Stone of the year 2023

The Stone of the Year 2023 is Svenstorp Hallandia – a representative of the unique Hallands gneiss, which is both nature’s own work of art and a geological world heritage.

Halland Gneiss, or Hallandia as it is most often called when used as building stone, was formed through two mountain-building processes (metamorphoses). Granite and gneiss are in practice made up of the same minerals. Put simply, gneiss is a form of granite that has been “rebaked” twice in the bedrock. During the second “baking” around 1,000 million years ago, the gneiss was created.

– Visually, gneiss is often compared to modeling clay that has been mixed into different shades and layers as the dense mass is worked. A polished slab of Halland gneiss can almost resemble a unique piece of modern art – a painting signed by nature itself, says Kai Marklin, chairman of the Swedish Stone Industry Association “Sveriges Stenindustriförbund”.

Halland gneiss is found in an area stretching from western Skåne, across Halland, western Småland, and into Västergötland. A few years ago, Halland gneiss was also designated a so-called Global Heritage Stone Resource, an international recognition awarded to natural stones that have had particular significance for humanity’s cultural heritage.

If you want to find examples of Halland gneiss in architecture, Halland and Skåne are, unsurprisingly, the obvious choices. Halmstad in particular is a good place to start. The stone quite literally forms a neoclassical and national romantic foundation in the city, with examples such as the Jugend house façade on Brogatan, designed by city architect Sven Graz; Halmstad Savings Bank, designed by Ivar Tengbom; the Söndrum urn by Ferdinand Boberg; and the Röda Kvarn cinema with its capitals, designed by August Svensson.

Already by the mid-1800s, large volumes of Halland gneiss were exported as paving stone to Germany and Denmark. But local quarrying has been going on much longer. In total, remains from around 500 quarries have been found in Halland. The Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU) has also designated these areas as of national interest – protected areas with particularly valuable substances or minerals.

Stone of the Year – Svenstorp Hallandia is quarried by Hallindens Granit near Svenstorp, one of the few places where Halland gneiss is still extracted today. – It is a small part of our total production but a very important one. Svenstorp is so unique that it often acts as a “door opener” to many customers, says Jörgen Lundgren, CEO of Hallindens Granit.

At the same time, he emphasizes that Halland gneiss places high demands on clients, processing, and installation. – When it is used as building stone, you want the unique pattern and structure of the stone to be revealed in a way that does justice to both the stone and the architecture. It is fantastically beautiful when split or flamed.

One of Jörgen Lundgren’s favorite projects is the cemetery in Söndrum. – There you truly see an example of a knowledgeable client, beautiful stone, good processing, and careful installation. A successful combination at every stage, he says.

Read more here (only available in Swedish)