In the summer of 2008, I spent four days in Stockholm. It was one of the few major European capitals I hadn't yet visited at that time and it was very high on my list. There was a long weekend in May of that year, and by taking just a day off, I managed to get away for a total of five days. My colleagues joked that they travel to nearby places in India over long weekends but I travel all the way to Europe over long weekends!
Stockholm is the capital of Sweden and has
a population of over 960,000. The city is spread over 14 islands where Lake
Malaren flows into the Baltic Sea. As early as 8000 BC, people lived in the
area. In 1187, Birger Jarl founded the city to protect Sweden from sea invasions.
The old town (Gamla Stan) was built in the 13th century. The city rose and prospered because of its Baltic
trade.
The Danish King Christian II entered
the city in 1520. The Stockholm Bloodbath took place, when opposition figures
were killed. In 1523, Gustav Vasa became king, after
defeating the Danes, and that started a hereditary monarchy. He was king till
his death in 1560. In 1634, Stockholm became the capital of the Swedish empire.
In 1710, the plague killed 20,000 people, a third of the city’s population. Under
Gustav III, the city gradually got back on track, and was back to being a major
economic hub before the end of the 18th century.
Some prominent kings from the
county’s history include Karl XII (who ruled from 1697 to 1718), Gustav III
(who ruled from 1771 to 1791) and Karl XIII (who ruled from 1809 to 1818).
Recent kings in the country’s history include Gustav V (who ruled from 1907 to
1950), Gustav VI Adolf (who ruled from 1950 to 1973) and Carl XVI Gustaf
(who was crowned in 1973).
Storkyrkan is a church that was originally founded in the 13th century by Birger Jarl, the founder of
Stockholm. It lies close to the Royal Palace and has been the venue of many
important royal ceremonies. The church features a famous wooden statue of St
George and the Dragon.
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Storkyrkan |
Royal Palace is the official residence of the Swedish monarch. The
office of the king is also located there. The royal residence has been here
since the 13th century. The palace in its present form was completed
in 1754. The palace has a staggering 1430 rooms. The Royal Guards have guarded
the palace since 1523.
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Royal Palace |
Stortorget is the oldest square in Stockholm. It has the Stock
Exchange Building, a well and various colourful buildings with gabled roofs. The square is popular with
tourists, and is famous for its annual Christmas market.
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Stortorget |
Stadshuset is the Stockholm City Hall and houses the Municipal
Council. It has the high end restaurant, Stadshuskallaren. The building’s Blue Hall is the venue of the annual
Nobel Prize Banquet. A contest was held to finalize the architect for the
building, and Ragner Ostberg won the right to
construct it. The red brick building was completed in 1923. Above the Blue Hall
lies the Golden Hall, which has decorative motifs made from tiles, depicting
scenes from Swedish history.
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Stadshuset |
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The Golden Hall, Stadshuset |
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Sculpture of The Dance, Stadshuset |
National Museum was established in 1792 but the present building opened
in 1866. The museum’s collections include drawings from the middle ages, and
paintings by artists like Rembrandt (including The Kitchen Maid), Jordaens and Boucher.
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National Museum |
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Boucher's Victory of Venus, National Museum |
Grand Hotel is a luxury hotel that opened in 1874, at the same time
as the Grand Hotel in Oslo. It lies near the National Museum and the Royal
Palace. Since 1901, Nobel laureates have stayed here during the annual ceremony
at Stadshuset.
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Grand Hotel |
Hotorget is a square in central Stockholm. During the daytime,
it is a market for fruits and vegetables. On Sundays, a flea market operates
here. The Royal Concert Hall lies on the square, as does a sculpture of Orphaleus.
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Flower Market, Hotorget |
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Orphaleus Statue, Hotorget |
Kungstradgarden is a garden in the heart of Stockholm. The garden
features the Square of Charles XII and the Square of Charles XIII, both having
statues of the two monarchs. The Square of Charles XIII lies at the centre of
the large garden. Charles XIII was king from 1809 to 1819. The origins of the
garden, however, date back o the 15th century.
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Statue of Charles XII, Kungstradgarden |
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Statue of Karl XIII, Kungstradgarden |
Riddarholmskyrkan is a church that has the final resting places of most
of Sweden’s monarchs. The church dates back to the 13th century. In 1807, it ceased to be a regular church and started being used for
royal burials. Most Swedish monarchs from Gustavus Adolphus (died 1632) to
Gustav V (died 1950) are buried here. Subsequent burials have been at the Royal
Cemetery.
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Riddarholmskyrkan |
Katarina Kyrka was built in 1695. It
has been rebuilt twice after it was destroyed by fire in 1723 and again in
1990. The church was built in the reign of King Charles X and was named after
his mother Princess Catherine.
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Katarina Kyrka |
Jacobs Kyrka lies in Kungstradgarden and was completed
over the centuries, between 1580 and 1894. It therefore has various different
architectural styles.
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Jacobs Kyrka |
Skeppsholms Kyrkan was built in 1894. It
has an octagonal shape, inspired by Rome’s Pantheon. It is now used as a
concert hall.
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Skeppsholms Kyrkan |
Klara Kyrka was built in 1572 on
the site of an earlier church. The church’s tower is 116 meters tall.
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Klara Kyrka |
Skansen
is an open air museum that opened in 1891. It has 150 houses brought from all
over Sweden and put together piece by piece, to show a picture of traditional
Sweden. It is spread over 75 acres and has a recreation of a typical Swedish
town. It also has an open air zoo with Scandinavian animals.
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Church, Skansen |
Nordic Museum is dedicated to the cultural history of Sweden. The
museum was established in 1863. The present building dates back to 1907. The
museum’s collections include furniture, clothes and toys from the Nordic
countries. The central hall has a colossal statue of King Gustav Vasa.
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Nordic Museum |
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King Gustav Vasa Statue, Nordic Museum |
Swedish History Museum was founded in 1866 preserves Swedish historical items.
Its collections include Viking weapons, Viking archaeological finds, gold
objects, medieval art, wooden sculptures and altarpieces.
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Madonna, Swedish History Museum |
Biological Museum has a collection of stuffed European animals and birds.
The animals are displayed with diorama backgrounds. The museum was established
in 1893.
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Biological Museum |
Moderna Museet opened in 1958. The
modern art museum has work by artists like Picasso, Dali and Braque, and also
has a sculpture garden.
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Sculpture Garden, Moderna Museet |
Grona Lund
is an amusement park
that opened in 1883. It is spread over an area of 9 acres. It has close to 30
rides and is the venue of summer concerts.
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Viking Ship, Grona Lund |
For the whole duration of my stay in Stockholm, I never once saw the darkness because there used to be light outside by the time I woke up very early in the morning, and there would still be light outside by the time I slept off late at night. Stockholm gets barely four hours of darkness in summer months, but it's quite the opposite in winter months! It was a great trip and the long hours let me be out exploring till late every night, so I managed to cover a lot of ground.