A History of Stockholm

The City’s Beginnings

Stockholm began when Sweden's most important chieftain in the mid-13th century, Birger Jarl, built a fort on one of the strategically placed islets where the fresh water entered the sea, and traffic on the waterways was controlled using timber stocks arranged as a fence, or boom. Stockholm, meaning 'tree-trunk islet', may well be named after this boom. Within a century, Stockholm was the largest city in Sweden, dominated by an impregnable castle and surrounded by a defensive wall. The city was periodically ravaged by fire until timber buildings with turf roofs were replaced with brick structures. By the late 15th century, the population was around 6000, and Stockholm had become a significant commercial center. Shipping copper and iron to continental Europe was a lucrative trade that was dominated by German merchants.

War and Rebellion

In 1471, the Danish King Christian I besieged Stockholm, but his 5000-strong army was routed by the Swedes just outside the city walls at the Battle of Brunkeberg. In 1520 when city burghers, bishops and nobility agreed to meet the Danish King Christian II in Stockholm, and the king arrested them all at a banquet. After a quick trial, the Swedes were found guilty of burning down the archbishop's castle near Sigtuna, and 82 men were beheaded the following day at Stortorget, the main square by the castle. This ghastly event became known as the 'Stockholm Blood Bath': heavy rain caused rivers of blood from the bodies to pour down steep alleys descending from the square. A major rebellion followed and Gustav Vasa finally entered the city in 1523 after a two-year siege. The new king then ruled the city with a heavy hand. Though the role of commerce dwindled and the church was extinguished entirely, royal power grew and the city revolved around the court. Gustav's son Erik XIV and later kings raised taxes on the burghers to fund wars. However, some did well from arms manufacture, and the city's importance as a military headquarters increased. At the end of the 16th century, Stockholm's population was 9000, but this expanded in the following century to 60,000 as the Swedish empire reached its greatest extent.

Expansion and Disaster

In the 17th century, town planners laid out a street grid beyond the medieval city center. Stockholm became capital of Sweden in 1634. Famine wiped out 100,000 people across Sweden during the harsh winter of 1696-7, and starving hordes descended on the capital. The old royal castle, Tre Kronor, burned down, also in 1697. In 1711, plague arrived and the death rate soared to 1200 per day - from a population of only 50,000! After the death of King Karl XII, the country and the capital went into stagnation.

In the 18th century, Swedish science and arts blossomed, allowing the creation of institutions and fine buildings. Another period of stagnation followed the assassination of King Gustav III. Promised 19th-century reforms never arrived, and bloody street riots were common. Further town planning starting in the 1860s created many of the wide avenues and apartment blocks still to be seen today.

Stockholm in the Modern Age

The city rapidly industrialized and expanded, and by 1915 it was home to 364,000 people. The 1912 summer Olympics were held in Stockholm. The next major transformation of the city started in the 1960s, when large 'new towns' sprung up around the outskirts and extensive areas of slums were flattened to make way for concrete office blocks, and highways. The financial and construction boom of the 1980s helped make the city a very expensive place to live. Once that bubble burst during the 1990s recession, the devalued krona actually helped Stockholm. Swedish tourism grew, and foreign tourists arrived in ever-increasing numbers. Since the country's entry into the European Union, Stockholm's progress towards becoming an affordable, vivacious tourist destination has continued apace.

Haga Park

During the 1780s King Gustav III, aided by the architect Fredrik Magnus Piper, began transforming the park into a fashionable romantic landscape, known in Sweden as an "English Park". Meandering paths, sudden vistas, and radically tamed scenery alternating with the grandeur of unspoiled nature are typical components of this landscaping. Tucked inside Haga Park, Gustav III’s Paviljong is a marvelous example of European neo-classicism. The furnishings and décor reflect Gustav III's interest in all things Roman, developed during his Italian tour in 1782. Not only are the permanent fittings and decorations of the different rooms very well preserved, but also a great deal of the pavilion's original furniture is still in existence. The "Queen's Pavilion", today better known as Haga Palace, where guests of the Swedish Government are accommodated, was built in the early years of the 19th century.

Kungliga Slottet

Kungliga Slottet is the largest royal castle in the world still used for its original purpose. It was constructed on the site of the 'old' royal castle, Tre Kronor, which burned down in 1697. The walls of the north wing of the castle survived and were incorporated in the new palace, but the medieval designs are now concealed by a baroque exterior. The new palace, which has 608 rooms, was designed by the court architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger, and wasn't completed until 57 years after the fire. The sections available for visting are the Royal Apartments, the treasury, the Tre Kroner musuem and the Gustav III Antiquities Museum, which contains the King’s collection of Greek and Roman statues. The Changing of the Guard usually takes place in the outer courtyard at 12:10pm daily from June to August (but at 1:10pm on Sunday and public holidays). The rest of the year it's on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday only. It can last over 20 minutes and is quite an interesting spectacle.

Skansen

Skansen, the world's first open-air museum, was founded in 1891 by Artur Hazelius to let visitors see how Swedes lived in previous times. Today, around 150 traditional houses, with a staff in period costume, and other exhibits from all over Sweden occupy this attractive hill top. It's a spectacular 'Sweden in miniature' and you could spend all day here. There are 46 buildings from rural areas around the country, including a Sami camp, complete with reindeer, farmsteads representing several regions, a manor house and a school.

Stadshuset

The town hall is topped with a golden spire and the symbol of Swedish power, the three royal crowns. Inside is the beautiful mosaic-lined Gyllene Salen or Golden Hall, Prins Eugen's fresco re-creation of the lake view from the gallery, and the immense Blå Hallen or Blue Hall where the annual Nobel Prize banquet is held. A trip to the top of the 348-foot tower, most of which can be achieved by elevator, is rewarded by a breathtaking panorama of the city and Riddarfjärden. Entry with tours only.

Millesgarden

The Wasa Museum

Visiting Stockholm