My Visual Travel Experience: Stockholm

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.

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.  

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.

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.

Stadshuset

The Golden Hall, Stadshuset

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.

National Museum

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.  

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.

Flower Market, Hotorget

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.  

Statue of Charles XII, Kungstradgarden

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. 

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.  

Katarina Kyrka

Jacobs Kyrka lies in Kungstradgarden and was completed over the centuries, between 1580 and 1894. It therefore has various different architectural styles.

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.

Skeppsholms Kyrkan

Klara Kyrka was built in 1572 on the site of an earlier church. The church’s tower is 116 meters tall.

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.

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.

Nordic Museum

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.