times, it feels like they are having a coveted affair. The Sun peeps through one end of the road and hides itself on one other end.

A few more paces and the street of Korngatan arrives. Since my childhood, I have imagined quite a lot about how a typical Western City and its colorful streets might look like. But then: Seeing is believing. Imagining about something is beautiful but to see that same thing in front of our eyes is a completely different experience.

The earliest traces of Korngatan dates to 1800. At that time, the field area covering the street was a farmland. After changing hands a few times, it was finally converted to a residential area, with a couple of houses built first. It was during the middle half of the nineteenth century that many more houses started to come up. 

There is an unwritten rule that everyone staying at Korngatan usually follows. The one owning a house here have flower trees that throng the outer walls. They also have their bicycles that rest on those walls. The trees and cycles should however not come in the way of each other. 

While walking along the street from its head to the leg, I happened to meet a lady. She was getting off from her bicycle, cherishing her flowers and of course owning one of those houses. She went on saying how much she loves this place and how tightly connected the neighbors are. Her house, in which she moved 25 years back, was recently renovated. There are a few other similar houses that were renovated at around the same time.

Korngatan, locked in between two parallel busy streets, with one side facing Kirsebergs Square and the other side looking at the Kirsebergs School, needs to preserve its old-world charm. The attics at the rooftop, the nice decorations put up on some walls, or the neatly woven curtains visible through some window panes all produce a sense of calmness and quietness. The legacy is intact – onlookers can only appreciate this sort of tradition.

A question comes to my mind, 'Why did not I ask the lady her name?' But it was ok. It was just fine. The solitude, the appeal and the magic of this place is best secured if some portion of it is left to be further explored. A locality cut off from noises, a neighborhood housing several big families and a chain of houses built one after the other are becoming more and more unusual these days. It is perhaps a mystery why and how this street is still intact. History has decided to take a pause after seeing this street. It has given enough opportunity to a painter or a sketcher to visualize and create a canvas out of it. I thank the beauty of tradition, I thank myself that I could create a parmanent sketch of Korngatan in my memory.