Postmästare Olsson (Postmaster Olsson)

Artist: Carl Christensen
Year created: 1923
Material: Sculpture (material not specified)

This sculpture was erected in 1923 to commemorate Olsson’s work. It is an expression of appreciation for his vision and determined work to create a reserve for recreational use in the centre of the city.

J.A. Olsson, better known as Postmaster Olsson, was a driving force behind the creation of Jönköping City Park. From 1896 to 1916, he led the work of the City Park Society as its executive director and quickly became known as a zealous and persistent champion of the park’s development.

Together with the garden director M.P. Andersen, he transformed Skjutsarehagen’s wild scrubland into a green oasis for the people of Jönköping. The work included clearing, digging ditches, planting and building roads – all financed by the traditional spring festivals held in the park between 1898 and 1935.

About the artist

Carl Christensen (1878–1953), active in Jönköping, studied first with his father and then with the decorative sculptor Herman Hoffman. He continued his training at the Académie Colarossi in Paris. As an artist, he created portrait busts and reliefs, funerary monuments, fountain figures and decorative and architectural woodwork.