Stop 7 of 10

Botulfsplatsen and Saluhallen

Concern, pursuit and surveillance

Stella retrieves her bicycle at Botulfsplatsen after an evening out. Elsewhere in the story, Adam sees Jenny Jansdotter crossing the square, catches up with her by the western entrance to Lund Saluhall and follows her inside.

The market hall opened on 21 April 1909. The square looks different now from the place readers may imagine: Botulfsplatsen ceased to be Lund's principal city-bus interchange in August 2023.

Throughout the novel, concern for Stella repeatedly causes Adam to cross boundaries by searching, following, questioning and interpreting other people's behaviour. When does parental concern become intrusion?

Good to know

Extra background — not part of the original printed guide.

Botulfsplatsen is younger than it looks: houses were cleared in the early 1930s to create a bus space. Its name preserves the memory of the medieval church of Sankt Botulf that once stood nearby.
Architect Salomon Sörensen designed Saluhallen with influences from 1890s American architecture. In 1909 its main hall held 46 traders, with separate smaller halls for cheese and fish.
By the late 1960s the market hall was run-down and serious demolition plans existed. Lund chose renovation instead, and the building was remodelled in 1973.

On to the next stop

Follow Stora Södergatan south. We'll stop near the public edge of Katedralskolan, where the novel places Adam on an unidentified bench.

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