The Northern Pearl – Stockholm
November 11th, 2008Travelling“The Queen of lake Mälaren”, “The Venice of the North”, “The City which Floats on the Water”… just a garland of names suits the Royal Capital of the Kingdom of Sweden to enhance its reputation for enticing charm and inspiring beauty. Names that try to capture the essential beauty of Stockholm.
Its unbroken tradition, its position on the water, its surrounding heights witness the circumstance that, this splendid town was always in the centre of events and still leads the pulsating life of a metropolis.
Stockholm is a medieval city founded according to the unanimous opinion of historians by Birger Jarl, a famous national leader who fortified the islet located at the outlet of Lake Mälaren in the Baltic, thus creating a mighty, impregnable fortress.
The capital is built on innumerable islands and islets floating on large bodies of water. Stockholm’s beauty is emphatically underlined by streams and creeks and bays, by green open spaces such as Djurgården, the old royal deerhunting park with its famous oaks, by central parks such as Vasaparken, Kungsträdgården and Humlegården, the old hop garden of bygone times. Finally not to forget the large Baltic archipelago with its some 25,000 islands, an ideal retreat for a relaxing weekend (away from the bustle of the modern machine age). Like ancient Rome, Stockholm is built on hills. The sightseer has a supreme breathtaking view from the dominant heights of Södermalm all over the northern area. In central Stockholm, the remnants of the Brunkeberg ridge which in times passed towered above Lower Norrmalm are now cut away to make room for huge skyscrapers in the city centre.
City Hall
The Stockholm City Hall is one of Sweden’s most beautiful monumental buildings. It was designed by the architect Ragnar Östberg and built in the years 1911 – 1923. It was inaugurated on the 400th anniversary of the entry into Stockholm of King Gustav Vasa who reinstated the national Swedish Kingdom.
The City Hall has a remarkable architectural design. This is the tower, 106 metres in height, with the Engelbrekt Monument to the left. There is also the cenotaph of Birger Jarl, the founder of the city 1252. On one of the columns facing the waterside Terrace at the City Hall, the relief by Christian Eriksson can be seen, representing the artist Carl Larsson making a painting of the beautiful city from the other side of the water.
The City Hall is the office of the city government and the representative building on a magnificent place by Riddarfjärden. There are at least two great halls inside. The Blue Hall is a monumental hall with walls of red bricks and the floor of marbles from Kolmården in Sweden.
The Golden Hall contains over 18 billions mosaic pieces made of glass and gold. Einar Forseth has created a glistening banqueting hall, which is dominated by the “Queen of the Mälar” on the northern wall which represents Stockholm being honored by the East and the West.
The Nobel Prize
One year before his death, Alfred Nobel signed his last will that would ultimately make his name immortal. He instructed his executors to take the bulk of his fortune, which was left in trust, and establish what came to be the most highly-regarded of international awards, the Nobel Prize. The awards are given to “those who have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind during the preceding year”. The Concert Hall is known all over the world as the scene of the annual Nobel Prize ceremony on December 10, where H.M. the King of Sweden hands each Prize winner a diploma and a medal. In addition to the Nobel Laureates and their families, Their Majesties the King and Queen and other members of the Royal Family are guests of honor at both the Prize Award Ceremony and the Nobel Banquet, which takes place in the magnificent Blue Hall. About 1300 guests are being served by about 200 waiters. Representatives of Swedish Government and Parliament also participate.
Gamla Stan
The Old Town, also referred to as “the City between the Bridges”, was planned in the Middle Ages and contains antiqued buildings. Here you can find narrow alleys, cobblestoned streets, small open spaces, picturesque gabled houses and amusing street- and district names.
Marten Trotzigs gränd is only 90 centimeters wide and it is the narrowest alley of the Old Town.
The Concert Hall
The Concert Hall at Hötorget is in the very centre of Stockholm, the home of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra since the inauguration in 1926. The designer of the building was Ivar Tengbom, one of the leading Swedish architects of his time. His idea was to “raise a musical temple not far from the Artie Circle”. The sculptor Carl Milles created the famous Orpheus fountain in front of the Concert Hall. The façade towards the market place and it’s slender Corinthian colonnade are the strings that the huge Orfeus is playing on.
Vasa Museet
The warship Vasa was the most expensive and richly ornamented naval vessel built in Sweden at this time, in 1628. When Vasa sailed forth on her maiden voyage, citizens stood along the shore to wish her good luck. Instead they were eyewitnesses to a disaster, just inside the Stockholm harbour. “Between four and five o’clock, the great new warship Vasa keeled over and sank”. A few short lines about a major disaster were written on August 10, 1628. For a magnificent ship that sank on her very first voyage, this could have been the end. Instead, it was the beginning of an adventure that is still in progress. The Vasa was found almost intact, standing on the seabed, after three centuries. The ship was salvaged in 1961, after 333 years on the bottom of the sea in the Stockholm harbour, and is now one of the foremost tourist attractions in the world.
2 Responses to “The Northern Pearl – Stockholm”
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November 15th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
A great intro to our lovely city, I just wish you had been granted some sunlight as well. Maybe you didn’t bother.
(That last photo is from the Modern (Art) Museum, just thought I should point that out.)
Cheers,
per
November 17th, 2008 at 2:46 am
Yes, Moderna Museet is for sure an advisable place, I like this “Paradise” outside of it very much.