Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [37]
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Stockholm
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HISTORY
ORIENTATION
INFORMATION
DANGERS & ANNOYANCES
SIGHTS
ACTIVITIES
WALKING TOUR
STOCKHOLM FOR CHILDREN
TOURS
FESTIVALS & EVENTS
SLEEPING
EATING
DRINKING
ENTERTAINMENT
SHOPPING
GETTING THERE & AWAY
GETTING AROUND
AROUND STOCKHOLM
EKERÖ DISTRICT
VAXHOLM
STOCKHOLM ARCHIPELAGO
KAPELLSKÄR
TYRESTA NATIONAL PARK
SIGTUNA
MARIEFRED
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Sweden’s capital is the kind of place other cities love to loathe. Not only is she impossibly beautiful, but she’s also fabulous with fashion, deft with design and a music meister. And if that’s not galling enough, she’s clean, green and civil.
Straddling 14 islands connected by 57 bridges, Scandinavia’s urban high achiever will keep you keen with her distinctly different neighbourhoods. The old town, Gamla Stan, is one of Europe’s most arresting historic hubs: a near-faultless concoction of richly coloured story-book buildings, regal riches and razor-thin cobblestone streets.
To the south, lofty Södermalm is the city’s creative engine room, sprinkled with experimental art, edgy local threads and street-smart bars and clubs. To the north, downtown Norrmalm and ostentatious Östermalm go glam with A-list designer retail, champagne-sipping Prada slaves and Michelin-star nosh spots.
Only minutes away, pristine forests are always on call for the frazzled. A further ferry ride away lies the city’s enchanting archipelago (skärgård), with its countless string of islands and bucolic bliss.
Just don’t go thinking this Nordic star is a predictable combo of blonde hair, blue eyes, and meatballs on Ikea forks. Around 16% of greater Stockholm’s 1.2 million denizens are immigrants, lending the place a dynamic, textured edge.
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HIGHLIGHTS
Get lost in the maze of medieval lanes in head-turning Gamla Stan
Shop for local threads and groove to indie tunes on the soulful island of Södermalm
Muse over cutting-edge art at Moderna Museet
Treat your tastebuds to Scandi flavours at vintage food market Östermalms Saluhall
Escape the city buzz with some soothing island hopping in the striking archipelago
TELEPHONE CODE: 08 (INNER CITY)
POPULATION: 802,600
AREA: 216 SQ KM
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HISTORY
Rising land was the driving force behind Stockholm’s destiny, as Swedish Viking political power was forced to move from northern Lake Mälaren to the lake’s outlet for easier sea-lake trade. In 1250 a town charter was granted and a trade treaty was signed with the Hanseatic port of Lübeck.
Stockholm’s official founder, Birger Jarl, commissioned the Tre Kronor castle in 1252 and locks were built on either side of Stadsholmen using timber stocks, apparently inspiring the name Stockholm (tree-trunk islet).
After the Black Death of 1350 wiped out around a third of Sweden’s population, Danish Queen Margareta Valdemarsdotter added insult to injury by besieging Stockholm from 1391 to 1395, amalgamating the crowns of Sweden, Norway and Denmark under the highly unpopular Union of Kalmar in 1397. The Danes’ popularity wasn’t helped by the Stockholm Bloodbath of 1520, in which Danish King Christian II tricked, trapped and beheaded 82 Swedish burghers, bishops and nobles on Stortorget in Gamla Stan for opposing his domination.
One of the 82 victims was the father of Gustav Eriksson Vasa, who managed to stir up a successful rebellion against Danish rule and become Sweden’s first king on 6 June 1523, now Sweden’s national day.
Vasa’s sons, King Erik XIV, King Johan III and King Karl IX, continued their father’s nation building, transforming Stockholm into a major military hub during the Thirty Years’ War and gaining Sweden an impressive property portfolio, including German and Norwegian territories.
By the end of the 16th century, Stock-holm’s population was 9000, and the city had spread onto Norrmalm and Södermalm. Officially proclaimed the capital of Sweden in 1634, by 1650 the city boasted