Photography - Ivan Andrejić
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Stockholm The beautiful capital of Sweden prides itself on being open to anyone and everyone. A curious city, eager to try anything that is new, anything that’s different. You might know that Stockholm is the second most prolific tech and start up hub in the world, second only to Silicon Valley. Stockholm attracts the most innovative people from all corners of the world and what meets them is a capital known for its beauty and closeness to nature. You are likely to see people both riding horses and stand up paddling while you wander the streets of Stockholm. Stockholm may be liberal and forward-looking when it comes to collective mindset, but it’s rich in history too. When in town, don’t miss out on the maritime Vasa Museum and the world’s first open air museum Skansen, both located on the island of Royal Djurgården.
Stockholm City Hall Stockholm City Hall, with its spire featuring the golden Three Crowns, is one of the most famous silhouettes in Stockholm. It is one of the country’s leading examples of national romanticism in architecture. The City Hall was designed by the architect Ragnar Östberg is built from eight million bricks. The 106-meter tall tower has the three crowns, which is the Swedish national coat of arms, at its apex. Behind the magnificent facades are offices and session halls for politicians and officials, as well as splendid assembly rooms and unique works of art. Stockholm’s municipal council meets in Rådssalen, the Council Chamber. The great Nobel banquet is also held at City Hall. After dinner in Blå Hallen, the Blue Hall, Nobel Prize laureates, royalty and guests dance in Gyllene Salen, the Golden Hall, with its 18 million gold mosaic tiles. The City Hall shop features specially designed souvenirs and presents that commemorate City Hall and Stockholm. The City Hall is open to the public through guided tours only. Guided tours are held daily in Swedish and English at certain hours. The tower is open during the summer months (May to September) and tours are available in several languages. During the same period, you can also climb up inside the tower and enjoy a fantastic view over the city. Tours can be canceled with short notice due to events.
The Royal Palace Welcome to one of the largest palaces in Europe! The Royal Palace is the official residence of His Majesty the King of Sweden, with over 600 rooms. The Palace is open to the public and offers no less than five museums. The Palace was largely built during the eighteenth century in the Italian Baroque style, on the spot where the “Tre Kronor” castle burned down in 1697. Visit the reception rooms with splendid interiors from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Rikssalen (the Hall of State) with Queen Kristina’s silver throne, and Ordenssalarna (Halls of the Orders of Chivalry). You can also see Gustav III’s Museum of Antiquities, the Tre Kronor Museum, and the Treasury. The Royal Palace also contains the Armory, with royal costumes and armor, as well as coronation carriages and magnificent coaches from the Royal Stable. Make sure not to miss the parade of soldiers and the daily changing of the guard.
Gamla Stan Gamla Stan, the Old Town, is one of the largest and best preserved medieval city centers in Europe, and one of the foremost attractions in Stockholm. This is where Stockholm was founded in 1252. All of Gamla Stan and the adjacent island of Riddarholmen are like a living pedestrian-friendly museum full of sights, attractions, restaurants, cafés, bars, and places to shop. Gamla Stan is also popular with aficionados of handicrafts, curious, and souvenirs. The narrow winding cobblestone streets, with their buildings in so many different shades of gold, give Gamla Stan its unique character. Even now cellar vaults and frescoes from the Middle Ages can be found behind the visible facades, and on snowy winter days, the district feels like something from a storybook. There are several beautiful churches and museums in Gamla Stan, including Sweden’s national cathedral Stockholm Cathedral and the Nobel Museum. The largest of the attractions in the district is the Royal Palace, one of the largest palaces in the world with over 600 rooms. In addition to the reception rooms, there are several interesting museums in the Palace, including the Royal Armory, with royal costumes and armor. Don’t miss the parade of soldiers and the daily changing of the guard. Västerlånggatan and Österlånggatan are the district’s main streets. The city wall that once surrounded the city ran inside these streets along what is now Prästgatan. In the middle of Gamla Stan is Stortorget, the oldest square in Stockholm.
The Vasa Museum The Vasa is the only preserved seventeenth-century ship in the world and a unique art treasure. More than 95 percent of the ship is original, and it is decorated with hundreds of carved sculptures. The 69 meter-long warship Vasa sank on its maiden voyage in the middle of Stockholm in 1628 and was salvaged 333 years later in 1961. For nearly half a century the ship has been slowly, deliberately and painstakingly restored to a state approaching its original glory. The three masts on the roof outside the specially built museum show the height of the ship’s original masts. Today the Vasa Museum is the most visited museum in Scandinavia, with over one million visitors a year. There are ten different exhibitions around the ship to tell about life on board the ship. The film about the Vasa is shown in 13 different languages. In addition, there is a well-stocked shop and a pleasant restaurant. Tours of the museum take place every day.
Drottningholm Palace Drottningholm Palace is Sweden’s best-preserved royal palace constructed in the seventeenth century, the permanent residence of the royal family and one of Stockholm’s three World Heritage Sites. The palace features magnificent salons from the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, a beautiful park, a unique palace theater and a Chinese Pavilion. The imposing Baroque garden was laid out beginning in 1681 according to drawings by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger. The palace and the park are mostly open to visitors year round. Drottningholms Slottsteater is the best preserved eighteenth-century theater in Europe and the only one in the world that still uses the original stage machinery on a regular basis. The Slottsteater has guided tours and performances during the summer. The palace has been the permanent residence of the present royal family since 1981. The rooms in the southern part of the palace are reserved for members of the royal family. In 1991 Drottningholm was the first Swedish attraction put on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites.
Skansen - Open air Museum Skansen is a favorite both among Stockholmers and visitors passing through, and it’s a perfect family outing. This is the oldest open-air museum in the world and also the Stockholm zoo, with animals native to Scandinavia. Skansen is beautifully located on Royal Djurgürden and sports spectacular views over all of Stockholm.This is also a Sweden in miniature. 150 farms and dwellings from different parts of the country were disassembled and transported here. Swedish traditions such as Midsummer, Walpurgis Night and Lucia are
Monteliusvägen A 500-meter long (quarter mile) walking path with a magnificent view of Lake Mälaren, City Hall, and Riddarholmen, especially at sunrise and sunset. The path is lined with charming houses on one side and a beautiful view on the other. There is, of course, a safety rail on the path, but be careful in the wintertime when parts of the path might be a bit slippery.
Hotel Diplomat The grand building Strandvägen 7 was completed in 1911 as the crown jewel in the fashionable new street commissioned by King Oscar II himself. The architects were H&E – Georg Hagström and Frithiof Ekman – who designed more than 200 buildings in Stockholm. Strandvägen 7C was planned as a private residence with six storeys, one more than the five permitted by city planners. The planning application was initially turned down, but the architects changed the drawings and split the subterranean level in two horizontally to achieve the desired six floors. This is one reason why the first hotel, Strandvägspensionatet, later came to be housed in property 7C. Just seven years later, the building was taken over by the Malmström family, who now run the current hotel business. Having served as reception rooms for foreign embassies, in the 1960s the focus shifted to a pure hotel business under the name Hotel Diplomat.
With its classic Art Nouveau style, Hotel Diplomat has a timeless air, while also being an attractive showcase for Scandinavian design and art. Anna Cappelen, partner and chairman of the board (as well as daughter of the hotel’s founder), is the key figure when it comes to the art, design and culture that abounds throughout the hotel. The blend of lovingly preserved original features and timelessly stylish interior design is present in all 130 rooms and suites. Hotel Diplomat is renowned for its service and over the years has won many awards for its quality and customer care. The hotel brings together an international mix of business and leisure travellers in a sophisticated Stockholm. Hotel Diplomat was named Sweden’s Best Hotel by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler in 2014, and has been awarded the Traveller’s Choice and Certificate of Excellence many times, based on superb guest ratings on TripAdvisor.