Stockholm is Sweden's capital and largest city as well as the
country's cultural, political, media and economic center. Stockholm
is located at the outlet of Mälaren in the Baltic Sea, on the border
between the provinces of Södermanland and Uppland. The number of
inhabitants within the municipality of Stockholm is close to 1
million, while in the multi-municipal agglomeration there are over
1.6 million. In Stockholm County (Greater Stockholm) there are over
2.4 million (2022).
The city is traditionally considered to
have been founded in the middle of the 13th century by Earl Birger.
The location had then gained strategic importance in that the land
elevation meant that the outlet from Lake Mälaren around the city
islet became a current, which became an obstacle to shipping. At the
time of the city privileges in 1436, the city had become the
kingdom's largest and most economically and strategically important,
and with the 1634 form of government, Stockholm formally became
Sweden's administrative center and capital when the royal house,
government, parliament and central administration were then
permanently gathered to the city.
The city first grew on the
town islet, then on the ores north and south of it. Only in the 20th
century did the city expand south and west of the stone city.
Innerstaden got its character from the Lindhagen plan from 1866. In
Ytterstaden, the suburbs were planned after the Second World War
according to the ABC city concept along the new subway lines.
Business life in Stockholm is dominated by the services sector.
Many of the largest companies in Swedish business have their
headquarters located in the Stockholm region. The IT industry is
significant and programmers are the region's most common occupation
(2015). The hospitality industry is growing.
Stockholm
central is Sweden's largest railway junction. Public transport in
Stockholm is well developed, with Stockholm's subway forming the
basic framework.
In Stockholm there are several world-class
universities, the Karolinska Institute (medicine), the Royal
Institute of Technology, the Stockholm School of Economics and
Stockholm University.
Stockholm has many national cultural
institutions and is one of the world's most museum-dense cities with
museums such as the Vasa Museum. The most popular sports are
football and ice hockey where the most famous arena is the Globen.
The scope of Stockholm can refer to different extents depending on the context. Everyday refers to the area of Stockholm municipality or the well-defined area covered by the built-up areas of the municipality. Everyday and slightly larger, but not well defined, can also refer to buildings in Stockholm municipality and in its neighboring municipalities, either only the very closest ones or a little further. A larger and well-defined area consists of the conurbation of Stockholm, which includes buildings in 12 municipalities, but which is not felt naturally by the residents. An even larger area that can be referred to is Greater Stockholm, which since 2005 has the same extent as Stockholm County. A smaller area, which in some cases is still used and more in older times, refers only to the stone city, Stockholm's inner city, which before 1913 was the extent of the then city of Stockholm.
Stockholm's suburbs extend over most of the Stockholm region. The
administrative division of Stockholm can be confusing - municipal
boundaries can intersect with districts.
This article
describes areas that are geographically close and easy to visit
together as neighborhoods; the administrative boundaries of counties
and communes may differ. The outer parts of the county include
Norrtälje, Sigtuna, Norrort, Stockholm Archipelago, Södertörn and
Södertälje.
Normalm
The central business district, also
known as the City, includes several museums, hotels, restaurants,
shops, a casino, the Royal Opera House, a concert hall and other
stages, as well as a major train and bus station. It includes
Skeppsholmen, an island known for its museum.
Vasastan and
Hagastaden
Vasastaden contains the Stockholm Public Library,
the Stockholm Observatory and several thrift stores with records,
clothing and nostalgia items. Hagastaden is a neighborhood under
construction, dominated by the Karolinska University Hospital.
Östermalm
A district with city boulevards, the National Park
and Stockholm Harbor with several cruise terminals, Stureplan Square
with its exclusive shops and nightclubs, as well as Stockholm
University, the Royal Institute of Technology and several museums.
Djurgården
Park island with sights such as Open Air Museum,
Gröna Lund Amusement Park, Vasa Museum, ABBA Museum and Rosendal
Palace.
Gamla Stan
Old Town; an island dominated by the
Royal Palace and the Swedish Parliament. The rest of the island is a
picturesque collection of old buildings and narrow cobbled streets.
The neighboring island of Riddarholmen has an important church and
several historic government buildings.
Sodermalm
A rugged
island with buildings of all ages, with several viewpoints over the
city center. The more or less bohemian SoFo district (south of
Folkungagatan) has many restaurants and pubs, as well as specialty
shops and boutiques. The main north-south street of Götgatan has
many bars and shops, especially around the Medborgarplatsen square.
Our article on Södermalm also covers some areas directly south of
it, including the Eurovision venue Globen and mainland Nacka.
Kungsholmen
An island in the western center of the city, with
Stockholm City Hall at its eastern end. Further west you can find a
collection of bars and restaurants to relax in. To the west of the
Fridhemsplan transport hub, the island is more suburban. There are
several parks and beaches.
Vasterort, Solna and Sundbyberg
The western suburbs are dominated by Stockholm-Bromma Airport.
Vällingby, founded in the 1950s, is one of the first planned suburbs
in Europe. Solvalla is a horse racing stadium. Kista, the center of
information technology, contains only two skyscrapers in Stockholm.
Solna and Sundbyberg, north of Stockholm, two separate cities. Solna
is home to the 50,000-seat Friends Arena, Hagaparken Royal Park, and
the Karolinska Institute, a medical institution.
Soderort
In the southern districts of Stockholm Municipality are the
Stockholm International Fairs and the Forest Cemetery, a UNESCO
World Heritage Site.
Lidingö
A suburban island east of
Stockholm, home to the Millesgården sculpture museum; Ekholmsnäs ski
slope; and Elfvik: farmland with a number of conference hotels.
By plane
You can fly to Stockholm from anywhere in
Europe. The national airline SAS also operates several transatlantic
flights, although in terms of intercontinental flights, Stockholm is
noticeably behind neighboring Helsinki. From the Russian direction there
are regular flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg.
There are two
airports in Stockholm - Arlanda and Bromma, and two more - Skavsta and
Vasteros - also position themselves as Stockholm, although they are
located a hundred kilometers from the city. The vast majority of
international flights arrive in Arlanda. Mostly domestic flights fly to
Bromma (and not all of them!), while Skavsta and Westeros are used
exclusively by low-cost airlines.
Arlanda
Arlanda Airport
(Arlanda, IATA:ARN). The main airport of Stockholm, the hub of the
national airline SAS. Arlanda is located 40 km north of the center of
Stockholm and consists of four terminals from T2 to T5. All terminals
are interconnected, as well as with railway stations. Car rental offices
are located in a separate building 2 km from the terminals and can be
reached by a free shuttle bus.
The terminals are located in a
row, one behind the other. It takes 5-7 minutes from end to end. T2 and
T5 serve international flights, T3 and T4 - domestic. SAS and other Star
Alliance airlines fly from T5, and SkyTeam airlines fly from T2, with
the exception of Aeroflot, which also uses T5. SAS domestic flights
depart from T4.
Between T4 and T5 is the Sky City gallery, where
there is an inexpensive Arabic cafe Sky Grill (hot portion - from 100
kroons), and on the second floor there is a McDonalds with a large
number of outlets, a good view of the airfield and tea / coffee for a
symbolic 15 kroons. If you only need sockets, there are comfortable
tables on the ground floor, also with a view of the airfield. The
terminals themselves have only minimal infrastructure in the arrivals
and check-in areas. The exception is T5, where there are many different
cafes. On the first floor, in the arrivals area, Grand cafe Stockholm
sells inexpensive hot dogs, and on the third floor there is Rai cafe,
which offers a buffet from 11:00 to 15:00 for 105 kroons (the rest of
the time it is expensive and nothing outstanding).
How to get
there:
According to the city tariff: by bus number 583 to the Märsta
station, and from there by city train. The journey time to the central
station is 1 hour. If you have a smart card, it will cost only 32
crowns; single paper ticket - 45 kroons. For more information on
tickets, see Transport. Points of sale - Pressbyrån shops in T4 and T5
(do not try to use ticket machines: they sell anything, but not city
tickets). The 583 bus stops in front of each terminal.
Arlanda
Express trains reach the central station in 20 minutes, run 3 times per
hour, depart from Arlanda North (Arlanda Norra) under T5 and Arlanda
South (Arlanda Södra) under T3. These trains are owned by a private
company, so a one-way ticket costs an exorbitant 295 kr, if bought
online in 7 days - 195 kr (the ticket is valid during the day and is not
tied to a specific train). If you didn’t buy a ticket, you will have to
pay another 100 kroons on the train itself in addition to the usual
price so that you don’t get bored. The discounts provided by this greedy
company are quite peculiar: you can buy a ticket for two for 350 crowns,
but only from Thursday to Sunday. A better solution would be to use
other modes of transport.
Regular trains are the Pendeltåg S-Bahn
towards Uppsala and the fast trains from SJ. All of them stop at the
Arlanda C station, located under the Sky City gallery, but have an
extremely unpleasant feature: an airport tax of 120 crowns is added to
the regular ticket price (it is not charged to passengers under 18 years
old). In city trains, you can use regular tickets, but you will have to
pay the same 120 kroons at the entrance / exit; a single ticket thus
costs 163 crowns, or a little more if you travel by fast train. Electric
trains run 35 minutes, fast trains - 20 minutes, but they rarely run.
Flygbussarna buses run every 15 minutes to the bus terminal at the
railway station, travel time: 40 minutes. The ticket costs 119 kroons in
vending machines and 99 kroons online, including through the mobile app
Flixbus buses to the same bus terminal; go relatively rarely, on average
once every two hours, but comparable in price to public transport
A
taxi from the airport to the center of Stockholm should cost about 500
crowns, but many inattentive travelers paid double or triple the amount;
be sure to check the cost of landing indicated on the glass or look for
a taxi operating at a fixed rate; see also Taxi
Other airports
Bromma airport (Bromma flygplats, IATA:BMA). Old Stockholm Airport is
located just 8 km from the city center and serves BRA domestic flights
as well as regular Finnair flights to Helsinki. Due to the short runway,
modern jets do not fly here, so at the airport you can enjoy old
propellers and such a rarity as the Avro RJ100 four-engine jet, invented
just for small "city" airports. You can get to Bromma by Flygbussarna
buses from the terminal at the railway station (every 20 minutes, 20
minutes on the way), the ticket costs 75 crowns. If you prefer city
transport, take bus number 152 to Sundbyberg station, from where the
city train runs to the center (total travel time - 35 minutes).
Skavsta Airport (Skavsta flygplats, IATA:NYO). Nyköping Airport, 100 km
southwest of Stockholm, serves Ryanair and Wizz Air flights.
Flygbussarna buses run from Stockholm to the airport 1-2 times per hour,
the journey takes 80 minutes, the ticket costs 139 crowns. Local bus
number 515 delivers those wishing to the Nyköping railway station, from
where you can go to Stockholm (does not make sense, since everything is
more expensive and longer than a direct bus) or south towards Linköping.
Västerås Airport (Hässlö Flygplats, IATA:VST). Vasterås Airport
(Västerås), 100 km west of Stockholm, is used for training flights, air
ambulance flights, and the like. For a change, regular Ryanair flights
are occasionally operated here, and the Flygbussarna bus from Stockholm
runs to their arrival (80 min, 139 kroons). The rest of the time, city
bus number 3 delivers those who wish to the railway station of Westeros.
By train
If you are outside of Sweden, traveling to Stockholm by
train is a dubious pleasure. This can be done from just two directions.
From Copenhagen, trains run every 2-3 hours, the journey takes 5 hours,
and if there is no direct train, you can go via Lund. From Oslo - 3
times a day, 6 hours on the way. Swedish high-speed X2000s run on both
lines, which travel quite quickly, and in curves they tilt so that they
are very sick. In the regular sale, tickets cost about 500 kroons, in
advance they can be half the price.
Night trains run from
Stockholm to the north of Sweden and on to Narvik (18.5 h).
Central Station (Stockholm C). A large and somewhat confusing station,
in the center of which is an old building built in 1867-71. only 10
years after the first railway was built in Sweden. Since then, the
station has been expanded and modernized more than once - especially
strongly in the late 1920s, when the platforms were removed from the
central hall, turning it into a waiting room, the eastern wall of which
is decorated with 8 paintings depicting the Swedish hinterland (abstract
images on the opposite, western wall appeared much later, in 1993). If
you look closely, you will see a lot of interesting decorative elements
at the station - clocks, chandeliers, curly railings and fences from the
early 20th century, and even the harsh geometric aesthetics of the
1930s. showing through somewhere. On the lower floor there is a Coop
supermarket (6:00 AM - 11:30 PM) and storage lockers (60 CZK for 4
hours, 70 CZK for 24 hours), and there are many food outlets on the
middle floor. The cheapest is McDonalds, which is located here in a very
beautiful and surprisingly quiet room in the southern part of the
building.
By bus
Central bus terminal. Wikidata element
Adjacent to a railway station and somewhat reminiscent of an airport,
since each platform has its own gate. The infrastructure is the same as
at the station.
On the ship
Daily night ferries from Helsinki,
Riga and Tallinn. Ferries go to Turku several times a day, including
daytime ones. All ferries except Riga call at Mariehamn. On almost any
ferry, it is much cheaper to take a cruise (a round-trip ticket with an
interval of a day) than a one-way or round-trip ticket with an overnight
stay at your destination.
By car
You can come to Stockholm by
land from Copenhagen (615 km) or Oslo (530 km). In the direction of
Denmark, the autobahn goes all the time, in the direction of Norway
there are also slow sections. From Finland and the Baltic States you
need to sail by ferry, unless for some reason you need to go to the
north of the Scandinavian Peninsula, for example, to the North Cape. A
road leads there through Uppsala and Umeå, where at first sections with
divided lanes alternate with ordinary ones, and then disappear
altogether.
There are many types of transport in Stockholm -
metro, trams, buses, ferries and the city train. All of them are run by
SL (Storstockholms Lokaltrafik), whose website has a route planner and a
lot of other useful information.
Tickets
There are no tariff
zones in Stockholm - any ticket is valid throughout the city and even in
the suburbs. Unfortunately, the convenience for travelers ends here, and
then the inconvenience begins. It is assumed that you buy a smart card
(SL Access card, reskassa) for 20 kroons and pay with it: a single
ticket for 32 kroons allows you to travel with transfers for 75 minutes.
In the absence of a card, a similar one-time ticket costs 45 kroons.
Ticket for 24 hours - 130 kroons, ticket for 72 hours - 260 kroons
(2019). The last two are valid from the moment of the first use, they
will be downloaded to you on a disposable card without the possibility
of recharging. One-time tickets are also available on such one-time
cards, but they are also simply in the form of paper checks, valid from
the moment of purchase. If you buy a single ticket, but do not want to
use it right away, warn the seller about it.
You can buy tickets
or a smart card at the entrance of metro and city train stations. It is
better to go to a live ticket office, since ticket machines often do not
sell anything, but only allow you to put money on an existing card. If
there is no station nearby, look for Pressbyrån shops or something else
for newspapers and tobacco. In land transport, drivers do not sell
tickets, with the exception of tram number 7, where you will still be
sold a single ticket, but for 64 crowns, that is, even more expensive
than in other places. At the regular price of 45 kroons, a single ticket
can be bought through a mobile application.
With the purchase of
the Stockholm Card, travel by public transport (except ferries) is free.
Metro
city train
Bicycles
Residents of the city actively
use bicycles, for which there are dedicated paths, separate traffic
lights, etc. In different places of the city there are automatic parking
lots for bicycles for rent. To use them, you must first register.
Taxi
Taxi prices in Sweden are not regulated. Each company
assigns the rate that it wants, and must only mark it on the glass of
the car. Some companies have an indecently high tariff in the
expectation that the client will not notice, and then pay 1000-1500
kroons for a short trip. Given that prices in Sweden are generally high,
using public transport is easier, quieter and much cheaper. If you
cannot do without a taxi, be sure to check the price indicated on the
glass before getting into the car. When it comes to airports or other
places where taxis are lined up and waiting for passengers, it is not
necessary to take the first one: you can choose the one with the lowest
price.
The sticker on the glass usually contains several numbers.
All of them indicate the price of a trip for 15 minutes or 10 km, but at
different times of the day. The price indicated in large print should be
around 300 crowns. Anything overpriced is a scam.
When ordering a
taxi via the Internet or by phone, it is better to ask for a ride with a
fixed price - it is more reliable. Uber also operates in the city, but
it is only slightly cheaper than the official taxi.
Old city
1 Storkyrkan Cathedral.
2 German Church (Tyska
kyrkan).
3 Church of Riddarholm (Riddarholmskyrkan), Knight's
Island. Open during summer. One of the most beautiful and oldest
buildings in Stockholm, the burial place of many Swedish monarchs. Due
to the numerous extensions, it has a diverse architecture. The openwork
metal spire makes it easy to recognize the building in the panoramas of
the city center. The church is even more interesting from the inside, as
the burials are richly decorated, but photography inside is prohibited.
4 Royal Palace. Every day at 12.00 local time, a spectacular changing of
the guard takes place at the Royal Palace.
5 Royal treasury
(Livrustkammaren) , Slottsbacken 3.
6 Boy Looking at the Moon (Pojke
som tittar på månen), Gamla Stan (in the courtyard behind the Finnish
Church). A very small monument that is difficult to see by chance.
7
Solar Sail (Solar boat, Solbåten), Gamla Stan (on the west coast of the
Knight's Island). A popular abstract sculpture, jokingly called the "Ear
of the KGB".
8 Saint George and the Dragon (Sankt Göran och draken),
Gamla Stan (from the main square of Stortorget to the east along
Köpmangatan). In fact, this monument exists in three copies - the
original sculpture (XV century) is located in the Storkyrkan Cathedral,
a bronze copy (early XX century) is installed on the street, and a
gilded bronze copy on the building of the Stockholm City Hall.
Recommended to see everything.
Outside the Old City
City
Hall , Hantverkargatan 1. 10:00–15:00. Guided tour: from April to
October 120 CZK, otherwise 90 CZK, tower: 60 CZK (summer only). The most
expressive Stockholm monument of the first half of the 20th century -
the time when Sweden ceased to be a major European power long ago and
was intensively looking for its architectural face. The building began
to be built before the First World War, in 1911, and was completed only
in 1923. Of the projects proposed for the competition, the most eclectic
one, authored by Ragnar Östberg, was chosen, but eclecticism here is not
at all the “smooth” style in which they built at the turn of the
19th-20th centuries, but rather a prototype of postmodernism, when
national romanticism, northern dark red brick and Venetian architecture.
If you do not look at the details, the Stockholm City Hall is a fusion
of the Doge's Palace and the Campanile of St. Mark's Church, two of the
most famous Venetian buildings, which in some angles look exactly the
same as the city hall from the Old Town, only the tower is on the other
side.
In the interiors, eclecticism is even worse: an Islamic
mihrab peeps through the ceiling of the staircase hall inside the tower,
the blue hall (the one where the Nobel banquets are held) echoes the
Venetian courtyards and at the same time does not contain anything blue,
but the final demolition of the roof takes place in a golden hall
decorated with Byzantine mosaics with modernist, sometimes frankly
hypertrophied images on the theme of Swedish history. While some of this
strange, illogical, and, to be honest, somewhat tasteless mishmash was
the author's intention, much of it happened by chance due to long
construction, constant changes in the project, and a general lack of
funds. For example, the blue hall was planned to be blue, but the
architect liked the brick (which was made specially and larger than
usual for the town hall) so much that he decided to keep the texture,
abandoning the blue color. In the golden hall, the guides will draw your
attention to the cropped image of St. Eric: the mosaic was not
calculated in height, and the ancient Swedish hero had to be left
without a head, which, however, happened to him in real life.
There are city authorities in the town hall, so they don’t let anyone in
just like that, but every hour they conduct hour-long tours in English.
They are inconvenient because you have to walk in a large crowd, which
you will not be allowed to lag behind, and they will also impose
restrictions such as that you cannot wear a backpack on your back inside
the town hall, so as not to accidentally damage such outstanding
interiors. A good view of the town hall opens from the Old Town,
although even if you do not plan to go inside, it is worth taking a walk
to the building itself, as the view from the town hall is also
excellent, and it can be interesting to look at it up close. The tower
(from which there is an excellent view of Stockholm) is allowed only in
summer and for a fee.
Forest Cemetery (Skugschurkogorden).
Globen Arena is the largest spherical structure in the world, a sports
arena. For tourists, an ascent to the top of the building in a glass
gondola is provided. In addition to its intended use, the building
serves as the center of the Swedish model of the solar system and
depicts the Sun. Other objects of the solar system are placed on the
same scale at the corresponding distances across Sweden, the closest of
which, Mercury, is located in the courtyard of the Stockholm City Museum
(Stockholms stadsmuseum), next to Gamla Stan.
Metropolitan. Some
stations, mostly in the center, have an unusual design - for example,
they are carved into the rock, and the walls and ceiling are left
unfinished. It is recommended to inspect the stations of the blue line -
T-Centralen (T-Centralen), Kungsträdgården and others.
Monument
to the plumber, Slussen (to the left of the building of the Stockholm
City Museum). The sculpture depicts a worker looking out of a manhole at
ground level.
Museums
There are about 70 museums in Stockholm. The typical price
of visiting the museum is about 100 crowns, while there are usually
discounts for older people, and children / teenagers get into the museum
at a significant discount or for free. Some museums offer free admission
days.
1 Royal Galleon Vasa (Vasamuseet) Djurgården Island (on
the right side immediately after the bridge to the island). 10-17,
Wednesdays 10-20, June-Aug 8:30-18. Adults 130 CZK, students 100,
children under 18 free. Sailing ship of the early 17th century, which
survived due to the fact that it sank on the first voyage. The ship is
exhibited in a special hangar with a special climate. The exposition
tells how the ship works, how it was built, what sculptures it is
decorated with, what mistakes caused it to sink, how the wreck was found
after 300 years, how the ship was raised and assembled from the
wreckage, and what efforts are being made to preserve this unique
object. Although Skansen is very close by, visiting both places on the
same day would require a lot of haste and is hardly justified.
2 Skansen Open Air Museum , Djurgården Island (bus 44, tram 7, or by
ferry from Gamla Stan). ✉ Opens at 10, closes at 15, 16, 18, 19, 22
depending on the season. For adults 100-160 kroons depending on the
season, for children 60 kroons. The world's first open-air ethnographic
museum, which gave its name to the rest of the Skansen-like territories.
Samples of rural, manor and city buildings, operating workshops, master
classes are held. On the same territory there is a menagerie with
domestic and wild animals of Scandinavia. Entertainment for children,
cafes, restaurants. It is better to plan a trip for the whole day.
3
Astrid Lidgren Character Museum - Junibacken.
4 Nordic Museum
(Nordiska museet), Djurgården Island, Djurgårdsvägen 6-16 (on the right
side after the bridge to the island). ✉ Monday-Sunday 10-17, on
Wednesdays (but not in June-August) from 17-20 free admission. 100 CZK,
children under 18 free. Museum of Ethnography and Swedish Culture,
located in a building specially built for the museum. The exposition is
large, but not as huge as it might seem from the outside - there is a
large interior space inside the building.
5 Biological Museum
(Biologiska museet), Djurgården Island (to the left of the road, after
the Nordic Museum, but before Skansen). October-March 12-15,
Saturday-Sunday 11-15; April-September every day 11-16. Adults 65
kroons, children from 6 to 15 years old - 25 kroons, students and
pensioners 50 kroons. A cozy little museum with the world's first
diorama depicting animals in their natural environment. View from two
levels. The museum is lit only by natural light, which is why visiting
hours are limited.
6 Army Museum (Armémuseum), Riddargatan, 13
(accessible from the Drama Theatre). ✉ ☎ +468-51 95 63 00. Open on
Tuesdays from 11 am to 8 pm, from Wednesday to Sunday from 11 am to 5
pm, closed on Mondays. July-August on Tuesdays from 10 am to 8 pm, on
other days from 10 am to 5 pm. Adults 80 kroons, pensioners or students
50 kroons, children under 19 free of charge. Description of the Swedish
army during the times of power, and stories about the history of Sweden
in the subsequent 200 years of peaceful life.
7 Museum of photography
(Fotografiska) (from Slussen to the east along the embankment). Open
Sunday to Wednesday from 9 am to 9 pm, Thursday to Saturday from 9 am to
11 pm. Adults 120 kroons, pensioners or students 90 kroons, children
under 12 free of charge. This "museum" was opened relatively recently,
and is rather an exhibition hall. The absence of a permanent exhibition
can lead to the fact that the most interesting thing in the museum will
be the view from the window, and the price clearly does not match the
content.
8 The Royal Coin Office (Kungliga Myntakabinettet, Sveriges
Ekonomiska Museum), Slottsbacken 6 (south of the Royal Palace). Daily
from 10 am to 4 pm. On Mondays free of charge, on other days adults 70
kroons, pensioners or students 50 kroons. Numismatic Museum, one of the
oldest museums in Sweden. In addition to coins - banknotes, medals,
stories about finances, savings, treasures, etc.
Excursions
Pedestrian
Walking tours in Russian, lasting about an hour, depart
from Köpmangatan 22 on weekdays at 12:00, more often in high season.
Price for adults 250 kroons, children 6-12 years old 125 kroons; it
makes sense to consider purchasing the Stockholm Card, which includes
this excursion.
Bus
Hop-on/hop-off buses run around the city.
Aquatic
Water routes operate in the warm season, in spring and
autumn only part of the routes operate. In the summer, excursion ships
depart from the piers along the routes "Royal Canal Tour" (170 kroons,
50 minutes), "Under the Bridges of Stockholm" and some others. The trip
is accompanied by an audio guide, incl. in Russian.
There are
also hop-on/hop-off ships.
Catering in Stockholm is even more expensive than in the country as a
whole. If you are not ready to spend €50 a day on food, look for those
places for lunch that offer a buffet (where else but in Sweden?) It will
not be very diverse, but for 100-120 crowns per person you will get
Unlimited food and possibly no dinner. Unlike the American version, the
buffet in Sweden usually includes water, coffee and tea, and without
restrictions.
When there is no buffet, and the soul does not lie
with McDonald's, the cheapest option would be cafes with Mexican or
Greek "street" food: burritos, tacos and gyros in pita cost around 100
crowns. For the same price, you can eat in Asian or Arab cafes, and the
latter often mimic Italian ones, as they have learned how to cook a
large and hearty pizza. As elsewhere in Sweden, it will not be cheap,
but with some skill, you can at least get enough for this money.
Cheap
Ragnars Skafferi, Hantverkargatan 1. Mon–Fri 7:30–16:00. A nice
cafe in the town hall building, offering a buffet on weekdays from 11 to
14 for 105 kroons per person. There are few hot dishes, and some of them
are very peculiar, as they are designed for vegans (do not be surprised
by the cabbage cutlets), but there is a good salad bar, as well as
tea-coffee and something sweet. Around noon it can be very crowded, but
closer to the beginning or end of lunch, the cafe is quite free, and you
don’t have to win a place for yourself either at the buffet or at the
usual one. In the morning there is no buffet, only tea and coffee and
expensive pastries.
Expensive
Stadshuskällaren. Lunch: Mon–Fri
11:30–14:30, dinner: Wed–Sat 17:00–23:00. Hot: from 300 CZK. The
pretentious restaurant in the basement of the Stockholm City Hall is
interesting, for example, because here you can feel like a Nobel
laureate by having dinner on the Nobel banquet menu and spending a
significant part of the prize that has not yet been received. You will
be served last year's dishes for about 2000 crowns per person, and for
dishes from other years the price is negotiable.
Coffee and sweet
The city has dozens, if not hundreds, of coffee chains like Espresso
House and Wayne's Coffee, not to mention the ubiquitous Starbucks. They
have a completely limitless selection of coffee, which differs, however,
not in the type of beans or tea leaves, but in dozens of varieties of
latte and other sweet drinks obtained by mixing coffee with milk. All
this costs from 30 to 45 crowns per cup. Another, and much more
interesting, option is patisseries, which serve cream puffs and cakes in
a somewhat prim but downright traditional setting. There will no longer
be a wide range of coffee here, and the most typical option is just
coffee from a coffee maker (bryggkaffe), and, if you're lucky, straight
from a large vat and in unlimited quantities.
In any cafe,
pastries cost 30-40 kroons apiece, pastries and cakes - about 50 kroons.
Kaffe repet, Klarabergsgatan 35. Mon–Fri 7:30–22:00, Sat 8:00–22:00,
Sun 10:00–22:00. Unlike the network coffee houses that have bred around
Stockholm, this is an authentic institution where the local public is
going to drink coffee. On the first floor there is a showcase with
desserts and pastries, on the second floor there are vats of hot water
and coffee (free access, you can pour yourself several times). There are
also sandwiches, and at least for lunch they offer a couple of hot
dishes in the region of 100 kroons per serving. Drinks and sweets are as
expensive as anywhere else (count on 70-80 kr per person), but the place
itself is remarkable for its atmosphere and the opportunity to observe
others. Usually crowded, but there are free tables, and you can sit at
them for a long time.
For going out in the evening/night, we recommend a visit to
Södermalm, which is considered a bit of a trendy district. Life here
mainly takes place on 7 Medborgarplatsen wikipediacommons and its side
streets. When most bars close around 3 a.m., there are a lot of drunks
out and about.
Vasastaden has established itself as another
trendy district in recent years. The bars, pubs and restaurants around
Odenplan and Rörstrandsgatan are of particular interest here.
Östermalm is expensive. The main shops can be found on the Stureplan.
But Berns Salonger on Nybroplan and Café Opera on Kungsträdgården are
also popular hotspots for the rich and famous.
Every year at the
beginning of August Stockholm Pride takes place, which corresponds to a
German CSD. For this purpose, the so-called Pride Park is being built in
Tantolunden on Södermalm.
Like all of Sweden, Stockholm is very
liberal. Gays and lesbians can move freely and freely here. Information
is available at this address.
1 Lady Patricia, Söder Mälarstrand
Kaiplats 19 on Södermalm. Sat and Sun 6pm-5am, Wed-Fri open to everyone.
On this ship, Saturday and Sunday evenings in the gay club, it's all
happening with Swedish hits.
2 Torget, Mälartorget 13, Gamla Stan.
Restaurant with popular gay bar with hits, disco and live concerts.
3
Spybar, Birger Jarlsgatan 20. A small bar on the first floor of a corner
building on Stureplan. Upscale audience and prices. The daughters of the
royal family are also said to come here every now and then.
3
Populara Siberia, Roslagsgatan 9. Small café with small snacks. Very
nice service.
4 Mälarpaviljongen, Norr Mälarstrand 64. Right on and
above the water - Great cafe/ restaurant with a very nice view across
the water of Stockholm. In winter only open on weekends. Nearest tube
Fridhemsplan.
5 Chokladkoppen, Stortorget 18. Small café in the heart
of Stockholm's Old Town. Very tasty cakes and fruit pajs. Unfortunately
also a lot of tourists.
6 Murens Café, Västerlånggatan 19. Small,
cozy café. Not as much choice as in Chokladkoppen. Also too many
tourists.
4 Fasching Jazz Club, Kungsgatan 63, 111 22 Stockholm.
Tel.: +46 8 534 829 60. Legendary jazz club with live music by
international and Swedish stars. nightclub. Open: 24:00-4:00. Price: 200
SEK (from 23 years).
The Stockholm à la Carte website in particular offers inexpensive,
practical and reliable hotel bookings. In the booking system z. For
example, rooms are sometimes offered for weekends at up to half the
usual prices. It is particularly practical that the reservation can be
canceled free of charge up to one day before arrival. When booking via
the “Stockholm à la Carte” page, the Stockholm card is also included in
the price. This means that all public transport in Stockholm can be used
and a large number of museums can be visited.
Cheap
Stockholm
has a total of twelve youth hostels, which are more expensive than
elsewhere in the country, but are still cheap accommodation in the
Swedish capital:
1 STF Stockholm - af Chapman & Skeppsholmen,
Flaggmansvägen 8, 11149 Stockholm (city center, on a quiet island).
Tel.: +46 8-4632266, fax: +46 8-6117155, email: chapman@stfturist.se.
The af Chapman & Skeppsholmen youth hostel is probably unique: some of
the beds are on a three-master and it is only a few minutes' walk to the
city centre. The island is rather quiet. However, it is worth booking
early, as this youth hostel is usually fully booked. You should book at
least six months in advance if you want to stay here. Open:
01.01.09-11.01.09, 14.01.09-31.12.09. Price: adult bed from 185 SEK.
2 Backpackers Inn, Banérgatan 56, 11553 Stockholm (Östermalm district).
Tel.: +46 8-6607515, fax: +46 8-6654039, e-mail: info@backpackersinn.se.
The cheapest place to stay in Stockholm is the Backpackers Inn. Here you
will mainly meet young travelers. One sleeps in to 16 in school
classrooms. This is also the reason why this YH is only open in summer
(during the school holidays). Open: 25.06. - 12.08. Check-in: 4 p.m.
Check-out: 10.00 a.m. Price: bed from 140 SEK.
3 STF Stockholm -
Långholmen, Kronohäktet, Långholmsmuren 20, 11733 Stockholm (on an
island just west of the centre). Tel.: +46 8-720 85 00, email:
vandrarhem@langholmen.com. Open: 11.01.-14.01. closed, open 24 hours.
Price: bed from 230 SEK (for members).
4 STF Stockholm - Zinkensdamm,
Zinkens väg 20, 11741 Stockholm (to the west of Södermalm). Tel.: +46
8-6168100, fax: +46 8-6168120, e-mail: mail@zinkensdamm.com. Open: all
year round and open 24 hours a day. Price: bed from 200 SEK.
5 STF
Fridhelmsplan, Sankt Eriksgatan 20, 11239 Stockholm (near city center on
Kungsholmen island). Tel.: +46 8-6538800, fax: +46 8-6538920, e-mail:
info@fridhemsplan.se. Open: all year round, 24h. Price: bed from 225
SEK.
6 Formule 1, Mikrovägen 30,126 37 Hägersten, Sweden. Tel.: +46
77 144 66 88. Motel Formule 1 at the Telfonplan underground station is a
particularly cheap place to stay. The overnight stay in a double room
with the possibility of an extra bed currently costs 320 crowns (about
35 euros). But you have to put up with the unfavorable location directly
on the motorway and a journey time of about 30 minutes to the city
center.
Middle
7 Villa Källhagen, Djurgardsbrunnvägen 10.
Tel.: +46 8 6650300 wikipediacommons. Feature: ★★★★. Price: DR/F from
around €200.
8 Mälardrottningen Hotel, Riddarholmen, 111 28
Stockholm. The famous yacht of 1920s millionaire Barbara Hutton has
moored in the harbor of Stockholm's Old Town - and now serves as a
hotel. The view over Stockholm's waterways is spectacular and all the
sights of the old town as well as the main downtown shopping area are
within easy walking distance. Good parking facilities. Most of the
cabins are single rooms with an extra bunk bed.
9 Lord Nelson Hotel,
Vasterlanggatan 22, 111 29 Stockholm. The Lord Nelson is only five
meters wide - that should be a Swedish hotel record. However, it would
be completely wrong to draw conclusions about the quality from the
dimensions. On the contrary, the standard is quite high, and the 31
rooms (22 of which are singles) are small but extremely comfortable.
This is mainly due to its maritime flair. In general, much of the pretty
art nouveau house is reminiscent of a ship, even the floors are called
"deck" here. However, guests - many on business - never have to worry
about getting seasick. And when you look out the window - or down from
the roof terrace - you don't see the surging sea, but the liveliest
street in Stockholm's Old Town.
10 Best Western Hotel Terminus,
Vasagatan 20, 101 25 Stockholm. The terminus opposite the main train
station and the City Air Terminal is run by the owner's family. The old
town, restaurants, shopping, entertainment and government districts are
all around in a short distance. The subway station is under the
building. You can't hear anything from the subway and the area
surrounding the main station cannot be compared to that of other
capitals and large cities! If you value well-kept and central
accommodation at a moderate price, this is the place for you.
Upscale
11 Grand Hotel Stockholm, Södra Blasieholmshamnen 8, 103 27
Stockholm. Tel.: +46 8 679 35 00. The hotel has been around since 1874.
Feature: ★★★★★. Price: from €315.
12 Browallshof, Surbrunnsgatan 20.
Tel: (0)8165136. This hotel has existed as an old inn since 1731. Guests
have been King Gustav III. and his friend Carl Michael Bellman. The
house offers a restaurant with very good Swedish cuisine and a small
hotel with 10 rooms in Gustavian style. Feature: ★★★★.
13 Radisson
Blu Royal Park Hotel, Stockholm, Solna, Frösundaviks Allé 15, 169 03
Solna. Tel: +46 8 624 55 00, Fax: +46 8 85 85 66, Email:
info.royalpark@radissonblu.com. The hotel is located in very beautiful
surroundings north of the city center in Royal Haga Park. From the
breakfast room you have a beautiful view of a lake. The airport bus
stops around 400 m from the hotel.
"Other"
14 Nordic Light
Hotel, Vasaplan 7,101 37 Stockholm. Tel.: +46 8 505 630 00. Right next
to the main train station and therefore ideally central, this four-star
hotel with its very nice interior design turns out to be a sham. In
reality it is probably more of a three-star budget hotel; especially
when the hotel is full, there is a train station atmosphere at breakfast
and a fight for food and seats ensues. The rooms are quite small. And,
non-smokers beware, non-smoking rooms are advertised but not guaranteed,
so you may be forced to stay in a room that smells extremely smokey.
Stockholm is a relatively safe city, even the begging that seems
intrusive in other metropolises is more discreet here. You should be
careful around drunk people. However, common petty crime such as
pickpocketing and luggage theft can be expected in places with high
tourist traffic, such as the train station and Gamla Stan. SL personnel
can be found practically everywhere on public transport, for example at
the locks on the Tunnelbanan, who intervene in the event of problems.
Although Stockholm, like other major Swedish cities, has some
suburbs with increased gang crime, which are not necessarily recommended
for tourists, such as Rinkeby, the majority of the city and most of the
surrounding towns are basically very safe.
International credit cards work largely without problems, the PIN is
often required. Paying with a non-Swedish credit card will be declined
in some rare cases, but legitimation is often required. A valid identity
card is sufficient in almost all cases. There are no problems with
vending machines. EU documents (passport, driver's license, identity
card) are sufficient for almost all situations.
The most common
language here is Swedish, of course, but it is not necessary for
tourists to learn it, as practically every Swede is fluent in English.
For German visitors, reading various signs is relatively unproblematic,
since Swedish is very similar to German. If there are any problems,
there are many people on the street ready to help.
In contrast to
many other cities, in Stockholm you can find benches everywhere to rest
and linger. Therefore, one is not necessarily dependent on stopping
somewhere for a break. You can also find rubbish bins on every corner.
The former 'stock' in the name of Stockholm is believed to derive
from the defense devices - pile rafters - in the form of wooden
sticks anchored in the seabed (compare the word steak ), which were
in the strait between Mälaren and Saltsjön . The first permanent
settlements had been established at the pile barrier. The purpose of
the barrier was to make it more difficult for enemy vessels to enter
Mälaren and the early cities that were built in Lake Mälaren where
Sigtuna early became the most significant city before Stockholm had
established itself as a larger city. Another interpretation is that
the name would refer to fixed fishing establishments in the form of
fishing rods. The term " islet " may refer to the island that is now
calledStadsholmen , and which for several centuries mainly
constituted the city of Stockholm. Another possibility is that from
the beginning the name did not refer to Stadsholmen, but to one of
the small islets that existed in Norrström in the Middle Ages.
An alternative theory is that the word stock in Old Swedish has the
meaning "a collection of ".Stockholm could therefore have
significance; "a collection of islets".
Gustaf Brynnel presented his own theory in the publication Stock,
Stocken, Stockholm from 1965. Brynnel, who was a file mag and
lecturer, had researched about place names in the Nordic countries
where "stock" is included. His conclusion was that this was not
about logs but about tapered or shallow water; that the water is
"boiling". Stockholm would thus mean "the islet in the log".
Construction began on the so-called Holmen, now
Stadsholmen, along with a few smaller islands located in the strait
between Lake Mälaren and Salt Lake. Due to the raising of the land
in the 9th century, these had become large enough to be used for a
fishing village with permanent settlement. According to Snorre
Sturlasson, the fishing location was called Agnefit.
The
oldest stated year for the town's founding in medieval sources is
1187 and it is found in the Visby Chronicle. According to this
listing, Stockholm was founded as a result of the Battle of Sigtuna
in 1187 as a replacement for the burned down trading post. The
oldest preserved contemporary written document that mentions the
name Stockholm is Jarl Birger's protection letter for Fogdö
monastery in 1252, and Jarl Birger is traditionally considered
therefore to be the city's founder. A castle was built at the islet
to protect Stockholm and other important cities further into Lake
Mälaren such as Sigtuna against attacks from enemy war fleets. The
city became a difficult obstacle by sea for enemies into Lake
Mälaren and the central parts of Sweden.
Stockholm was early
on an important trading city for the iron trade from the mines in
Bergslagen where the heavy transports went by boat via Lake Mälaren
to the coast. Stockholm as a trading center for all kinds of goods
developed strongly through the many merchants who immigrated from
Germany who had their own trading centers on the Baltic Sea coast in
northern Germany. Already in the 14th century there was a scattered
settlement on the ores. Through the Riksrådet's letter of privilege
in 1436, Stockholm received city privileges, which is usually used
as a reference for the start of Stockholm's role as capital. In the
middle of the 15th century, the population had grown to between five
and six thousand inhabitants.
During the great power era, the
first organized urban planning began under the command of the
governor Clas Larsson Fleming, with which the city expanded onto the
current Norrmalm and Södermalm. The old Tre Kronor Castle was
completely destroyed in the castle fire in 1697, then Stockholm
Castle was built on the same site. In the middle of the 18th
century, the population had increased to just over 60,000
inhabitants[9] and Stockholm had developed into the country's
leading industrial city. During Gustav III's reign 1771–1792, the
city experienced a cultural upswing, including the founding of the
Academy of Arts and the Royal Opera.
The first half of the
19th century brought a period of stagnation when overcrowding,
poverty, famine, lack of hygienic conditions and rampant diseases
were major problems. In 1850, Stockholm had 93,000 inhabitants. The
industrialization of the 1860s and 1870s became one of the city's
most expansive periods. In 35 years, the population increased to
216,000 inhabitants. A new town plan was drawn up under the
leadership of the town planner and politician Albert Lindhagen and
towards the end of the 19th century the town was rapidly expanded on
the ores with a regular stone town. The first railways, gasworks,
waterworks and electricityworks were incorporated into the urban
environment.
The years around the turn of the century in 1900
housed, among other things, the great Stockholm Exhibition in 1897
and the Olympic Games in 1912. After the Second World War, one of
the city's and the country's largest urban transformation projects
began; The Norrmalm regulation, which would transform lower Norrmalm
into a new district and create the current Stockholm city there.
Along the new subway lines, new suburbs grew up far outside the
tolls.
Stockholm lies at Mälaren's outlet in the Salt Lake on islands and on
the mainland to the south, north and west, in the east begins the
Stockholm archipelago. The central and southern parts of the city are
hilly, the northern and western parts are more low-lying.
Gneisses and granites make up the fractured bedrock. At
Skinnarviksbergen and Stadsgården runs a fault escarpment which,
together with Stockholmsåsen, which stretches from Observatoriekullen
towards Brunkeberg and Gamla stan and further towards Södermalm,
constitutes the most important topographical structures in the
municipality. On heights, such as Grimstaskogen and the Judarn area,
there are coniferous forests and, as a contrast, there are lush meadows
and oak forests on Djurgården.
Stockholm municipality is a green city and roughly 40 percent of the
land consists of parks and green areas. Here there are both large
walking areas, nice parks and beach promenades as well as small
neighborhood parks. Stockholm's nature is characterized by its special
location between Mälaren and the Baltic Sea and by the mild climate of
the Mälardalen with cultivation zone II, which corresponds to Scania's
interior.
Several nature reserves are within the municipality's
area and in 1994 the world's first national city park, the Royal
National City Park, was inaugurated. There are 15 lakes within Stockholm
municipality, ten of which lie entirely within the municipality's
borders.
Within the city municipality, Högdalstoppen is the
highest elevation at 102 m, it was created by human hands from tipped
masses during the 1950s and 1960s. The highest natural peak is
Vikingaberget in Vårberg, which is 77.24 m. Inside the customs, it is
Skinnarviksberget, which is 53 m, which is the highest point.
Stockholm has a temperate climate with four distinct seasons, with
winds that are usually southwest or west. In summer (from midsummer to
early August), Stockholm is among Sweden's warmest places, with average
temperatures of 20–23 °C and 11–13 °C at night. Winters can be cloudy
(even with high pressure) and have average temperatures of between -1
and +1°C during the day, and -3 to -5°C at night. Annual precipitation
in Stockholm is around 539 mm with 173 precipitation days of which 16
snow days. Stockholm has over 1,800 hours of sunshine each year. The
highest measured record temperature in Stockholm was 36 °C, on July 3,
1811, 35.4 degrees was measured in the first week of August 1975. The
lowest -32 °C, on January 20, 1814.
In the Weather Chamber at
Stockholm's old observatory there is a temperature loop that shows the
average temperature during the hottest (July) and coldest (February)
months of the year from the middle of the 18th century until today,
which is the only place in the world where the weather has been observed
continuously for over 250 years.
Due to its northern location,
Stockholm has around 18.5 hour long days at the summer solstice but only
just under 6 hour long days at the winter solstice. Relatively long
twilights and dawns come to the day.
Stockholm's urban landscape and cityscape have been shaped over
hundreds of years. Through physical planning in the form of buildings,
the construction of streets, squares and parks as well as through
changes in Stockholm's remaining nature, the cityscape has changed. The
old and the new are close to each other; just over two kilometers from
Karlaplan there are preserved burial grounds from the Iron Age such as
Kaknäs on Gärdet. Stockholm is a green city and roughly 40 percent of
the land consists of parks and green areas.
Urban planning
When Stockholm was given the role of Sweden's capital in 1436, the city
had already grown for 200 years. Stockholm had developed into an
important trading center within the Hanseatic League, and the original
wooden houses were replaced more and more by stone houses in the center
of Stockholm, which was the Old Town. With the great power era of the
17th century, Stockholm also developed as a capital of European
importance with a large population increase. Extensive urban planning
began in the 1620s and was developed under the governor Clas Larsson
Fleming in the 1630s to 1640s with Fleming's grid laid out over Norr-
and Södermalm and over parts of the Old Town. The ideas came from the
Renaissance, it would be regular and right-angled grids of streets and
blocks. In the 18th century, Stockholm grew at a slower pace and people
largely followed Fleming's grid.
The next important phase of
expansion in Stockholm's urban development came with the industrial
revolution. Intensive construction characterized the latter half of the
19th century. Under the jurist Albert Lindhagen, a first general plan,
the Lindhagenplanen, was created for Stockholm's Malmar and Kungsholmen
to give the city light, air and greenery. He wanted the city to be
criss-crossed by wide, tree-lined esplanades and boulevards. On
Norrmalm, a 70 meter wide Sveaväg dominated in a north-south direction
(later Sveavägen), on Kungsholmen a wide Drottningholmsvägen in an
east-west direction and on Södermalm a semicircular Södra Esplanade
(later Ringvägen). Lindhagen's town plan was only partially implemented.
From 1904 onwards, the city of Stockholm carried out large land
acquisitions in southern and western Stockholm, and residential
development outside the city center began to take off. In 1908, Enskede
garden city was established, which was Stockholm's and Sweden's first
garden city, and in neighboring Örby the expansion of what is today
considered to be Stockholm's oldest villa city was already underway,
although it would take until 1913 before the area that then belonged to
Brännkyrka was incorporated with Stockholm.
Under Yngve Larsson
as city councilor and city planning directors Albert Lilienberg and Sven
Markelius, the city and especially Nedre Norrmalm would be adapted to
the car and subway. How it would be done was described in various city
plans between 1923 and 1967. In the 1946 city plan, the major rebuilding
of Nedre Norrmalm, the Norrmalmsregleringen, was determined, and with
the 1977 city plan, the cleanup of Stockholm's inner city was completed
prematurely.
After the Second World War, the expansion of
Stockholm took place along the newly built subway. The idea of an ABC
city was born. A stood for work, B for housing and C for the centre.
Årsta (1952), Vällingby (1954), Högdalen (1957), Farsta (1960), Bredäng
(1962) and Skärholmen (1968), became partly dormitory towns, but all
were not considered as successful as Vällingby. Bredäng, Skärholmen and
Tensta already belonged to uniform residential areas, which arose within
the framework of the million programme. In the 1980s and 90s, it would
be built low and dense and preferably car-free, as in Kista, Skarpnäcks
gård, Södra Station area and Hammarby sjöstad.
After the year
2000, a number of urban development programs were started to accommodate
the increasing population with housing. General plan 99 points out a
large number of development areas, where 60,000 new homes could be
created. These mainly consist of old industrial and port areas that can
be turned into attractive housing, such as the Lindhagen project on
Kungsholmen and the Norra Djurgårdsstaden project in the Hjorthagen
district. A further 20,000 new homes must be able to be created through
densification within already existing residential areas.
In the
2020s, areas such as the Norra station area (construction start 2010),
Lövholmen, Årstafältet, Hornsberg strand and Söderstaden will be
developed.
One of the oldest preserved buildings in Stockholm's inner city is
the Riddarholm church from the end of the 13th century. The oldest
building in Stockholm municipality is Bromma church, which was built in
the 1160s. The medieval castle Tre Kronor was destroyed in the castle
fire in 1697. The current Stockholm castle was built in a mixture of
Roman palatial baroque and French Renaissance, it was completed around
1750. The Great Church, which is the cathedral of the Stockholm diocese,
is located next to the castle and was originally built in the 13th
century but has a baroque exterior from the 18th century.
As
early as the 15th century, the city began to grow outside its original
boundaries, i.e. the Old Town. During the great power era, Stockholm
developed as a capital of European importance and the 17th century was a
period of enormous population expansion and construction activity. In
the middle of the 17th century, the style direction of the Renaissance
was succeeded by French and Italian taste. During the reign of Gustav
III, Stockholm experienced a period of culturally oriented construction
activity. Gustav III had, among other things, the Gustavianska opera
house (Gustav III's opera house) built at Gustav Adolfs torg.
During the 19th century and industrialization, the city grew rapidly,
with planning and architecture inspired by cities such as Saint
Petersburg, Berlin and Vienna. An intense building boom characterized
the latter half of the 19th century. During this period until 1910, many
monumental public buildings were also created, such as Stockholm's
central station (1871), the Royal Library (1878), and the Dramaten
(1908). Probably the most famous building in the city, Stockholm City
Hall was created in 1911–1923 by the architect Ragnar Östberg. Other
well-known architectural works from this time are the Stockholm City
Library and the Forest Cemetery, both with Gunnar Asplund as architect
(for the Forest Cemetery also Sigurd Lewerentz).
During the
functionalist development of the 1930s, which had its breakthrough in
Sweden in connection with the Stockholm exhibition in 1930, the city and
neighborhoods such as Hammarbyhöjden, Traneberg and Gärdet grew and
modern infrastructure was created.
After the Second World War,
the development of the suburbs faced a new phase in connection with the
introduction of the Stockholm subway. Modern projects such as Årsta,
Vällingby with Vällingby center and Farsta arose, especially Vällingby
received international attention. The inner city (Nedre Norrmalm) was
also reshaped, Sergels Torg and Hötorgscity were created during the
1950s and 1960s after long and committed discussions. The transformation
became known under the name Norrmalmsregleringen.
During the
1960s, expansion continued in the suburbs with mass-produced housing on
a large scale in connection with the so-called million program, which
meant that one million housing units would be built in ten years in the
country, most of them in Stockholm. New residential areas such as
Tensta, Rinkeby and Skärholmen were built at a rapid pace in an
industrial manner.
With the new residential areas of the 1970s,
"close and low" and preferably car-free became a prevailing idea. The
first neighborhood town following this principle was Kista (1975–1980)
in northern Stockholm, followed by Skarpnäck's farm in southern
Stockholm and Dalen and the Södra station area. The 21st century began
with many new urban development projects. It is estimated that there
will be a need for 80,000 new homes until 2030. These include Lindhagen
on Kungsholmen, Liljeholmskajen on Liljeholmen, Norra Djurgårdsstaden in
Hjorthagen and the Norra station area.
Parallel to the
construction of housing, industries and parks, various defense
facilities have been built over the years for the defense of Stockholm.
These have consisted of both fixed defense facilities such as
Stockholm's city walls and facilities for the city's military defenders
and their equipment, including training fields, such as Slottet Tre
kronor, Skeppsholmen, Ladugårdsgärde as well as barracks and other
buildings for Stockholm's garrison.
Stockholm is the administrative center for the kingdom, the county
and the municipality and here are the central buildings for the royal
house, the government, the Riksdag, the county board, the region, the
municipality and the central administrations.
In Gamla stan is
Stockholm Castle and the Supreme Court in Bondeska Palace as well as
Tessinska Palace, residence of the Governor of Stockholm County. On
Helgeandsholmen is the Riksdag house. In southern Norrmalm, the
government's department is found with Rosenbad, the seat of the
government and the prime minister, at Strömgatan. The Prime Minister's
official residence, Sagerska palatset, is located just east of Rosenbad.
In Stockholm, there is also the management for Region Stockholm in the
County Council House on Kungsholmen and for the County Administrative
Board in Stockholm County in the Kungshuset at Kungsgatan.
Stockholm's political leadership has existed since 1863 in Stockholm's
city council or municipal council. The full council meets every three
weeks in the Council Chamber in Stockholm City Hall.
Street regulation in Stockholm began in 1637 on Norrmalm, west of
Brunkebergsåsen, to mark out Stoore Konnungz street (later
Drottninggatan which was the main route north). East of Brunkebergsåsen,
Regering's gathon (later Regeringsgatan) was built, which became the
second main route to the north. Until the beginning of the 18th century,
there was a great deal of disorder in Stockholm's street names. With
Petrus Tillaeus' Stockholm map General Charta Öfver Stockholm with
Malmare from 1733, order and some stability came to the nomenclature.
The city's biggest name revision over time was the name revision in
Stockholm in 1885, where a large number of streets and squares were
renamed. The background to it was the extensive street regulation
according to the Lindhagen plan. The person who practically carried out
the regulation was city engineer Herman Ygberg.
Stockholm's
neighborhood names go back to the division of neighborhoods in
connection with the first urban planning in the city in the 1650s.
During that time, a rectangular grid of streets and blocks was laid out
over the city. The initiator was Clas Fleming. At the time around the
end of the 17th century, a uniform system of names, so-called category
names, was also determined. For Gamla Stan, this meant that around 90
names (in Latin) from Greek and Roman mythology were used as
neighborhood names. These names were "constructed" neighborhood
designations and tell nothing about the history of Old Town, unlike the
neighborhood names on Malmarna which tell more about Stockholm's
development. Neighborhood designations have since then and up to our
time been used as search terms in property registers and as property
identification in connection with, for example, property declaration and
property tax or with building permit matters. In Greater Stockholm there
are today over 6,500 block names and within the customs around 1,200.
From the second half of the 19th century, various facilities were
built to give residents access to various services, often through lines
connected to the home.
Water and sewage greatly improved hygiene,
quality of life and health. Norsborg waterworks and Lovö waterworks,
inaugurated in 1904 and 1933 respectively, supply Stockholm and the
surrounding area with drinking water from Lake Mälaren. For sewage
treatment, Henriksdal's treatment plant is the largest.
Town gas
began to be used as early as the 1850s to supply gas lanterns in the
city with fuel and later they were also used for gas boilers and gas
stoves in homes. However, the gas network has been decommissioned since
the end of the 20th century. Electricity for outdoor lighting has been
around since 1877 and has since become a basic infrastructure for the
city and its residents, replacing the gas use that existed. The city has
had its own power plants for electricity, such as the Värtaverket, but
for a long time now electricity has been purchased from elsewhere and
all production within the city has ceased in the 2010s. Telephony was
introduced at the end of the 19th century and until the end of the 1990s
meant the need for own lines.
District heating and district
cooling were introduced in 1953 and 1992 respectively and have been used
for heating houses that do not need their own boiler. There are several
such producers in Stockholm. Cleaning and garbage collection in
Stockholm take care of household garbage, which is mostly incinerated in
two garbage incineration plants; Högdalenverket and Uppsala Block 5 and
converted there into district heating.
Shipping in Stockholm has been part of the city since its founding as
a port city and has been a starting point for communication with places
in the Mälardalen, the Stockholm archipelago and around the Baltic Sea.
Traffic via the Munk Bridge, Skepps Bridge, Stadsgårdshamnen and
Stockholm's Free Harbor has been phased out/reduced during the 20th
century and after the opening of an external port, Stockholm Norvik
Harbor at Nynäshamn in 2020, shipping in Stockholm is mainly made up of
passenger traffic. Regular cruise traffic goes mainly to Finland with
terminals in Värtahamnen and in Tegelviken at eastern Södermalm, in
addition several hundred tourist cruise ships call at the city annually.
Passenger traffic within Stockholm and to the archipelago and into Lake
Mälaren is carried out partly by private operators and partly as public
transport, with mainly Waxholmsbolaget and SL as traffic principals.
Road traffic in Stockholm has been characterized by solutions to get
across Lake Mälaren/Saltsjön. Right up until 1934, the only possibility
was to get over Slussen and Norrbro. With Västerbron (and
Liljeholmsbron), traffic could then get more directly over
Riddarfjärden. In 1966, the Essingeleden was opened in an even more
westerly section, which greatly increased the traffic capacity. Another
connection, Förbifart Stockholm is planned to open in 2030 and it goes
even further west and underground and Mälaren in a tunnel. Conducting
traffic underground has characterized traffic solutions during the 2000s
with the Södra länken in 2004 and the two sections of the Norra länken
in 1991 and 2014 respectively. During the 2000s, there has been an
investment to facilitate bicycle traffic in the more central parts,
while at the same time restrictions have been introduced for car traffic
in the inner city.
Rail in Stockholm has Stockholms Central as
its main station, which since 2017 has a parallel underground station,
Stockholm City, which is only used for commuter train traffic. Stockholm
Central is the country's largest railway hub. Passenger trains on the
Ostkustbanan, Mälarbanan, Västra stambanan, Södra stambanan and
Svealandsbanan depart from here. The two smaller railways Roslagsbanan
and Saltsjöbanan are served by local trains. They start from Stockholm's
east and Slussen respectively.
The backbone of public transport
in Stockholm is the Stockholm subway, which takes care of close to 500
million journeys per year. Stockholm's commuter train and the traffic on
Roslagsbanan and Saltsjöbanan have around 150 million trips per year and
mainly serve residents of the municipalities surrounding Stockholm
municipality. There are four tram lines in Stockholm, two smaller,
Nockebybanan and Spårväg City, one longer, Tvärbanan, and the
Lidingöbanan which from Lidingö connects to the subway in Ropsten. An
extensive line network for buses is available for traffic both within
the municipality and within the entire county. Some boat traffic in
Stockholm is seen as part of public transport and the traffic is
provided by partly SL on lines close to the city and Waxholmsbolaget in
Stockholm's archipelago.
Air traffic to and from Stockholm takes
place mainly via the international airport Arlanda, located
approximately 45 kilometers north of Stockholm city, which is served by
the Arlanda Railway. The older Stockholm-Bromma airport, located within
the municipality of Stockholm in Bromma, has some domestic flights and
private flights. The majority of Stockholm's city council announced in
November 2022 a plan to decommission the airfield.
Business life in Stockholm has a differentiated labor supply and
production is strongly dominated by services. The services sector
corresponds to around 85 percent of all jobs in Stockholm. Many of the
largest companies in Swedish business have their headquarters located in
the Stockholm region. In 2009, the IT industry employed approximately
67,600 employees in Stockholm County within approximately 7,100 IT
companies, and programmers are the region's most common occupation
(2015). Ericsson, Nokia, Telia Company and IBM are examples of large
companies in the data and telecommunications industry in the Stockholm
area, mainly concentrated in Kista. New smaller companies in the data
industry are being established continuously.
Stockholm is
Sweden's financial center and most Swedish banks and financial
institutions have their headquarters in the Stockholm area, as well as
Sweden's leading insurance companies. Stockholm is also home to Sweden's
main stock exchange, the Stockholm Stock Exchange. Around 45 percent of
Sweden's companies with more than 200 employees were located in
Stockholm in 2007.
The tourism industry is increasing. Between
1991 and 2004, the number of overnight stays increased from 4 to 7.7
million. Stockholm is also a popular congress city. According to the
International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), Stockholm was
eighth in the world ranking in 2008. At that time, close to 150
congresses were held in the city, which generated around 260,000 visits.
Congress facilities are available at Stockholmsmässan in Älvsjö,
Kistamässan in Kista and Stockholm Waterfront Congress Center in the
city. According to the city of Stockholm's "Visitors Board", the city's
"top 10 attractions" include the Old Town, Stockholm Palace, the Vasa
Museum, Stockholm City Hall, the Modern Museum and Skansen.
Department stores and shopping centers in Stockholm are partly in the
city and partly in a number of suburban centers around Stockholm, such
as the larger Vällingby centrum, Farsta centrum, Skärholmen centrum and
Kista centrum.
Education in Stockholm began with medieval monastery schools. In
Stockholm there were two convent schools; at the Franciscans'
Gråbrörakloster on Riddarholmen and at the Dominicans' Black friars'
monastery at Svartmangatan.
An early form of schooling was
trivial schools ("lower" learning schools and Latin schools that
announced instruction). One of them was the Nicolai school which is
documented since 1315 but is believed to have existed from the end of
the 13th century and is considered to be the city's oldest school apart
from the convent schools. Collegium regium Stockholmense was an early
college, which was founded by King Johan III in 1576 in Stockholm but
was moved in 1593 to Uppsala University.
During the 18th century,
several colleges and academies were founded, such as the Royal Academy
of Liberal Arts (1735), the Royal Academy of Sciences (1739), the Royal
Academy of Music (1771), the Academy of Drama (1787) and the Karlberg
Military Academy (1792). In accordance with Alfred Nobel's will, since
1901 the Nobel Prize in Physics and Chemistry has been awarded by the
Royal Academy of Sciences.
Sofia folk school in Södermalm was
inaugurated in 1818 and was the first folk school built on the city's
initiative. Even before compulsory schooling was introduced in 1842,
there were already about forty public schools, where children from both
the working and middle classes received their (voluntary) education.
Compulsory six-year schooling was introduced in 1882, and then
schoolhouse construction began in earnest. Several large "folk school
palaces" were built around the city, among them Katarina's southern
school (1888), Matthew's school (1902), Kungsholmen's real school
(1908), Blommensberg's school (1890-1920) and Sofia school (1910).
Around the turn of the century in 1900, there were 36,000 children with
compulsory schooling in Stockholm, of whom 75 percent went to public
schools, while approximately 6,000 children from well-off homes received
private tuition.[37] A venerable school is the Stockholm School of
Business, which was founded in 1909 on the initiative of the Swedish
business community, and is thus Sweden's oldest business school.
In the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, many modern "educational schools" were
built, such as Södermalmsskolan (1935–1936), Zinkensdammsskolan (1936),
Polhemsgymnasiet (1938), Statens normalskola (1949) and Åsö gymnasium
(1950). It was often well-known architects of the time who designed the
new school buildings in the form ideals of modernism, among them Paul
Hedqvist, David Dahl, Nils Ahrbom and colleague Helge Zimdahl.
The city's largest educational institution is Stockholm University.
During the 1970s, the central operations moved from Stockholm's inner
city to Frescati, but already since the end of the 1960s, the
university's campus area began to be laid out. In 2009, the university
had over 27,400 students.
In addition to Stockholm University,
Stockholm is home to two of Sweden's largest universities; Karolinska
Institutet (medicine) and the Royal Institute of Technology (technology
and natural sciences). The city also has a long list of colleges, among
them Beckmans College of Design, Dance and Circus College, Dramatic
Institute, Defense College, Gymnastics and Sports College, Royal Academy
of Fine Arts, Art Department, Royal College of Music, Red Cross College,
Södertörn College, Theater College and Theological College.
Since
the 1980s, Kista has been known as Sweden's largest center for
information technology. In Campus Kista there are branches of the Royal
Institute of Technology and Stockholm University with approximately
5,000 students. Kista Science City with the Kista Science Tower has the
highest concentration of information technology researchers in Northern
Europe. Over a thousand researchers work here in research and
development.
Stockholm has a number of internationally recognized
universities. The Royal Institute of Technology was ranked as the
world's 33rd best university in the Technology and Engineering category
(rank 8 in Europe) in the QS World University Rankings]' 2014–2015.
Karolinska Institutet came in 8th place in the category Medicine and
Life Sciences (rank 3 in Europe) and the School of Business and
Economics in place 70 (25th in Europe) in Social Sciences and
Management. The ranking criteria include the degree of
internationalization, scientific citations per faculty member and
international reputation.
The number of inhabitants in Stockholm municipality is just under one
million (2023), the conurbation Stockhom has 1.6 million (2022) and the
county/Greater Stockholm 2.4 million (2022). The municipality had rapid
growth until 1960, after that the largest increase has occurred in the
neighboring municipalities, although there was an increase in Stockholm
municipality again after 1990.
The main language in Stockholm,
like Sweden, is Swedish. A large percentage of the population has
knowledge of English. The dialects, sociolects and ethnolects spoken in
the Stockholm area, Stockholm, have changed greatly. The oak talk was
widespread during the 20th century, and today the so-called suburban
Swedish is common in some suburbs.
Stockholm has a high
proportion of immigrants both from other areas in Sweden and from
abroad. In 2020, the proportion of people born abroad was over 25%.
As the capital, Stockholm has many national cultural institutions and
museums. The Kulturhuset on Sergels torg is the city's own cultural
institution. Stockholm is one of the world's most museum-dense cities,
where museums such as the Vasa Museum are world-class. In the
municipality there is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Forest Cemetery
and the World Heritage Drottningholm Castle is just outside. In 1998,
the municipality of Stockholm was the European Capital of Culture. The
Stockholm Culture Festival and Stockholm Pride are organized annually
during the summer.
Museums
Stockholm is one of the world's
most museum-dense cities, with around 70 museums, which are visited by
close to 10 million people annually.
The most visited museums are
Skansen and the Vasa Museum on Södra Djurgården, both with over 1
million visitors per year. Skansen is the world's first open-air museum,
inaugurated in 1891 by Arthur Hazelius. At the Vasa Museum, the regal
ship Vasa, the world's only preserved 17th-century galleon, is on
display. On Djurgården and the place where the Stockholm Exhibition took
place in 1930 are several more museums: the Nordic Museum, the Technical
Museum, the Maritime History Museum, the Ethnographic Museum, the
Biological Museum, the Police Museum and the National Sports Museum. On
Skeppsholmen there is the Modern Museum, the Architecture and Design
Center and the East Asian Museum. The National Museum of Natural
History, located in Frescati, near Stockholm University, is a biological
and geological museum.
Stockholm has several prominent art
museums; including the Moderna Museet and the National Museum for modern
and older art in various forms. Among Stockholm's other art museums,
Millesgården (on Lidingö), the Thielska gallery, Prins Eugen's
Waldemarsudde and Bonnier's private portrait collection are usually
mentioned. The Nordic Museum also has a larger art collection, including
works by August Strindberg.
Literature and media
There are
several libraries in Stockholm, the Royal Library in Humlegården is
Sweden's national library and the Stockholm City Library is the main
library within the municipality.
Several writers and poets have
made the city part of their works, such as Carl Michael Bellman and
August Strindberg. The author Per Anders Fogelström wrote the Stad
series, which depicts Stockholm from the 19th century until the middle
of the 20th century.
The morning newspapers Dagens Nyheter,
Svenska Dagbladet and Dagens Industri, the evening newspapers
Aftonbladet and Expressen operate in the city.
The TV group TV4
group, has its base in Stockholm. Sweden's Television (SVT) also has its
headquarters in Stockholm. The radio group Sveriges Radio also has its
headquarters in the city. The building is located on Oxenstiernsgatan in
Stockholm.
Music
The Royal Opera House (also called the Royal
Theater) is Sweden's national stage for opera and ballet. The opera
house is located at Gustav Adolf square. The opera building is also home
to the Royal Ballet and the Royal Court Chapel. The building was
designed in neo-baroque style by architect Axel Anderberg and was
inaugurated on September 19, 1898. The site was formerly the Gustavian
Opera House, which was demolished in 1892.
Stockholm's concert
hall is located in the city center at Hötorget. The building was erected
in the years 1924–1926 according to drawings by architect Ivar Tengbom.
The building is considered a high point in Swedish 20th-century
classicism, and the Great Hall has room for 1770[44] (or perhaps
1782[45]) people. In Stockholm's concert hall, the Nobel Prize in
medicine, physics, chemistry and literature is awarded every year on 10
December.
Berwaldhallen is a concert hall located in Östermalm.
The building was constructed in 1976–1979 by Sveriges Radio as the home
of Sveriges Radio's symphony orchestra. The house was designed by
architects Erik Ahnborg and Sune Lindström.
Stockholm Jazz
Festival is one of Sweden's oldest festivals that started in 1980 on
Skeppsholmen. In 2011, it moved to Skansen to later use several stages
around Stockholm.
Stockholm has a rich choral life where, among
others, the Radiokören, Gustaf Sjökvist's chamber choir, Stockholm's
Gosskör and Mikaeli Kammarkör are among the most famous.
The fun
Stockholm has many theaters, such as the Royal Dramatic Theater
(Dramaten) and the Royal Opera (see also under "Music"). Some other
theaters in Stockholm are the Stockholm City Theatre, Teater Galeasen,
Turteatern, Teater Tribunalen, Folkoperan, Moderna dansteatern, Göta
Lejon, Södra teatern, Chinateatern, Vasateatern and Oscarsteatern.
Cinemas in Stockholm have existed since the end of the 19th century
after the cinematograph had been demonstrated at the Stockholm
Exhibition in 1897. In 1905 Stockholm had ten cinemas and by the end of
1909 the number had risen to 25 permanent cinema halls. The largest
number of cinemas existed in 1943, when Stockholm had 110 cinemas. Most
moviegoers were noted in 1956 with 16.8 million this year. The oldest
cinema that has been in operation ever since it was built is Zita, which
was built as early as 1913 under the name Vinter-Palatset. The most
beautiful is the Skandia Theater, inaugurated in 1923 and built
according to architect Gunnar Asplund's drawings. In the 1990s and
later, several new "Filmstäder", ie SF's concept of multiplex cinemas,
opened. The Stockholm Film Festival has been organized every autumn
since 1990. Tempo Documentary Festival is Sweden's largest documentary
film festival. A number of smaller film festivals are also arranged in
the Stockholm area.
Stockholm has several bars, pubs and
nightclubs. The largest entertainment districts are around Stureplan and
Götgatan. At Stureplan there are, among other things, the nightclubs
Sturecompagniet and Spy Bar, which are run by the Stureplan group. Other
more famous clubs include Café Opera and Patricia. Among the
entertainment establishments are Wallman's salons, Golden Hits and Norra
Brunn. There is also a casino, Casino Cosmopol. The classic
entertainment scenes also include Nalen and Fenixpalatset.
Bern's
saloons were built in 1862–1863 by confectioner Heinrich Robert Berns
according to architect Johan Fredrik Åbom's drawings. Inauguration took
place on August 1, 1863. With his colleague Magnus Isæus, he expanded
the building in 1885 with another salon, set at right angles to the
original one, and at the same time the name was changed from Berns
Salong to Berns Salonger. Berns salon was one of Europe's great
restaurants in its time and played a big role in Stockholm's
entertainment; In 1866, cancan was shown here for the first time to a
Swedish audience.
Storkällaren or Rådhuskällaren, dating from at least the 1350s, is
Stockholm's oldest known place of business.
Carl Michael Bellman
was a frequent visitor of the city's taverns, inns and wine cellars. In
his poems, Bellman mentioned 113 taverns and inns in Stockholm and the
surrounding area, of which 30 were located in Gamla stan.
In
2016, there were 3,315 pubs, cafes and restaurants in Stockholm
municipality. Among the most famous and prized is Operakällaren.
In Stockholm and its surroundings, there are only two historical
eateries left that operate in unbroken succession and in the same
location: Stallmästaregården in Solna from the middle of the 17th
century and Den gyldene freden in Gamla stan, which has been at the same
address since 1722. "Peace" can thus be the world's oldest continuously
existing city pub in the same place.
The biggest spectator sports in Stockholm are football and ice
hockey. The biggest sports clubs are AIK, Djurgårdens IF and Hammarby
IF.
Globen (internationally called: Stockholm Globe Arena), is an
arena located in the Globen area in the Johanneshov district, south of
Stockholm's inner city. It was inaugurated on 19 February 1989 and is
the world's largest spherical building. In addition to various sporting
events, concerts and performances are also held in the arena. Next to it
is Tele2 Arena, which was inaugurated in 2013. Friends Arena is located
in Solna municipality, north of Stockholm's inner city, and is the
national arena for football. Friends Arena, which was originally called
Swedbank Arena, is used as the home ground for AIK and the Swedish
national football team. South of the city, Tele2 Arena was also built,
which was inaugurated in July 2013, where Hammarby and Djurgården play
their home matches.
Stockholm Stadium, originally Stockholm
Olympic Stadium, was built for the 1912 Summer Olympic Games in
Stockholm. It was built according to drawings by architect Torben Grut,
and has since been used for numerous sports competitions, mainly
football and athletics.
The Royal Tennis Hall is located in
Östermalm and Eriksdalsbadet for swimming in Södermalm.
Some
major events in uval:
Stockholm Marathon is an annual marathon
through the central parts of Stockholm. The start is outside Stockholm's
Olympic Stadium and the finish is inside the stadium. The race is the
largest marathon in Sweden with over 15,000 participants.
The
Tjejmile is an annual running competition for ladies that takes place on
a 10 km long running course around Djurgården. Första Tjejmilen
premiered on August 19, 1984.
The Midnattsloppet is a running
competition that is organized not only in Stockholm but also in
Gothenburg and Copenhagen by Hammarby IF. The first midnight race took
place on Södermalm in Stockholm in 1982. The length of the race varied
until 1995, when the distance was finally decided at 10,000 meters.
Riddarfjärdssimningen is a swimming competition at Riddarfjärden that is
arranged annually at the beginning of August. The predecessor to
Riddarfjärdssimningen was Strömsimningen, which began in 1920 and was
canceled in 1927 due to the poor water quality. In 1976, the competition
was taken up again under the name "Riddarfjärdssimningen" since the
water tests in Riddarfjärden became fully acceptable again. Nowadays,
the 1,600-metre stretch runs between Stockholm City Hall and
Rålambshovsparken. Together with the Midnattsloppet,
Riddarfjärdssimningen is included in the Stockholm 2athlon.
As the capital of Sweden, Stockholm is home to a large number of
foreign embassies and other missions, as well as residences. In 2008,
the city housed 103 embassies, and 64 countries then had accredited
ambassadors, many of whom, however, have their residences in Berlin,
Brussels, Copenhagen or London.
Most of the embassies' properties
are located in Östermalm. Some of the largest are located in
Diplomatstaden, between Gärdet and Djurgårdsbrunnsviken;
of the
United States,
Norway's,
Britain's,
Germany's,
Japan's, and
Finnish embassies.
Several of these were formerly located in
Lärkstaden, where several embassies are still to be found, among them
Botswana's,
Brazil's,
Estonia's,
Iraq's,
Libya's,
of
Latvia,
Nigeria's,
Saudi Arabia's, and
Swiss embassies.
A greater concentration of embassies can also be found in Villastaden in
Östermalm, including
Czech Republic,
Poland's,
Romania's,
Colombian,
Bulgaria's,
Malaysia's, and
Thai Embassies.
In the past, the Russian embassy was also located in Villastaden, but is
now found in a large facility in Marieberg on Kungsholmen.