Architecture of Sweden. Must see and must visit landmarks

Location on the map:   Interesting facts: » The Church of St. Nicholas is the oldest church in Stockholm that was designated the status of a cathedral in 1942. The church was mentioned in the testament of knight Karlsson (1279). It is supposed that it was built by the founder of Stockholm, Birger Jarl.
»  In the middle of the 18th century, the church was rebuilt and refurbished. At the church, there is the medieval wooden sculpture of Saint George fighting a dragon. It was made in 1489.
»  Swedish royalties were crowned here. The last coronation took place here in 1873.
»  At the church, Swedish kings’ wedding ceremonies were held. In 2010, Daniel Westling and Princess Victoria, the eldest daughter of King Carl XVI Gustaf, got married here. This event took place on the day of her parents’ marriage in 1976.

» The Globe Arena was built in 1989, within just two years. The building is shaped like a 130-metre-high white sphere that is 110 metres in diameter. It is the largest spherical structure in the world.
»  It is used for competitions in different sports and large concerts. It can accommodate up to 16,000 spectators. Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, Eminem, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake performed at the arena. The Eurovision Song Contest was held here in 2000 and 2016.
»  In 2010, two rail tracks were laid on the outer side of the sphere, along which transparent spherical SkyView cabs move. The cabs can accommodate 16 people and take visitors to the top of the arena. From there, you can see all of Stockholm. The “amusement ride” is very popular among tourists.
»  In 2009, Ericsson bought the ownership of the arena, after which it was renamed Ericsson Globe.

» The German Church is also called St. Gertrude's Church. In the Middle Ages, there was the German Guild of Merchants. Many German people also lived here. Many years later, in 1642, the guild’s building was rebuilt into a church and consecrated in honor of St. Gertrude (626-659), the patroness of travelers.
»  One of the stained glass windows depicts St. Gertrude holding a bowl and a church model in her hands.
»  In 1878, the bell tower was destroyed by fire. It was restored by the Berlin architect Julius Raschdorff. Now, the bells ring four times a day.
»  In the church, there is also a royal gallery decorated with sophisticated carved elements. It was built for the members of German royal families visiting services. It was designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Elder (1615-1681).
»  Nowadays, the church is visited by about 2 000 parishioners. Services are held in German.

» The Church of Saint Clare was built together with a convent on the initiative of Magnus Ladulas in the late 13th century.
»  In 1527, the convent was demolished.
»  In 1751, there was a large tower. The interior of the church was damaged and one of the towers collapsed.
»  The church gained its modern appearance after the reconstruction in 1886. The modest and dark facade contrasts with a white and golden luxurious interior. There is an altar that has been preserved since 1766.
»  The church tower is the highest in the city. It is 116 m high. It is crowned by a spire in the shape of a gilded cockerel. The bell tower has 35 bells that weigh 8.5 tons. A modern and electric clock was hung on the tower in 1965.
»  At the cemetery of the church, you can see preserved gravestones of famous people living in Stockholm.
»  Nowadays, the major activity of parishioners is charity. They feed homeless people and drug addicts, visit detainees in jails and help them.

» The Museum of Natural History was founded about 200 years ago. The museum collection built by the Royal Academy of Sciences in 1819 includes 10 million exhibits. The museum houses specimens of flora and fauna, the collection of minerals, and natural resources.
»  In 1916, the museum moved to the building complex built specifically for it. In the museum, researchers from several universities Stockholm work. There is also the Bird Banding Laboratory.
»  In the IMAX Cosmonova cinema, you can watch 3D documentaries. The hall is equipped with a ceiling screen of perforated aluminum, which creates an illusion that you are in the film. Emotional individuals and small children are not recommended to watch some films.
»  Exhibitions are organized in such a way that you can not only see exhibits on stands, but also take a look into some phenomena. At the “Smart Person” exhibition, you can look inside different organs, e.g. the head, the heart, or the stomach, and learn about how they work. The exhibition dedicated to Earth, you can hear sounds of magma, as well as see dinosaurs’ eggs, mammoths, and a huge sea monster. You can see meteorites, precious stones, and minerals at the exhibition “Treasures from the Earth Interior”.

» The National Museum in Sweden houses a lot of art objects. Besides the museum, they are also kept in several Swedish royal castles and the Museum of Porcelain. The first pieces of art were collected by King Gustav Vasa in the middle of the 16th century.
»  In the middle of the 18th century, the Swedish envoy Carl Tessin bought a lot of paintings for the king’s collection in Paris. In 1792, the collection was donated to the National Museum.
»  In 1866, the German architect August Stüler completed the construction of a new museum building. The rich collection puts the museum on a par with the Louvre, the Prado Museum, or the National Gallery in London.
»  Here, you can see picturesque paintings of such Dutch, French, Italian, and English artists, as: van Gogh, Rembrandt, Rubens, El Greco, Perugino, Goya, Renoir, Gauguin, etc. They are gems of the museum collection.
»  The museum had been closed for reconstruction until 2018. When the museum was renovated, its exhibits were kept in the Academy of Fine Arts.

» The Nobel Prize Museum was opened in 2001 in the former stock exchange building. It was opened to mark the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Prize establishment by Alfred Nobel (1833-1896).
»  The prize has been awarded since 1901 in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, peace. 800 people have become prize winners since.
»  The museum is decorated in an unusual and non-standard way. There’s a kind of cableway under the ceiling running through all the halls, bearing portraits of the laureates.
»  The museum shows films, organizes conferences and exhibitions dedicated to famous laureates.
»  The museum has a cafe where you can relax and eat, and if you turn your chairs over, you can see the Nobel laureates’ autographs. It’s surely an entertaining place to visit.

» The Nordic Museum is located on the island of Djurgården. It keeps within its walls the history and culture of the Swedish from 1520 to the present day.
»  During his life, collector Artur Hazelius (1833 - 1901) collected, bought pieces of furniture, clothes, toys from all over Sweden and other northern countries.
»  The permanent museum building was erected in 1907. This magnificent building had features of the best Danish palaces. The main hall has a huge statue of Gustav Vasa, the king of Sweden that restored the country’s independence.
»  The collection includes 1.5 million exhibits and a large series of photographs – about 6 million shots.
»  Visitors to the museum are invited to participate in role playing, for example, working on a farm or cooking food without electricity and water supply. To immerse fully in the role play, visitors can change into historical costumes.
»  The museum has its own farm and shop where visitors can buy modern and classic products, fabrics, books, jewellery, and, of course, traditional woolen gloves.

Location on the map:   Interesting facts: » The Parliament House is an impressive and magnificent architectural masterpiece located on the island and surrounded by water. The Parliament House was built in 1905.
»  The front arched entrance is decorated with sculptures. The central statue symbolizes the Swedish people. At its feet, there are statues of men and women. They symbolize the Vigilance and the Deliberateness, the most important facets of the Parliament’s work.
»  Above the entrance, there is a bas-relief emblem of Sweden. On both sides of the entrance, there are sculptures of Sweden kings Gustav II Adolf and Gustav Vasa.
»  Anyone can visit the Parliament Building and attend meetings. There is a special gallery where they are held.
»  Tourists often visit the older part of the Riksdagshuset. There is also the Museum of Middle Ages where you can see paintings, sculptures, and other artifacts.

Location on the map:   Interesting facts: » Riddarholm Church was built at the abbey in the 80s of the 13th century.
»  In the 16th century, the abbey was reconstructed and a tower with a wooden spire was added to it. In 1835, the wooden spire was replaced by an iron one.
»  In 1807, church workers were dismissed and religious services stopped being held.
»  At the church, Swedish monks were buried. The oldest grave here is of Magnus Ladulas who died in 1293. He was the king of the Folkung dynasty and the son of Birger Jarl, the founder of Stockholm. Since that time, 17 royalties and members of their families were buried at the church.
»  At Riddarholm Church, legendary Charles XII found his final resting place. It was his troops that were defeated at Poltava. In 1950, the deceased started to be buried at the cemetery of Hagaparken.
»  On the walls of the church, there are 1 748 arms of knights of the Royal Order of the Seraphim. Since the foundation of the Order in 1748, every entrant receives his own coat of arms. It is kept in the Royal Palace. When a knight dies, his coat of arms is taken to the church and the bells ring for an hour, from 12:00 to 13:00.

» The Royal Dramatic Theatre has a long history. The first plays were staged for the royal court in 1667. Only foreign actors performed here.
»  In 1773, the passionate theatre-goer Gustaf III invited Swedish talented actors and dismissed all foreigners. In 1788, a separate building was built for the theatre.
»  120 years later, in 1908, the theatre building that has survived to this day, was constructed. Its interior was designed not only by professional designers, but also by Prince Eugen, the youngest son of Oscar II, an artist and art collector.
»  Such famous people, as actress Greta Garbo and director Ingmar Bergman, worked at the Dramatic Theatre of Stockholm. During the year, up to a thousand plays are staged here.
»  At the entrance to the statue of actress Margaretha Krook. She often smoked here. In winter and summer, the temperature of the statue is within 37 degrees.

» The Royal Opera was founded by King Gustav III. He loved music very much and created a court troupe.
»  In 1775, the king ordered the construction of the theatre from architect Carl Adelcrantz. The building was to be as good as any European theatre. In 1782, the first premiere took place in the new theatre.
»  In 1792, King Gustav III was assassinated in the theatre, and it was closed for some time, then reopened, but there was no permanent troupe already. The opera building was eventually demolished in 1892.
»  The new opera building was slightly smaller than the old one, but as luxurious and majestic, with a magnificent marble staircase and a golden foyer. The theatre has 1,200 seats for audience.
»  The Royal Opera Symphony Orchestra often plays concerts. In 1975, the Swedish Opera’s troupe came to the Soviet Union on tour. In 2005, director Dmitry Bertman staged the Eugene Onegin opera in the Royal Swedish Opera.

» The Stockholm City Hall was built between 1911 and 1923. The building houses city government offices, conference rooms, and several luxurious ceremonial halls: Golden, Blue, Oval, and Prince Eugen’s Gallery.
»  The Golden Hall hosts an annual ball in honor of the Nobel Prize winners. It is the most magnificent hall in the city hall. Its walls are covered with mosaic gold panels.
»  The Blue Hall hosts a traditional banquet after the award ceremony on 10 December.
»  A 106-metre tower rises next to the city hall. The tower houses a museum and exhibits the copies of statues and busts found in the City Hall.
»  The most remarkable statue is the statue of St. Erik. It is 7.5 metres high. The statue was supposed to be installed on top of the tower, but the architects changed their mind and made an observation deck there instead.
»  There are 9 bells on the bell tower. One of them, weighing 3 tons, was presented by Holland and named St. Erik in honor of the patron saint of Stockholm. Three golden crowns top the tower in honor of Sweden, Denmark and Norway.

» The Royal Palace in Stockholm simultaneously performs two functions: an official government institution and a museum and historical monument of Sweden open to visitors all year round.
»  In the 13th century, a fortress was built on the site of the present-day palace. In the 16th century, it was rebuilt into a more modern palace named Tre Kronor. The palace was reconstructed again in 1690-1697, but was immediately destroyed by fire.
»  The restoration of the palace was done by architect Nicodemus Tessin. Only 63 years later (1760), the palace was finally restored. The 120-metre building has 1,430 rooms (660 with windows).
»  Apart from royal offices, the palace has a royal chapel, the Armory, the Tre Kronor museum, the Bernadotte Library, Gustav III’s Museum, a treasury with royal regalia and precious jewellery.
»  The palace is guarded by the Royal Guard. Tourists like to watch the change of the guard.