19 Dec Berns Salonger
Berns in the 1800’s. Photo taken from the press section of the Berns website, www.berns.se
One of the more elegant restaurants my Dad, American internee Lt. Herman F. Allen, visited in 1944 Stockholm was “Berns Salonger.” It was only a six-minute walk from the American Legation at Strandvägen 7.
The lavish “Berns” (for short) had been a popular restaurant and entertainment venue since renowned pastry chef Heinrich Robert Berns opened it to the public in 1863.
Located at Berzelii Park in central Stockholm, its grandeur made it a destination not to be missed. A Grand Salon, the Red Room, was a meeting place for artists and intellectuals. (In Wikipedia, I read that the Red Room was frequented by Stockholm bachelors.)
In 1944, a French restaurant was added as well as Stockholm’s very first Chinese restaurant. Berns was a popular spot for entertainment and dancing.
The facade of Berns as it is today. The photo is also taken from the Berns website press section.
I found a short film on Sweden’s Filmarkivet.se titled “A Stockholm Silhouette (1943)” which shows a day at Berns, from morning until night. You will see goods being delivered (by horse and buggy) for the day’s dining. The black-tie wait staff prepares to greet the guests. The chefs slice smoked salmon and cucumbers. In the afternoon, the Mischa Angelinis orchestra provides music, military music no less. There is footage of the early years with guests dining in the elegant concert hall. In the evening, the music is more suitable for dancing and cocktails.
In the 1980’s at the time of a big renovation, a hotel was added to Berns. On their website, you can read about their elaborate events and concerts. There is an underground passageway from Berns to the China Teatern. The banquet halls can accommodate 800 persons for cocktails.
And Berns is where Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek Stockholm will be held in 2012, January 30th – February 1st. According to the history page on its website, “Berns has been credited by many as having moved the centre of the city to where it is today.”
Berns will be a destination for me as well when I visit Stockholm next year … tentatively scheduled for early May!
Barbara Ann Davis
Posted at 05:09h, 20 DecemberEnjoyed the film. Very romantic location. Can see Herman sitting in the audience. Did he ever take mother there?
I can see where that was the place to see and be seen. Lovely.