BREDALSPARKEN

Vidste du, at en lejlighed i Bredalsparken var en luksusdrøm i 1950’erne?

At få en lejlighed efter 2. Verdenskrig var nemlig som at vinde i lotteriet. Der var stor mangel på boliger, især i København og omegn, hvor mange boede i små, mørke lejligheder uden centralvarme og med toilet og bad i gården. Derfor satte staten et stort boligbyggeri i gang, hvor planen var at opføre gode og familievenlige lejligheder. Blandt disse byggerier var Bredalsparken i Hvidovre, tegnet af arkitekt Svenn Eske Kristensen og opført i 1949-1989.

- Læs hele historien herunder

Byggerod og marker

Da de første beboere kom til Bredalsparken i 1950’erne, mødtes de af et syn, der i dag er svært at forestille sig: Pløjemarkerne strakte sig på blokkenes bagside helt frem til bygningerne. Området var en mudret byggeplads, og byggeriet var ikke helt færdigt. For eksempel manglede trappegelænderne endnu i nogle opgange. Grænsen mellem land og by gik lige udenfor vinduerne i boligblokkene.

Der, hvor vi boede, lå der en gård, der hed Bredalsgården. De første år vi boede der, skulle der jo høstes, og det foregik ved maskinstation dengang. Så kom de om natten og høstede, og vi havde traktoren kørende mod sovekammeret det meste af natten.

Datteren på Bredalsgården kaldte vi ”Annie get your gun”. Hun var både sød og frisk, og hun red meget. Hun kendte buschaufførerne, og de kendte hende, og når de mødtes, så stod det halve af hesten nogen gange inde i bussen, det så skægt ud.

Moderne luksus

De byggeplads-agtige omgivelser mindskede dog ikke glæden over at have fået et nyt, moderne hjem med flisebelagt badeværelse, centralvarme, solvendt altan og spisekøkken. 1950’ernes nye boliger blev gennemtænkt ned til mindste detalje, og arkitekten bag Bredalsparken, Svenn Eske Kristensen, var optaget af at skabe både smukke og brugbare boliger.

Vi var jo lykkelige over at få noget, og så oveni købet noget nyt. Så vi var slet ikke i tvivl, vi var bare lykkelige over at få en ny lejlighed.

Vi flyttede ind i Bredalsparken i december 1950. Vi følte næsten, at vi var kommet på landet, der var marker udenfor vores vinduer. Jeg ville gerne bo moderne, og min mand ville helst bo på landet, og det var svært at forene, men det lykkedes i Bredalsparken.

Det var den rene luksus at flytte ind her. Vi syntes, det var himmelsk at kunne tage et varmt bad, lige når vi havde lyst. Vaskekældrene var også en god ting. Før måtte vi skylle tøjet i koldt vand.

Det var dog dyrt efter datidens standarder at bo i Bredalsparken. Mange måtte betale mere end 25% af deres løn i husleje. Det var primært middelklassen, der flyttede ind. Familier, som trods en relativt lav indtægt prioriterede en god bolig. Og så måtte man møblere efterhånden, som der var råd.

Familien og dagligdagen

I de fleste børnefamilier var det almindeligt, at mødrene var hjemmegående. Derfor var der meget liv i lejlighederne og på de grønne områder med legepladser. Der var et nært forhold mellem de forskellige familier, der hyggede sig sammen og hjalp hinanden med børnepasning.
I 1950 åbnede butikstorvet i Bredalsparken. Nu kunne de fleste af indkøbene klares ét sted, hvilket var en stor hjælp i husholdningerne i en tid, hvor kun få havde et køleskab.

Teksten er lånt fra forstadsmuseet.

BREDALS PARK
Did you know that an apartment in Bredalsparken was a luxury dream in the 1950s?
Getting an apartment after the Second World War was like winning the lottery. There was a great shortage of housing, especially in Copenhagen and the surrounding area, where many lived in small, dark apartments without central heating and with a toilet and shower in the yard. Therefore, the state started a large housing project, where the plan was to build good and family-friendly apartments. Among these buildings was Bredalsparken in Hvidovre, designed by architect Svenn Eske Kristensen and built in 1949-1989.

- Read the whole story below


Building root and fields
When the first residents came to Bredalsparken in the 1950s, they were met by a sight that is difficult to imagine today: The plowed fields stretched on the back of the blocks right up to the buildings. The area was a muddy construction site and the construction was not quite finished. For example, the stair railings were still missing in some staircases. The border between country and city went right outside the windows of the apartment blocks.

Where we lived, there was a farm called Bredalsgården. The first years we lived there, after all, harvesting had to be done, and it took place at the machine station then. Then they came at night and harvested, and we had the tractor driving towards the bedroom most of the night.

We called the daughter at Bredalsgården "Annie get your gun". She was both sweet and fresh, and she rode a lot. She knew the bus drivers, and they knew her, and when they met, half of the horse sometimes stood inside the bus, it looked funny.

Modern luxury
However, the construction site-like surroundings did not diminish the joy of having a new, modern home with a tiled bathroom, central heating, sunny balcony and dining kitchen. The new homes of the 1950s were thought through down to the smallest detail, and the architect behind Bredalsparken, Svenn Eske Kristensen, was concerned with creating both beautiful and usable homes.

We were happy to get something, and something new on top of that. So we had no doubts at all, we were just happy to get a new apartment.

We moved into Bredalsparken in December 1950. We almost felt that we had arrived in the countryside, there were fields outside our windows. I wanted to live modern, and my husband would prefer to live in the countryside, and it was difficult to reconcile, but we succeeded in Bredalsparken.

It was pure luxury to move in here. We thought it was heavenly to be able to take a hot bath whenever we wanted. The laundry rooms were also a good thing. Before, we had to rinse the clothes in cold water.

However, it was expensive by the standards of the time to live in Bredalsparken. Many had to pay more than 25% of their salary in rent. It was primarily the middle class who moved in. Families who, despite a relatively low income, prioritized good housing. And then you had to furnish gradually as you could afford it.



The family and everyday life
In most families with children, it was common for the mothers to stay at home. Therefore, there was a lot of life in the apartments and in the green areas with playgrounds. There was a close relationship between the different families, who enjoyed themselves together and helped each other with childcare.
In 1950, the shop square in Bredalsparken opened. Now most of the shopping could be done in one place, which was a great help in households at a time when few had a refrigerator.



The text is borrowed from the suburban museum.