According to cancermatters, Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, is located in the south of the country. It extends over several islands and peninsulas. The largest city on the Scandinavian Peninsula is the cultural and economic center of Sweden. The location between Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea created excellent harbor locations. Stockholm is a popular travel destination. The extremely attractive location between water and land, the many architectural sights and the interesting museums, especially the Wasamuseum, all contribute to this.
The capital of Sweden is very beautifully situated on around two dozen archipelago, islands and peninsulas as well as the adjacent mainland between Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. Stockholm is also the capital city of Sweden. With 855,000 residents, Stockholm is not only the largest city in Sweden but also in the entire Scandinavian Peninsula.
The city is the seat of government, parliament and other state authorities. The Nobel Foundation, which manages the assets of ALFRED NOBELS and finances the annual awarding of the Nobel Prizes, is also based in Stockholm. Stockholm has numerous colleges, including a university, a technical college, a medical college and a theater, film, radio and television college, as well as scientific research institutes. As the country’s cultural center, Stockholm has important libraries and museums. These include the Historical Museum with evidence from the Viking Age, the Skansen open-air museum, the oldest of its kind in Europe, and of course the Wasamuseumon the Djurgården peninsula. It houses the reconstructed wreck of the “Wasa”, a magnificent warship that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628 due to structural defects.
As the most important industrial location in Sweden, Stockholm has mainly mechanical engineering, paper, printing, food, textile, clothing and chemical industries. The connection between Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea offers good conditions for the construction of ports that are kept open in winter by icebreakers. There are regular ship connections with the major Baltic Sea ports as well as with the inland via lakes and canals. Stockholm is also Sweden’s main road and rail hub. A subway is used for inner-city traffic. The international airport is Arlanda; Bromma Airport is mainly used for business flights.
Cityscape
The historic city center is formed by the three rocky islands Stadsholme, Helgeandsholme and Riddarholme.
On Stadsholme you will find the Royal Palace, which was started in 1697, the 13th century St. Nikolai Cathedral (Storkyrka) and the Stock Exchange, Stockholm’s most beautiful Rococo palace. The Riddarholm Church, begun at the end of the 13th century, has been since GUSTAV II. ADOLFTomb of the Swedish kings. Younger parts of the city are Norrmalm and Östermalm. There are important buildings such as the playhouse, a major work of Swedish Art Nouveau, and the town hall (1911–1923), one of Stockholm’s landmarks. Also worth seeing are the sculpture garden at the Modern Museum on the island of Skeppsholme and the southern cemetery with the forest crematorium, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The sports and cultural center “Globe Arena” from 1986–1989 with its huge dome is a remarkable new building. The Drottningholm, Ulriksdal and Haga castles are close to the town.
History
According to legend, Stockholm, first attested in 1252, goes back to BIRGER JARL, the progenitor of the Swedish royal family of Folkung. The city developed into a trading center strongly influenced by the Hanseatic League. The victory of the Danish king CHRISTIAN II over the Swedish ruler STEN STURE the Younger in 1520 led to a mass execution, the “Stockholm blood bath”. After GUSTAV I took the city in 1523, Stockholm was often the residence of the Swedish kings. With the relocation of the central authorities to Stockholm, the city became the capital in 1634 and subsequently experienced a great boom.
