Stockholm, Sweden

Royal Palace

The current palace was built on the site of the medieval castle “Three Crowns”. The last one burned down in 1698. History has preserved information that the cause of the fire was a chimney stack that developed a crack. The new imposing building was not built quickly. And even when the royal family moved into its new home in 1754, it was still not ready. A total of ten monarchs of Sweden lived here, one after another. Today, it is one of the largest functioning palaces in the world, the official residence of King Carl XVI Gustaf. Inside there are royal and knightly chambers, an arms-and-carriage hall, and several museums. Among other things, visitors can see carriages in which Swedish monarchs traveled to their coronation, models of the old wooden palace, medieval household items, and other objects.

Birger Jarls Tower

White-stone tower with narrow window slits and a green roof is the only thing left of the defensive fortifications from the 16th century, created during the reign of King Gustav Vasa. Under him, this tower-which formed part of the fortress wall-stood right by the water. But over the centuries the shoreline of Riddarholmen Island changed, the cultural deposits grew, and so today the tower is located quite a distance from the water. When the tower was built in 1530, an open platform was located on top as well, from which fire could be directed in all directions. To construct the defensive wall and tower, they dismantled the monastery of St. Clara, which had existed on the island before Gustav Vasa closed it and a number of other religious houses on the island.

Riddarholmen Church

A church is the only thing that remains from the Franciscan monastery that existed here in the 13th century. However, the original church had no tower at the time: this was forbidden by the rule of the Franciscan friars. It is believed to be the oldest building in Stockholm that has survived to this day. The church’s appearance changed over time. For example, in the 15th century a nave was added to the south side, and paintings were made inside. The first tower was added to the church in the 16th century. The current lacy spire dates back to the 19th century. Over the past four centuries, the church has been the final resting place of Swedish kings. In addition, it is also home to the sarcophagi of outstanding Swedish commanders and nobility.

Stortorjret Square

The square was the hub of life in old Stockholm since its founding. Trade took place here, and meetings were held. In addition to the large building of the Swedish Academy, the facades of 17th-century merchant houses open onto the square. Almost all of them have preserved their original appearance. In particular, to the left of the Academy building stand narrow, two- to three-window houses with distinctive openwork iron details on their facades. These are ankarslåut-iron brackets that serve as ties, thereby reinforcing the structure. Historians can identify the style of an era by such signs, because over different years the shapes of these decorative iron pieces looked different. For instance, a pattern in the form of an elaborate letter “X” is characteristic of the Middle Ages, while one shaped like scissors is typical of the mid-19th century.

Town Hall

From above, Stockholm can be viewed from the bird’s-eye perspective by climbing the city hall tower. Up there, strong winds blow, so even in summer a warm hooded jacket won’t hurt. You can also visit the hall where the Nobel Prize banquet is held. However, getting into the town hall isn’t easy: there’s a long queue, and climbing to the top on foot through narrow corridors is a real test of endurance.

Old Town

Old Town is the historic center of Stockholm, located on three islands. The main one (and the largest by area) is Stadsholmen. It was here that Stockholm was founded in the 12th-13th centuries, and this is also where you can find the most sights. Beyond the standard tourist route, which includes the Royal Palace, the German Church (Tyska kyrkan), the Nobel Museum, and much more, you can find, for example, the narrowest street in Sweden’s capital-the alley Morten Trotzig. Its width is just 90 centimeters. In the heart of the Old Town lies the Grand Square (Stortorget), the oldest square in Stockholm.

Skansen Museum

The world’s most famous ethnographic museum, Skansen, has been operating for more than a hundred years. It was created in 1891 and became the world’s first open-air museum. Here you can see all of Sweden in miniature: from Sámi dwellings to quite European houses from the southern regions of the country. More than 160 houses and historic manor estates, built at different times, have been gathered on its grounds. There is its own zoo, where moose, wolves, foxes, and reindeer live, as well as attractions and many cafés serving the national cuisine of the peoples who live in Sweden. The museum is open all year round, except for Christmas, and various celebrations are held here on a regular basis. In April - Walpurgis Night, then Midsummer Day, musical concerts, Saint Lucia’s Day, and New Year festivities.

Junibacken Museum

One of the main attractions in Stockholm (and, perhaps, the main entertainment hub for children) is the «Junibacken» museum, located practically in the center of the city on Djurgården Island. «Junibacken» is quite often referred to as an Astrid Lindgren museum, but that isn’t entirely accurate. In addition to Carlson or Pippi Longstocking, you can find, for example, the Moomintrolls by Tove Jansson and other fairy-tale characters here. This was insisted upon by Astrid Lindgren herself, who took part in creating the museum. The main attraction at «Junibacken» is a journey through fairy tales on a special train, during which you’ll be told an exciting story (including in Russian). And at Pippi’s villa, children can play to their heart’s content and make plenty of noise.

Drottningholm

Stockholm is a city surrounded by water, and here you can ride a real steamboat with a funnel, smoke, and a steam engine. Tickets are sold at the pier near the city hall. There are short water tours around the city and longer ones beyond it. One of the most interesting is a trip to Drottningholm: you can see a beautiful palace complex and take in the rugged northern landscapes outside the city. The palace is not especially luxurious, but the historic theatre attached to it is a truly fascinating place. There you can not only look at the costumes and actors’ dressing rooms, but also learn how, in those long-ago days, they achieved sound special effects like thunderclaps and the roar of wind.

Vasa Ship Museum

This ship was built over two years by order of King Gustav Adolf II and was named after the ruling dynasty’s family name. The king placed great hopes on it and wished to have more cannons installed on the ship than was usual. As a result, a tragedy occurred. When, on 10 August 1628, the “Vasa” began to leave the harbor, a sudden gust of wind capsized it. Water quickly flooded the vessel. Part of the crew and passengers died. The ship lay on the seabed until 1961. On the day the ship was raised, all of Sweden froze in place. People asked to be excused from work, schoolchildren skipped classes-everyone either gathered around their television screens or listened intently to the radio. After the “Vasa” was brought to the surface, it was decided to turn it into a museum. It opened in 1990.

Stockholm Metro

The Stockholm metro is considered one of the most unusual in the world thanks to the original design of its stations. The most beautiful of them are located on the “blue” line, which is called Tunnelbana 3. In the Stockholm metro, there are exactly 100 stations, and only 47 of them are underground. The total length of all the lines is more than 100 kilometers. Some stations, carved directly into the rocks, are not decorated with wall panels. Because of this, they look like enormous fairy-tale caves. Other stations are adorned with sculptures, columns, and fountains, and the images on the walls at Rissne station allow you to explore the history of mankind. There is also a “ghost station” in the Stockholm metro-Kymlinge-where, according to an urban legend, you can see the “ghost train” Silverpilen.

Stockholm City Tour

Today, the Old Town is a magnet for tourists and, along with the countless museums of Stockholm, an excellent means of time travel. Rows of closely packed golden-yellow houses, wrought-iron lanterns on the walls, cast-iron signs above the doors, sheltered courtyards, dead-end alleys, cozy little squares, hidden plazas, and a whole host of city sculptures tucked away in the maze of streets-some of which first appeared here back in the 1670s. Amid all this backdrop, you’ll come across magnificent Romanesque-Gothic cathedrals from the 13th century, churches from various eras, Renaissance palaces from the 18th century, and a nod to the modern age-numerous cafés, restaurants, bars, and an simply incredible number of souvenir shops, designer boutiques, and stores.

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