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"Capital on the islands" a Stockholm Travel Page by Maline

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"Capital on the islands" a Stockholm Travel Page by Maline

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Maline   
Proud mama :-)!


Real Name: Maline
Lives In: Sweden
Member Since: Jan 05, 2001
VT Rank: 588

 

Page Views: 7,555            Last Visit to Stockholm: 2005      

Capital on the islands

by Maline - last update: Jul 5, 2005


Welcome!
Welcome to Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. It is by far the largest city in the country.
It has some 1,9 million inhabitants whereas the next city in population size, Gothenburg is only about half in size.
Of these 1,9 million people, about 700 000 live in the central area of Stockholm and the rest in the farther suburbs.

Stockholm is really beautiful. Really, I don't just make this up!!
There is water everywhere, since the city is built on nothing short of 14 islands. There is a lot of greenery as well with, numerous parks and green areas where you can enjoy nature even within the city boundaries. And did you know there are even beaches centrally located.

Yes, the water is so clean you can swim or go fishing, right in the city centre. Just go for a swim. Try bathing at Langholmen for example.

As any other city,Stockholm has its different faces.
There are the shopping places, the historical monuments, the grand buildings, the trees and parks, the waterfront, the museums, the ugly houses, the cute houses, the horribly expensive parking houses.

The beggars, the rich lady taking her lap dog out for a walk, the urban kidz, the tourists, the businessmen, the students, the occasional visitor, the many cultures.

From the narrow Old Town, to the charming south part, called Soder, the green Djurgarden and all the bridges, as well as fancy fancy places.

To all of this,I also have to add, the archipelago, with many islands that are really easy to get to by boat.

And you have also suburbian Stockholm, where the apartment complexes fill your view everywhere you look, until you think this has never been savage land, until you believe that this human sprawl is something natural, the way it should be. As if houses could grow like trees.

And did you know that one third of the Stockholm area consists of water.
No wonder it is called The Venice of the North...

All of this is Stockholm, and in order to see it, try to visit as many places as you can.
The parliament building

Being the capital, Stockholm is where the official buildings and offices of Sweden are situated. The royal castle, the Rosenbad building where the prime minister has his office for example. And the parliament building which is on Helgeandsholmen, and which is open to the public most week-days. Every kid in Sweden (?) has been on an outing to this place, and visited some boring, or so we thought, session here.

The name of Stockholm was first mentioned in the Cronicle of Eric, written sometime in the 1320's. According to the Eric cronicle, the town was founded by Birger Jarl back in 1252. A pretty old town, huh! Of course in those days, Sweden didnt exist as the nation we know it to be today. Actually, Sweden in its present form didn't appear until the 20th century, the Norway left the union between the two countries, to become independent.
Some fun facts:
Stockholm is the city in the world that has the most one-person households. The single most "single" place is the island of Kungsholmen in central Stockholm. 89% of all the households on this island are one-person households.

The city has the highest concentration of museums in the world, with 70 museums readily available in the vicinity.

In the subway of Stockholm there is a constant art project going on, with exibitions in may of the stations.

> Add to your Custom Travel Guide [What's This?]

Pros:"Beautiful, green, many shops, clubs, museums, multicultural..."
Cons:"The fall and winter months can be gloomy, housing shortages, increasing poverty"
In A Nutshell:"Go there in may!"
Maline's Stockholm Travel Tips

OverviewThings to Do
Tips: 21 - Photos: 15
 
RestaurantsHotels & Accommodations
Tips: 1 - Photos: 1
 
Nightlife
Tips: 2 - Photos: 2
Off The Beaten Path
Tips: 5 - Photos: 2
 
Tourist Traps
Tips: 1
Warnings Or Dangers
 
Transportation
Tips: 4 - Photos: 2
Local Customs
Tips: 5 - Photos: 2
 
Packing ListsShopping
Tips: 13 - Photos: 14
 
Sports TravelGeneral Tips
Tips: 4 - Photos: 4

Maline's Stockholm Travelogues
Title [Click to view]Travel YearPictures
Spring 2003 - ice breaking in StockholmFebruary, 2003 3
Scenes from Stockholm- 6
Stockholm 2005 pictures2005 2

Comments for Maline about Stockholm
unassuming Tue Jul 29, 2008 17:32 UTC
 Thanks for the tips. I am here in Stockholm for a few days by myself and will walk around guided by your info.
mavl Wed Dec 27, 2006 20:31 UTC
 loved your city, the armory is one of my favorite museums in all of europe. too bad i only got to stay a couple of days. hope you have a great birthday!
ben_england Thu May 11, 2006 17:53 UTC
 Good page- brought back memories! Who works out the 'the most single people' fact though?! Weird!
El_Sueco Fri Sep 30, 2005 22:13 UTC
 Tack för kommentaren på hemsidan. Du har gjort fina tips och foton själv.
See More Comments

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