Stockholm Capital of Sweden
Stockholm Old Town
Stockholm
- the capital of the Kingdom of Sweden – entices its visitors with an untamed, genuine beauty. It’s especially evident on a winter afternoon, the sun swiftly sinking already at four and the city wrapping itself in a palpable bluish brume. Lights come on in café and shop windows and the many bridges and church steeples are illuminated. The effect is dramatic if one is near the water, an unavoidable prospect on the 14 islands that make up the archipelago. At these times it seems that the shoreline opposite becomes a mysterious stage upon which the curtain could rise at any moment. Beauty is characteristic of Stockholm – the word that most often comes to mind in describing it.
Facts and Figures about Stockholm
The capital and largest city of Sweden is built on 14 islands. “Stock” means log and “holm” means islet in Swedish. The ara of teh city of Stockholm is 188 square km. with a population of 825,000 while the area of the urbanisation of Stockholm is 37 square km. with a population of 1,25 million.
The city was founed in 1252 by the Regent Birger Jarl.
The Swedish capital has its own, unique aesthetic, visible in everything – in its people and its architecture, in the reflections of its buildings and ships on the water, in its parks, designs, and arts. It doesn’t seem to be a coincidence that one of the silver screen’s classic diva’s, Greta Garbo, hailed from Stockholm, and calling the city the Venice of Scandinavia isn’t inappropriate at all; it’s here that Lake Malaren meets the Baltic Sea. There aren’t many great cities where one can swim in the very centre of town in the summer, quite possible in Stockholm though the summers here are mercilessy short.
The major sights are all within walking distance, and walking in Stockholm is also a special pleasure – you’ll seldom see people dashing about blindly in their daily routine or dressing ostentatiously, the citizens of Sweden’s metropolis possess their very own style. The town moves to a refreshingly different rhythm that can’t easily be confused with that of other European capitals.
Stay in Stockholm (very special hotels)
Despite the city being seemingly compact, the intensity of life in Stockholm can compete with that of any other great city. It also seems that no one realm of urban life takes precedence. Every area Stockholm excels in is worth looking at, whether in the arts, fashion or cuisine. Eeven hotels have a certain je ne sais quoi. Consider the retired white 747-200 Jumbo jet you can find near the rental cars. Built in 1976, it dutifully served a string of carriers, from Singapore Airlines to Pan Am, landing for the last time on Stockholm Airport in 2002 to begin its new life as a hostel in 2009. It’s now most certainly one of the more unusual places for a traveller to pass the night. Instead of the 460 seats it once sported, there are 25 cabins for 75 guests, the possibilities ranging from a single bed in a four person cabin to private cabins for up to three persons and the exclusive pilot’s suite. The suite in the plane’s nose is the only cabin with a private bathroom; other guests at the Jumbo Hostel use common facilities.
Another unusual place to spend the night is the recently opened Story Hotel. Tucked away in a small central street, the hotel has become an odd centre for nocturnal creativity in the city. If you choose to stay here, you should understand that this is not in any way a typical hotel; you’ll be in the very centre of things, the currently very populair bar being packed to the point where a pin couldn’t find a place to fall in the evenings. The crowd mostely consist of locals. not tourists. Stockholm folk like to hit the street late, the bars being open until two in the morning on days off, but the Story Hotel makes every night seem like a weekend. The story starts when you make your reservation. You do that by e-mail, receiving a five-digit code you’ll need upon arrival. There’s no key; the code opens the door to your room. To keep you from getting confused if you spend too much time at the bar, the doors of each lift open with a different rock tune. There are 82 rooms of three different sizes in eight different categories that bear names as clever as the concept, form `Just Large` to `Meet ´n Sleep`.
Books:
Stockholm (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
