Stockholm () is the
capital
Capital may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** List of national capital cities
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences
* Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...
and
largest city
The United Nations uses three definitions for what constitutes a city, as not all cities in all jurisdictions are classified using the same criteria. Cities may be defined as the cities proper, the extent of their urban area, or their metropo ...
of
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
as well as the
largest urban area in
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
. Approximately 980,000 people live in the
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
,
with 1.6 million in the
urban area
An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...
,
and 2.4 million in the
metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...
.
The city stretches across fourteen islands where
Lake Mälaren
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...
flows into the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
. Outside the city to the east, and along the coast, is the island chain of the
Stockholm archipelago. The area has been settled since the
Stone Age
The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with t ...
, in the
6th millennium BC
The 6th millennium BC spanned the years 6000 BC to 5001 BC (c. 8 ka to c. 7 ka). It is impossible to precisely date events that happened around the time of this millennium and all dates mentioned here are estimates mostly based on geological an ...
, and was founded as a city in 1252 by Swedish statesman
Birger Jarl
Birger Jarl, also known as ''Birger Magnusson'' (21 October 1266), was a Swedish statesman, ''jarl'', and a member of the House of Bjelbo, who played a pivotal role in the consolidation of Sweden. Birger also led the Second Swedish Crusade, w ...
. It is also the county seat of
Stockholm County
Stockholm County ( sv, Stockholms län, link=no ) is a county or '' län'' (in Swedish) on the Baltic Sea coast of Sweden. It borders Uppsala County and Södermanland County. It also borders Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The city of Stockholm ...
. For several hundred years, Stockholm was the capital of
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
as well (), which then was a part of Sweden. The population of the municipality of Stockholm is expected to reach one million people in 2024.
Stockholm is the cultural, media, political, and economic centre of Sweden. The Stockholm region alone accounts for over a third of the country's
GDP
Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjective nature this measure is ofte ...
, and is among the top 10 regions in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
by
GDP per capita. Ranked as an alpha-
global city, it is the largest in
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
and the main centre for
corporate headquarters
Corporate headquarters is the part of a corporate structure that deals with important tasks such as strategic planning, corporate communications, taxes, law, books of record, marketing, finance, human resources, and information technology. Corpor ...
in the Nordic region. The city is home to some of Europe's top ranking universities, such as the
Karolinska Institute
The Karolinska Institute (KI; sv, Karolinska Institutet; sometimes known as the (Royal) Caroline Institute in English) is a research-led medical university in Solna within the Stockholm urban area of Sweden. The Karolinska Institute is consist ...
,
Stockholm School of Economics
The Stockholm School of Economics (SSE; sv, Handelshögskolan i Stockholm, HHS) is a private business school located in city district Vasastaden in the central part of Stockholm, Sweden. SSE offers BSc, MSc and MBA programs, along with ...
,
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
The KTH Royal Institute of Technology ( sv, Kungliga Tekniska högskolan, lit=Royal Institute of Technology), abbreviated KTH, is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden. KTH conducts research and education in engineering and technolog ...
and
Stockholm University
Stockholm University ( sv, Stockholms universitet) is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, so ...
. It hosts the annual
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
ceremonies and banquet at the
Stockholm Concert Hall
The Stockholm Concert Hall ( sv, Stockholms konserthus) is the main hall for orchestral music in Stockholm, Sweden.
With a design by Ivar Tengbom chosen in competition, inaugurated in 1926, the Hall is home to the Royal Stockholm Philharmoni ...
and
Stockholm City Hall
Stockholm City Hall ( sv, Stockholms stadshus, ''Stadshuset'' locally) is the seat of Stockholm Municipality in Stockholm, Sweden. It stands on the eastern tip of Kungsholmen island, next to Riddarfjärden's northern shore and facing the islands ...
. One of the city's most prized museums, the
Vasa Museum
The Vasa Museum ( sv, Vasamuseet) is a maritime museum in Stockholm, Sweden. Located on the island of Djurgården, the museum displays the only almost fully intact 17th-century ship that has ever been salvaged, the 64-gun warship '' Vasa'' that sa ...
, is the most visited non-art museum in Scandinavia. The
Stockholm metro
The Stockholm metro ( sv, Stockholms tunnelbana) is a rapid transit system in Stockholm, Sweden. The first line opened in 1950, and today the system has 100 stations in use, of which 47 are underground and 53 above ground. There are three colou ...
, opened in 1950, is well known for the decor of its stations; it has been called the longest art gallery in the world. Sweden's
national football arena is located north of the city centre, in
Solna
Solna Municipality ( sv, Solna kommun or , ) is a municipality in Stockholm County in Sweden, located just north of Stockholm City Centre. Its seat is located in the town of Solna, which is a part of the Stockholm urban area. Solna is one of t ...
.
Avicii Arena, the national indoor arena, is in the southern part of the city. The city was the host of the
1912 Summer Olympics
The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, be ...
.
Stockholm is the seat of the
Swedish government and most of
its agencies, including the highest courts in the
judiciary
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
, and the
official residencies of the
Swedish monarch and the
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
. The government has its seat in the
Rosenbad building, the
Riksdag
The Riksdag (, ; also sv, riksdagen or ''Sveriges riksdag'' ) is the legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral legislature with 349 members (), elected proportionally and se ...
(Swedish parliament) is seated in the
Parliament House, and the Prime Minister's residence is adjacent at
Sager House
The Sager House () or Sager Palace (''Sagerska palatset'') is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Sweden, located at Strömgatan 18 in central Stockholm.
Location
The Sager House is located in the Stockholm borough of ''Norrmalm' ...
.
Stockholm Palace
Stockholm Palace or the Royal Palace ( sv, Stockholms slott or ) is the official residence and major royal palace of the Swedish monarch (King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia use Drottningholm Palace as their usual residence). Stockholm Palac ...
is the official residence and principal workplace of the Swedish monarch, while
Drottningholm Palace
The Drottningholm Palace ( sv, Drottningholms slott) is the private residence of the Swedish royal family. Drottningholm is near the capital Stockholm. Built on the island Lovön (in Ekerö Municipality of Stockholm County), it is one of Sweden ...
in neighboring
Ekerö
Ekerö is a locality (urban area) and the seat of Ekerö Municipality in Stockholm County, Sweden, with 11,524 inhabitants in 2017. It is also an alternative name of the island Ekerön, on which the Ekerö urban area is situated.
Sports
The ...
serves as the
Royal Family
A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term ...
's private residence.
History and name
![Hamngatan and Strandvägen, Stockholm (5246272896)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Hamngatan_and_Strandv%C3%A4gen%2C_Stockholm_%285246272896%29.jpg)
After the Ice Age, around 8000 BC, there were already many people living in what is today the Stockholm area, but as temperatures dropped, inhabitants moved south. Thousands of years later, as the ground thawed, the climate became tolerable and the lands became fertile, people began to migrate back to the North. At the intersection of the Baltic Sea and lake
Mälaren
Mälaren ( , , or ), historically referred to as Lake Malar in English, is the third-largest freshwater lake in Sweden (after Vänern and Vättern). Its area is 1,140 km2 and its greatest depth is 64 m. Mälaren spans 120 kilometers from e ...
is an archipelago site where the
Old Town
In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...
of Stockholm was first built from about 1000 CE by Vikings. They had a positive trade impact on the area because of the trade routes they created.
Stockholm's location appears in
Norse sagas
is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the creation of Akitoshi Kawazu at Square. It has since continued across multiple platforms, from the Super NES to t ...
as
Agnafit
Agnafit (Old Norse: ) or ''Agnefit'' was the name of a location where Lake Mälaren met the Baltic Sea. In the 14th century, an addition to the '' Historia Norwegiae'' described Agnafit as being where Stockholm had been founded. Some say that it wa ...
, and in
Heimskringla
''Heimskringla'' () is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorre Sturlason (1178/79–1241) 1230. The name ''Heimskringla'' was first used in the 17th century, derived ...
in connection with the legendary king
Agne
Agne (English: ''Agni''), ''Hogne'' or ''Agni Skjálfarbondi'' was a semi-legendary, king of Sweden, of the House of Yngling.
Snorri Sturluson relates that he was the son of Dag the Wise, and he was mighty and famous. He was also skilled in many ...
. The earliest written mention of the name Stockholm dates from 1252, by which time the mines in
Bergslagen
Bergslagen is a historical, cultural, and linguistic region located north of Lake Mälaren in northern Svealand, Sweden, traditionally known as a mining district. In Bergslagen, the mining and metallurgic industries have been important since the ...
made it an important site in the iron trade. The first part of the name () means log in Swedish, although it may also be connected to an old German word () meaning
fortification
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
. The second part of the name () means islet and is thought to refer to the islet
Helgeandsholmen
Helgeandsholmen () is a small island in central Stockholm, Sweden. It is located north of Stadsholmen, and east of Strömsborg, with which, together with Riddarholmen, it forms Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm. Helgeandsholmen contains the ...
in central Stockholm. According to the ''
Eric Chronicles
The ''Eric Chronicle'' (Swedish: ''Erikskrönikan'') is the oldest surviving Swedish chronicle. It was written by an unknown author (or, less probably, several authors) between about 1320 and 1335.
It is the oldest in a group of medieval rhymed ch ...
'' the city is said to have been founded by
Birger Jarl
Birger Jarl, also known as ''Birger Magnusson'' (21 October 1266), was a Swedish statesman, ''jarl'', and a member of the House of Bjelbo, who played a pivotal role in the consolidation of Sweden. Birger also led the Second Swedish Crusade, w ...
to protect Sweden from sea invasions made by
Karelians
Karelians ( krl, karjalaižet, karjalazet, karjalaiset, Finnish: , sv, kareler, karelare, russian: Карелы) are a Finnic ethnic group who are indigenous to the historical region of Karelia, which is today split between Finland and Russi ...
after the
pillage of Sigtuna
The Pillage of Sigtuna was the raid of Swedish town Sigtuna by pagans from Eastern Baltic in 1187. The pillage is most commonly attributed to Estonians or Karelians.
Pillage
According to chronicles the town of Sigtuna was burned down on 12 Augu ...
on Lake Mälaren in the summer of 1187.
Stockholm's core, the present Old Town (
Gamla Stan Gamla stan (, "The Old Town"), until 1980 officially Staden mellan broarna ("The Town between the Bridges"), is the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Gamla stan consists primarily of the island Stadsholmen. Officially, but not colloquially, Gamla stan ...
) was built on the central island next to Helgeandsholmen from the mid-13th century onward. The city originally rose to prominence as a result of the Baltic trade of the
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German to ...
. Stockholm developed strong economic and cultural linkages with
Lübeck
Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the stat ...
,
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
,
Gdańsk
Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...
,
Visby
Visby () is an urban area in Sweden and the seat of Gotland Municipality in Gotland County on the island of Gotland with 24,330 inhabitants . Visby is also the episcopal see for the Diocese of Visby. The Hanseatic city of Visby is arguably th ...
,
Reval
Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ''m ...
, and
Riga
Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...
during this time. Between 1296 and 1478 Stockholm's City Council was made up of 24 members, half of whom were selected from the town's German-speaking burghers.
The strategic and economic importance of the city made Stockholm an important factor in relations between the
Danish Kings of the
Kalmar Union
The Kalmar Union (Danish language, Danish, Norwegian language, Norwegian, and sv, Kalmarunionen; fi, Kalmarin unioni; la, Unio Calmariensis) was a personal union in Scandinavia, agreed at Kalmar in Sweden, that from 1397 to 1523 joined under ...
and the national independence movement in the 15th century. The Danish King
Christian II
Christian II (1 July 1481 – 25 January 1559) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union who reigned as King of Denmark and Norway, from 1513 until 1523, and Sweden from 1520 until 1521. From 1513 to 1523, he was concurrently Duke ...
was able to enter the city in 1520. On 8 November 1520, a massacre of opposition figures called the
Stockholm Bloodbath
The Stockholm Bloodbath ( sv, Stockholms blodbad; da, Det Stockholmske Blodbad) was a trial that led to a series of executions in Stockholm between 7 and 9 November 1520. The event is also known as the Stockholm massacre.
The events occurred af ...
took place and set off further uprisings that eventually led to the breakup of the Kalmar Union. With the accession of
Gustav Vasa
Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksför ...
in 1523 and the establishment of royal power, the population of Stockholm began to grow, reaching 10,000 by 1600.
The 17th century saw Sweden grow into a major European power, reflected in the development of the city of Stockholm. From 1610 to 1680 the population multiplied sixfold. In 1634, Stockholm became the official capital of the Swedish empire. Trading rules were also created that gave Stockholm an essential monopoly over trade between foreign merchants and other Swedish and
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
n territories. In 1697,
Tre Kronor (castle)
Tre Kronor (; "Three Crowns") was a castle located in Stockholm, Sweden, on the site where Stockholm Palace is today. It is believed to have been a citadel that Birger Jarl built into a royal castle in the middle of the 13th century. The name "T ...
burned and was replaced by
Stockholm Palace
Stockholm Palace or the Royal Palace ( sv, Stockholms slott or ) is the official residence and major royal palace of the Swedish monarch (King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia use Drottningholm Palace as their usual residence). Stockholm Palac ...
.
Throughout Sweden's history,
walls
Walls may refer to:
*The plural of wall, a structure
*Walls (surname), a list of notable people with the surname
Places
* Walls, Louisiana, United States
* Walls, Mississippi, United States
* Walls, Ontario, neighborhood in Perry, Ontario, C ...
were created in Stockholm to defend the city from attacks. These defensive walls were modified throughout the 13th to the 16th century. In 1625, the
Great Stockholm Fire of 1625 destroyed the southwestern section of
Stadsholmen, an island in the centre of Stockholm. The amount of destruction led to the beginning of the demolition of the Stockholm walls. Today, most of the younger city walls cannot be found anywhere above ground. However, parts of the northern city walls are preserved in the
Museum of Medieval Stockholm
The Museum of Medieval Stockholm ( sv, Stockholms medeltidsmuseum), centrally located north of the Royal Palace, was constructed around old monuments excavated in an extensive archaeological dig (dubbed ''Riksgropen'', "National/State Pit") in t ...
.
In 1710, a
plague
Plague or The Plague may refer to:
Agriculture, fauna, and medicine
*Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis''
* An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural)
* A pandemic caused by such a disease
* A swarm of pe ...
killed about 20,000 (36 percent) of the population. After the end of the
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedi ...
the city stagnated. Population growth halted and economic growth slowed. The city was in shock after having lost its place as the capital of a
Great power
A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power inf ...
. However, Stockholm maintained its role as the political centre of Sweden and continued to develop culturally under
Gustav III
Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Prussia.
Gustav was a vocal opponent of what ...
.
![Hoghus 1-5 2007a](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Hoghus_1-5_2007a.jpg)
By the second half of the 19th century, Stockholm had regained its leading economic role. New industries emerged and Stockholm was transformed into an important trade and service centre as well as a key gateway point within Sweden. The population also grew dramatically during this time, mainly through
immigration
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
. At the end of the 19th century, less than 40% of the residents were Stockholm-born. Settlement began to expand outside the city limits. The 19th century saw the establishment of a number of scientific institutes, including the
Karolinska Institutet
The Karolinska Institute (KI; sv, Karolinska Institutet; sometimes known as the (Royal) Caroline Institute in English) is a research-led medical university in Solna within the Stockholm urban area of Sweden. The Karolinska Institute is consist ...
. The
General Art and Industrial Exposition was held in 1897. From 1887 to 1953 the
Old Stockholm telephone tower
The Old Stockholm telephone tower (Swedish: ''Telefontornet'') was a metallic structure built to connect approximately 5,500 telephone lines in the Swedish capital of Stockholm. Constructed in 1887, the tower was used until 1913. It was damage ...
was a landmark; originally built to link phone lines, it became redundant after these were buried, and it was later used for advertising.
Stockholm became a modern, technologically advanced, and ethnically diverse city in the latter half of the 20th century. Many historical buildings were torn down during the
modernist
Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...
era, including substantial parts of the historical district of
Klara, and replaced with modern architecture. However, in many other parts of Stockholm (such as in
Gamla stan Gamla stan (, "The Old Town"), until 1980 officially Staden mellan broarna ("The Town between the Bridges"), is the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Gamla stan consists primarily of the island Stadsholmen. Officially, but not colloquially, Gamla stan ...
,
Södermalm
Södermalm, often shortened to just Söder, is a district and island in central Stockholm.
Overview
The district covers the large island of the same name (formerly called ''Åsön''). Although Södermalm usually is considered an island, wa ...
,
Östermalm
Östermalm (; "Eastern city-borough") is a 2.56 km2 large district in central Stockholm, Sweden. With 71,802 inhabitants, it is one of the most populous districts in Stockholm. It is an extremely expensive area, having the highest housing p ...
,
Kungsholmen
Kungsholmen is an island in Lake Mälaren in Sweden, part of central Stockholm, Sweden. It is situated north of Riddarfjärden and considered part of the historical province Uppland. Its area is with a perimeter of . The highest point is at ...
and
Vasastan), many "old" buildings, blocks and streets built before the modernism and
functionalism movements took off in Sweden (around 1930–35) survived this era of demolition. Throughout the century, many industries shifted away from industrial activities into more high-tech and service industry areas.
Stockholm's metropolitan area is one of the fastest-growing regions in Europe, and its population is expected to number 2.5 million by 2024. In 2020 alone, Stockholm's population increased by 1,477. As a result of this massive population growth, there has been a proposal to build densely packed high-rise buildings in the city centre connected by elevated walkways.
Geography
Location
Stockholm is located on Sweden's east coast, where the freshwater
Lake Mälaren
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...
— Sweden's third-largest lake — flows out into the Baltic Sea. The central parts of the city consist of fourteen islands that are continuous with the
Stockholm archipelago. The geographical city centre is situated on the water, in
Riddarfjärden
Riddarfjärden (, "The Knight Firth") is the easternmost bay of Mälaren, Lake Mälaren in central Stockholm. Stockholm was founded in 1252 on an island in the stream where Lake Mälaren (from the west) drains into the Baltic Sea (to the east); to ...
bay. Over 30% of the city area is made up of waterways and another 30% is made up of parks and green spaces.
Positioned at the eastern end of the
Central Swedish lowland
The Central Swedish lowland ( sv, Mellansvenska sänkan, Mellansvenska låglandet) is a large region of low relief and altitude in Sweden spanning from the Swedish West Coast at Bohuslän to Stockholm archipelago and Roslagen at the Baltic Sea. T ...
, the city's location reflects the early orientation of Swedish trade toward the Baltic region.
Stockholm belongs to the
Temperate deciduous forest
Temperate deciduous or temperate broad-leaf forests are a variety of temperate forest 'dominated' by trees that lose their leaves each year. They are found in areas with warm moist summers and cool winters. The six major areas of this forest type ...
biome, which means the climate is very similar to that of the far northeastern area of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and coastal
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
in Canada. The average annual temperature is . The average rainfall is per year. The deciduous forest has four distinct seasons, spring, summer, autumn, and winter. In the autumn the leaves change color. During the winter months, the trees lose their leaves.
For details about the other municipalities in the Stockholm area, see the pertinent articles. North of Stockholm Municipality: Järfälla Municipality, Järfälla,
Solna
Solna Municipality ( sv, Solna kommun or , ) is a municipality in Stockholm County in Sweden, located just north of Stockholm City Centre. Its seat is located in the town of Solna, which is a part of the Stockholm urban area. Solna is one of t ...
, Täby Municipality, Täby, Sollentuna Municipality, Sollentuna, Lidingö Municipality, Lidingö, Upplands Väsby Municipality, Upplands Väsby, Österåker Municipality, Österåker, Sigtuna Municipality, Sigtuna, Sundbyberg Municipality, Sundbyberg, Danderyd Municipality, Danderyd, Vallentuna Municipality, Vallentuna,
Ekerö
Ekerö is a locality (urban area) and the seat of Ekerö Municipality in Stockholm County, Sweden, with 11,524 inhabitants in 2017. It is also an alternative name of the island Ekerön, on which the Ekerö urban area is situated.
Sports
The ...
, Upplands-Bro Municipality, Upplands-Bro, Vaxholm Municipality, Vaxholm, and Norrtälje Municipality, Norrtälje. South of Stockholm: Huddinge Municipality, Huddinge, Nacka Municipality, Nacka, Botkyrka Municipality, Botkyrka, Haninge Municipality, Haninge, Tyresö Municipality, Tyresö, Värmdö Municipality, Värmdö, Södertälje Municipality, Södertälje, Salem Municipality, Salem, Nykvarn Municipality, Nykvarn and Nynäshamn Municipality, Nynäshamn.
Stockholm Municipality
Stockholm Municipality is an administrative unit defined by geographical borders. The semi-official name for the municipality is ''City of Stockholm'' (''Stockholms stad'' in Swedish). As a municipality, the City of Stockholm is subdivided into district councils, which carry responsibility for primary schools, social, leisure and cultural services within their respective areas. The municipality is usually described in terms of its three main parts: Innerstaden (Stockholm City Centre), Söderort (Southern Stockholm) and Västerort (Western Stockholm). The districts of these parts are:
Stockholm City Centre
*
Gamla stan Gamla stan (, "The Old Town"), until 1980 officially Staden mellan broarna ("The Town between the Bridges"), is the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Gamla stan consists primarily of the island Stadsholmen. Officially, but not colloquially, Gamla stan ...
* Kungsholmen (borough), Kungsholmen
* Norrmalm (borough), Norrmalm
* Södermalm (borough), Södermalm
*
Vasastan
* Östermalm (borough), Östermalm
Söderort
* Enskede-Årsta-Vantör
* Farsta (borough), Farsta
* Hägersten-Liljeholmen
* Skarpnäck (borough), Skarpnäck
* Skärholmen (borough), Skärholmen
* Älvsjö (borough), Älvsjö
Västerort
* Bromma
* Hässelby-Vällingby
* Rinkeby-Kista
* Spånga-Tensta
The modern centre Norrmalm (proper), Norrmalm (concentrated around the town square Sergels torg) is the largest shopping district in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. It is the most central part of Stockholm in business and shopping.
Climate
Stockholm has a humid continental climate in the 0 °C isotherm (Köppen climate classification, Köppen: ''Dfb'') and an oceanic climate (''Cfb'') in the -3 °C isotherm. Although winters are cold, average temperatures generally remain above 0 °C for much of the year. Summers are pleasantly warm, and precipitation occurs throughout the year.
Due to the city's high northerly latitude, the length of the day varies widely from more than 18 hours around midsummer to only around 6 hours in late December. The nights from late May until mid-July are bright even when cloudy. Stockholm has relatively mild weather compared to other locations at a similar latitude, or even farther south. With an average of 1900 hours of sunshine per year, it is also one of the sunniest cities in Northern Europe, receiving more sunshine than Paris, London and a few other major European cities of a more southerly latitude. Because of the urban heat island effect and the prevailing wind travelling overland rather than sea during summer months, Stockholm has the warmest July months of the Nordic capitals. Stockholm has an annual average snow cover between 75 and 100 days.
In spite of its mild climate, Stockholm is located further north than parts of Canada that are above the Arctic tree line at sea level.
Summers average daytime high temperatures of and lows of around , but temperatures can reach on some days. Days above occur on average 1.55 days per year (1992–2011). Days between and are relatively common especially in July and August. Night-time lows of above are rare, and hot summer nights vary from . Winters generally bring cloudy weather with the most precipitation falling in December and January (as either rain or snow). The average winter temperatures range from , and occasionally drop below in the outskirts of the city. Spring and autumn are generally cool to mild.
The climate table below presents weather data from the years 1991–2020. According to ongoing measurements, the temperature has increased during the years 1991–2020 as compared with the last series, from 1961 to 1990. This increase averages about over all months. Warming is most pronounced during the winter months, with an increase of more than in January. For the 2002–2014 measurements some further increases have been found, although some months such as June have been relatively flat.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Stockholm was on 3 July 1811; the lowest was on 20 January 1814. The temperature has not dropped to below since 10 January 1987.
The warmest month ever recorded was July 2018 with a mean temperature of which is also the nationwide record.
Annual precipitation is with around 170 wet days and light to moderate rainfall throughout the year. The precipitation is not uniformly distributed throughout the year. The second half of the year receives 50% more than the first half. Snowfall occurs mainly from December through March. Snowfall may occasionally occur in late October as well as in April.
In Stockholm, the aurora borealis can occasionally be observed.
Daylight hours
Stockholm's location just south of the 60th parallel north means that the number of daylight hours is relatively small during winter – about six hours – while in June and the first half of July, the nights are relatively short, with about 18 hours of daylight. Around the summer solstice the sun never reaches further below the horizon than 7.3 degrees. This gives the sky a bright blue colour in summer once the sun has set because it does not get any darker than nautical twilight. Also, when looking straight up towards the zenith, few stars are visible after the sun has gone down. This is not to be confused with the midnight sun, which occurs north of the Arctic Circle, around 7 degrees farther north.
City governance
![5c2_The_council_hall_in_stockholm_city_hall_-_rådssalen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/5c2_The_council_hall_in_stockholm_city_hall_-_r%C3%A5dssalen.JPG)
The Stockholm Municipal council (Sweden), Municipal Council ( sv, Stockholms kommunfullmäktige) is the name of the local assembly. Its 101 councillors are elected concurrently with Elections in Sweden, general elections, held at the same time as the elections to the
Riksdag
The Riksdag (, ; also sv, riksdagen or ''Sveriges riksdag'' ) is the legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral legislature with 349 members (), elected proportionally and se ...
and County councils of Sweden, county councils. The Council convenes twice every month at
Stockholm City Hall
Stockholm City Hall ( sv, Stockholms stadshus, ''Stadshuset'' locally) is the seat of Stockholm Municipality in Stockholm, Sweden. It stands on the eastern tip of Kungsholmen island, next to Riddarfjärden's northern shore and facing the islands ...
, and the meetings are open to the public. The matters on which the councillors decide have generally already been drafted and discussed by various boards and committees. Once decisions are referred for practical implementation, the employees of the City administrations and companies take over.
The elected majority has a Mayor and eight Vice Mayors. The Mayor and each majority Vice Mayor is the head of a department, with responsibility for a particular area of operation, such as City Planning. The opposition also has four Vice Mayors, but they hold no executive power. Together the Mayor and the 12 Vice Mayors form the Council of Mayors, and they prepare matters for the City Executive Board. The Mayor holds a special position among the Vice Mayors, chairing both the Council of Mayors and the City Executive Board.
The City Executive Board ( sv, Kommunstyrelsen) is elected by the City Council and is equivalent to a Cabinet (government), cabinet. The City Executive Board renders an opinion in all matters decided by the council and bears the overall responsibility for follow-up, evaluation and execution of its decisions. The Board is also responsible for financial administration and long-term development. The City Executive Board consists of 13 members, who represent both the majority and the opposition. Its meetings are not open to the public.
Following the 2018 Stockholm municipal election a majority of seats in the municipal council is at present held by a centre/right-wing majority and the List of municipal commissioners for finance of Stockholm, Mayor of Stockholm ( sv, Finansborgarråd) is Anna Konig Jerlmyr from the Moderate Party.
![Isafjord 1 October 2015 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Isafjord_1_October_2015_01.jpg)
The vast majority of Stockholm residents work in the service industry, which accounts for roughly 85% of jobs in Stockholm. The almost total absence of heavy industry (and fossil fuel power plants) makes Stockholm one of the world's cleanest metropolises. The last decade has seen a significant number of jobs created in high technology companies. Large employers include IBM, Ericsson, and Electrolux. A major IT centre is located in Kista, in northern Stockholm.
Stockholm is Sweden's financial centre. Major Swedish banks, such as Swedbank, Handelsbanken, and SEB Group, SEB, are headquartered in Stockholm, as are the major insurance companies Skandia, Folksam and Codan A/S, Trygg-Hansa. Stockholm is also home to Sweden's foremost stock exchange, the Stockholm Stock Exchange (''Stockholmsbörsen''). Additionally, about 45% of Swedish companies with more than 200 employees are headquartered in Stockholm. Noted clothes retailer H&M is also headquartered in the city. In recent years, tourism has played an important part in the city's economy.
Stockholm County
Stockholm County ( sv, Stockholms län, link=no ) is a county or '' län'' (in Swedish) on the Baltic Sea coast of Sweden. It borders Uppsala County and Södermanland County. It also borders Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The city of Stockholm ...
is ranked as the 10th largest visitor destination in Europe, with over 10 million commercial overnight stays per year. Among 44 European cities, Stockholm had the 6th highest growth in the number of nights spent in the period 2004–2008.
The largest companies in Stockholm, by number of employees (2017):
* Ericsson — 9,850
* Södersjukhuset — 5,640
* Nordea — 4,400
* H&M — 4,390
* SEB Group, SEB — 4,160
* Handelsbanken — 3,000
* Skanska — 2,780
* Keolis — 2,650
* Securitas AB — 2,250
* JAG Personlig assistans — 2,060
* MTR Corporation, MTR — 2,050
* PostNord Sverige, Postnord —2,020
Fibre-optic network
The city-owned company Stokab started in 1994 to build a fibre-optic network throughout the municipality as a level playing field for all operators (City of Stockholm, 2011). Around a decade later, the network was long, making it the longest optical fibre network in the world and now has over 90 operators and 450 enterprises as customers. 2011 was the final year of a three-year project which brought fibre to 100% of public housing, meaning an extra 95,000 houses were added. (City of Stockholm, 2011)
Education
![Sse north side](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Sse_north_side.jpg)
Research and higher education in the sciences started in Stockholm in the 18th century, with education in medicine and various research institutions such as the Stockholm Observatory. The medical education was eventually formalized in 1811 as Karolinska Institutet.
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
The KTH Royal Institute of Technology ( sv, Kungliga Tekniska högskolan, lit=Royal Institute of Technology), abbreviated KTH, is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden. KTH conducts research and education in engineering and technolog ...
(''Swedish: Kungliga Tekniska högskolan'') was founded in 1827 and is Scandinavia's largest higher education institute of technology with 13,000 students.
Stockholm University
Stockholm University ( sv, Stockholms universitet) is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, so ...
, founded in 1878 with university status granted in 1960, has 52,000 students . It also incorporates historical institutions, such as the Observatory, the Swedish Museum of Natural History, and the botanical garden ''Bergianska trädgården''. The
Stockholm School of Economics
The Stockholm School of Economics (SSE; sv, Handelshögskolan i Stockholm, HHS) is a private business school located in city district Vasastaden in the central part of Stockholm, Sweden. SSE offers BSc, MSc and MBA programs, along with ...
, founded in 1909, is one of the few private institutions of higher education in Sweden.
In the fine arts, educational institutions include the Royal College of Music, Stockholm, Royal College of Music, which has a history going back to the conservatory founded as part of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 1771, the Royal Institute of Art, Royal University College of Fine Arts, which has a similar historical association with the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts and a foundation date of 1735, and the Swedish National Academy of Mime and Acting, which is the continuation of the school of the Royal Dramatic Theatre, once attended by Greta Garbo. Other schools include the design school Konstfack, founded in 1844, the University College of Opera (founded in 1968 but with older roots), the University of Dance and Circus, University College of Dance, and the ''Stockholms Musikpedagogiska Institut'' (the University College of Music Education).
The Södertörn College, Södertörn University College was founded in 1995 as a multi-disciplinary institution for southern Metropolitan Stockholm, to balance the many institutions located in the northern part of the region.
Other institutes of higher education are:
* Military Academy Karlberg, the world's oldest military academy to remain in its original location, inaugurated in 1792 and housed in Karlberg Palace.
* Ersta Sköndal University College
* University College Stockholm ()
* Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences
* Swedish Defence University
The biggest complaints from students of higher education in Stockholm are the lack of student accommodations, the difficulty in finding other accommodations and the high rent.
Demographics
The Stockholm region is home to around 22% of Sweden's total population, and accounts for about 29% of its gross domestic product. The geographical notion of "Stockholm" has changed over time. By the turn of the 19th century, Stockholm largely consisted of the area today known as City Centre, roughly or one-fifth of the current municipal area. In the ensuing decades several other areas were incorporated (such as Brännkyrka Municipality in 1913, at which time it had 25,000 inhabitants, and Spånga in 1949). The municipal border was established in 1971; with the exception of Hansta, in 1982 purchased by Stockholm Municipality from Sollentuna Municipality and today a nature reserve.
[Stockholm Statistical Yearbook, 2006 (''Stockholms statistiska årsbok för 2006'')](_blank)
City of Stockholm website, May 2006. The numbers provided by Stockholm Office of Research and Statistics, or ''Utrednings- och statistikkontoret (USK)'', in Swedish.
USK official web information in English
/ref>
The population was 975,551 in 2020 and is projected to reach 1,079,213 by 2030. 482,982 of the inhabitants were men and 492,569 women The average age is 39 years; 40.1% of the population is between 20 and 44 years. 411 273 people, or 42.2% of the population, over the age 15 were unmarried. 268,291 people, or 27.5% of the population, were married. 104,099 or 10.7% of the population, had been married but divorced.
As of December 2020, there were 248,922 foreign-born people in Stockholm, making up 25.5% of the population. Around 57.5% of them (143,167) immigrated to Sweden when they were at least 10 years old. 109,213 (43.9%) of them were foreign citizens. The largest nationality groups among the foreign-born people were the Iraqis (16,137), followed by Finns (15,693), Iranians (12,329) and Poles (11,569). 331,001 residents of Stockholm had a foreign-background, 34% of the population.
Residents of Stockholm are known as Stockholmers ("''stockholmare''"). Languages spoken in Greater Stockholm outside of Swedish include Finnish, one of the official minority languages of Sweden; and English, as well as Albanian, Bosnian, Syriac, Arabic, Turkish, Kurdish, Persian, Somali, Dutch, Spanish, Serbian and Croatian.
The entire Stockholm metropolitan area, consisting of 26 municipalities, has a population of over 2.2 million, making it the most populous city in the Nordic countries, Nordic region. The Stockholm urban area, defined only for statistical purposes, had a total population of 1,630,738 in 2015. In the following Municipalities of Sweden, municipalities some of the districts are contained within the Stockholm urban area, though not all:
Religion
The Swedish church consists of Diocese of Stockholm (Church of Sweden), 27 parishes in Stockholm with almost 50 churches, but also a large number of churches belonging to the free church.
Stockholm has six mosques.
There are three active synagogues and a community of 4,300 members in Stockholm, which corresponds to 0.4% of Stockholm's population. It is the largest Jewish community in Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
.
Culture
Apart from being Sweden's capital, Stockholm houses many national cultural institutions. The Stockholm region is home to three of Sweden's World Heritage Sites – spots judged as invaluable places that belong to all of humanity: The Drottningholm Palace
The Drottningholm Palace ( sv, Drottningholms slott) is the private residence of the Swedish royal family. Drottningholm is near the capital Stockholm. Built on the island Lovön (in Ekerö Municipality of Stockholm County), it is one of Sweden ...
, Skogskyrkogården (The Woodland Cemetery) and Birka. In 1998, Stockholm was named European Capital of Culture.
Literature
Authors connected to Stockholm include the poet and songwriter Carl Michael Bellman (1740–1795), novelist and dramatist August Strindberg (1849–1912), and novelist Hjalmar Söderberg (1869–1941), all of whom made Stockholm part of their works.
Martin Beck is a fictional Swedish police detective from Stockholm, who is the main character in a series of 10 novels by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, collectively titled The Story of a Crime, and often based in Stockholm.
Other authors with notable heritage in Stockholm were the Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate Eyvind Johnson (1900–1976) and the popular poet and composer Evert Taube (1890–1976). The novelist Per Anders Fogelström (1917–1998) wrote a popular series of historical novels depicting life in Stockholm from the mid-18th to the mid-20th century.
Astrid Lindgren lived and worked in Stockholm. Her work Karlsson-on-the-Roof, Karlson on the Roof is situated close to where she lived in Vasastan, near Vasaparken, Stockholm, Vasaparken.
Architecture
The city's oldest section is Gamla stan (Old Town), located on the original small islands of the city's earliest settlements and still featuring the Middle Ages, medieval street layout. Some notable buildings of Gamla Stan are the large German Church, Stockholm, German Church (''Tyska kyrkan'') and several mansions and palaces: the ''Swedish House of Nobility, Riddarhuset'' (the House of Nobility), the Bonde Palace, the Tessin Palace and the Axel Oxenstierna palace, Oxenstierna Palace.
The oldest building in Stockholm is the Riddarholm Church, Riddarholmskyrkan from the late 13th century. After a fire in 1697 when the original medieval castle was destroyed, Stockholm Palace
Stockholm Palace or the Royal Palace ( sv, Stockholms slott or ) is the official residence and major royal palace of the Swedish monarch (King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia use Drottningholm Palace as their usual residence). Stockholm Palac ...
was erected in a baroque style. Storkyrkan Cathedral, the episcopal seat of the Bishop of Stockholm, stands next to the castle. It was founded in the 13th century but is clad in a baroque exterior dating to the 1730-40s.
As early as the 15th century, the city had expanded outside of its original borders. Some pre-industrial, small-scale buildings from this era can still be found in Södermalm
Södermalm, often shortened to just Söder, is a district and island in central Stockholm.
Overview
The district covers the large island of the same name (formerly called ''Åsön''). Although Södermalm usually is considered an island, wa ...
. Norrmalm, now the central part of the shopping district of Stockholm, was originally a separate city but was incorporated in Stockholm (now Old Town) during the early 17th century.
Stockholm has had a tradition of applying for building permits in order to erect a building from the early 18th century, with the oldest building permit from 1713. The building permit application tradition is still ongoing which means you can follow a newly built house from 2022 and see all previous buildings all the way back to 1713. Several of the building permits from the early 18th century was renovations and add-ons to older buildings from the 17th century. Today the Stockholm City Building committee is in charge of the building permit process and their old archive, from 1713-1978, is maintained by :sv:Stockholms_stadsarkiv, Stockholm City Archives. All drawings of old buildings from 1713-1874 are digitized and available through th
website of Stockholms City Archives
At the age of industrialization and at the end of the 19th century and Stockholm grew rapidly, with plans and architecture inspired by the large cities of the continent such as Berlin and Vienna. Notable works of this time period include public buildings such as the Royal Swedish Opera and private developments such as the luxury housing developments on Strandvägen.
In the 20th century, a nationalistic push spurred a new architectural style inspired by medieval and renaissance ancestry as well as influences of the Art Nouveau, Jugend/Art Nouveau style. A key landmark of Stockholm, the Stockholm City Hall, was erected 1911–1923 by architect Ragnar Östberg. Other notable works of these times are the Stockholm Public Library by Gunnar Asplund and the World Heritage Site Skogskyrkogården by Gunnar Asplund, Asplund and celebrated architect Sigurd Lewerentz.
In the 1930s modernism characterized the development of the city as it grew. New residential areas sprang up such as the development on Gärdet while industrial development added to the growth, such as the KF manufacturing industries on Kvarnholmen located in the Nacka Municipality. In the 1950s, suburban development entered a new phase, that had already started in the early 1930s, with the introduction of the Stockholm metro
The Stockholm metro ( sv, Stockholms tunnelbana) is a rapid transit system in Stockholm, Sweden. The first line opened in 1950, and today the system has 100 stations in use, of which 47 are underground and 53 above ground. There are three colou ...
. The modernist developments of Vällingby and Farsta were internationally praised. In the 1960s this suburban development continued but with the aesthetic of the times, the industrialized and mass-produced blocks of flats received a large amount of criticism.
At the same time that this suburban development was taking place, the most central areas of the inner city were being redesigned, known as ''Redevelopment of Norrmalm, Norrmalmsregleringen''. Sergels Torg, with its five high-rise office towers was created in the 1960s, followed by the total clearance of large areas to make room for new development projects. The most notable buildings from this period include the ensemble of the The House of Culture (Stockholm), House of Culture, Stockholm City Theatre, City Theatre and the Sveriges Riksbank, Riksbank at Sergels Torg, designed by architect Peter Celsing. Other celebrated works from the 1960s was :sv:S:t_Görans_gymnasium, S:t Görans Gymansium (originally built as a school for women, the School of House work and Sewing) by Léonie Geisendorf, Leonie Geisendorf.
In the 1980s, the planning ideas of modernism were starting to be questioned, resulting in suburbs with denser planning, such as Skarpnäck (borough), Skarpnäck. In the 1990s this idea was taken further with the development of an old industrial area close to the inner city, resulting in a sort of mix of modernistic and urban planning in the new area of Hammarby Sjöstad.
The municipality appointed an official "board of beauty" called "Stockholm Beauty Council, Skönhetsrådet" in 1919 to protect and preserve the beauty of the city, still an active part of the city planning, and architecture debate in the city.
Stockholm's architecture (along with Visby, Gotland) provided the inspiration for Japanese anime director Hayao Miyazaki as he sought to evoke an idealized city untouched by World War. His creation called ''Kiki's Delivery Service, Koriko'', draws directly from what Miyazaki felt was Stockholm's sense of well-established architectural unity, vibrancy, independence, and safety.
Museums
Stockholm is one of the most crowded museum-cities in the world with around 100 museums, visited by millions of people every year.
The Vasa Museum
The Vasa Museum ( sv, Vasamuseet) is a maritime museum in Stockholm, Sweden. Located on the island of Djurgården, the museum displays the only almost fully intact 17th-century ship that has ever been salvaged, the 64-gun warship '' Vasa'' that sa ...
( sv, Vasamuseet) is a maritime museum on Djurgården which displays the only almost fully intact 17th century ship that has ever been salvaged, the 64-gun warship ''Vasa (ship), Vasa'' that sank on her maiden voyage in 1628.
The Nationalmuseum houses the largest collection of art in the country: 16,000 paintings and 30,000 objects of art handicraft. The collection dates back to the days of Gustav Vasa in the 16th century, and has since been expanded with works by artists such as Rembrandt, and Jean-Antoine Watteau, Antoine Watteau, as well as constituting a main part of Sweden's art heritage, manifested in the works of Alexander Roslin, Anders Zorn, Johan Tobias Sergel, Carl Larsson, Carl Fredrik Hill and Ernst Josephson. From the year 2013 to 2018 the museum was closed due to a restoration of the building.
Moderna Museet (Museum of Modern Art) is Sweden's national museum of modern art. It has works by noted modern artists such as Pablo Picasso, Picasso and Salvador DalÃ.
Skansen (in English: the Sconce (fortification), Sconce) is a combined open-air museum and zoo, located on the island of Djurgården. It was founded in 1891 by Artur Hazelius (1833–1901) to show the way of life in the Provinces of Sweden, different parts of Sweden before the industrial era.
Other notable museums (in alphabetical order):
* ABBA: The Museum, an interactive exhibit about the pop-group ABBA
* Swedish Army Museum, Swedish history, from 1500 to the present day with historical objects and realistic scenes
* Fotografiska, museum of photography
* Birka, The Viking City of Birka Swedish sites on the World Heritage List
* Livrustkammaren, the royal armoury, located at Stockholm Palace
Stockholm Palace or the Royal Palace ( sv, Stockholms slott or ) is the official residence and major royal palace of the Swedish monarch (King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia use Drottningholm Palace as their usual residence). Stockholm Palac ...
* Maritime Museum (Stockholm), museum for naval history, merchant shipping and shipbuilding.
* Medelhavsmuseet, focused on the ancient cultures around the Mediterranean
* Millesgården, home of the sculptor Carl Milles and now a museum of his works
* Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, exciting mix of art and culture from China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia
* Swedish National Museum of Science and Technology
* Nobel Museum, devoted to the Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
, List of Nobel laureates, Nobel laureates, and the founder of the prize, Alfred Nobel (1833–1896)
* Nordic Museum, dedicated to the cultural history and ethnography of Sweden
* Royal Coin Cabinet, dedicated to the history of money and economic history in general
* Skansen, The world’s first open-air museum with 150 historic buildings, zoo with Nordic wild and domestic animals
* Stockholm City Museum
* Swedish History Museum magnificent medieval art and The History of Sweden exhibition which offers encounters
* Swedish Museum of Natural History
* Toy Museum Stockholm a museum of toys and collectables
Art galleries
Stockholm has a vibrant art scene with a number of internationally recognized art centres and commercial galleries. Amongst others, privately sponsored initiatives such as Bonnier Group, Bonniers Konsthall, Magasin 3, and state-supported institutions such as Tensta Konsthall and Index all show leading international and national artists. In the last few years, a gallery district has emerged around Hudiksvallsgatan where leading galleries such as Andréhn-Schiptjenko, Brändström & Stene have located. Other important commercial galleries include Nordenhake, Milliken Gallery and Galleri Magnus Karlsson.
The City of Stockholm also has their own art gallery and museum, Liljevalchs konsthall, with a well visited spring salon every year with works of art from professionals and amateurs. The art showed every spring is sent in anonymously and picked by a committee.
Suburbs
The Stockholm suburbs are places with diverse cultural background. Some areas in the inner suburbs, including those of Skärholmen, Tensta, Jordbro, Fittja, Husby, Stockholm, Husby, Brandbergen, Rinkeby, Rissne, Kista, Hagsätra, Hässelby, Farsta (borough), Farsta, Rågsved, Flemingsberg, and the outer suburb of Södertälje, have high percentages of immigrants or second generation immigrants. These mainly come from the Middle East (Assyrians, Syriacs, Turks and Kurds) also Bosnians and Serbs, but there are also immigrants from Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America. Other parts of the inner suburbs, such as Täby, Danderyd, Lidingö, Nacka, Flysta and, as well as some of the suburbs mentioned above, have a majority of ethnic Swedes.
Theatre and music
Distinguished among Stockholm's many theatres are the Royal Dramatic Theatre (''Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern''), one of Europe's most renowned theatres, and the Royal Swedish Opera, inaugurated in 1773.
Other notable theatres are the Stockholm City Theatre (Stockholms stadsteater), the Peoples Opera (''Folkoperan''), the Modern Theatre of Dance (''Moderna dansteatern''), the Chinateatern, China Theatre, the Göta Lejon Theatre, the Mosebacke Theatre, and the Oscarsteatern, Oscar Theatre.
Premises for orchestral music and concerts include Stockholm Concert Hall
The Stockholm Concert Hall ( sv, Stockholms konserthus) is the main hall for orchestral music in Stockholm, Sweden.
With a design by Ivar Tengbom chosen in competition, inaugurated in 1926, the Hall is home to the Royal Stockholm Philharmoni ...
where for example the yearly awarding ceremony for the Nobel prize is held, and Berwald Hall, The Berwald hall, home to the National Radio Orchestra.
Pioneer of cloud rap Yung Lean, alongside affiliated Drain Gang, Drain Gang and Sadboys music collective all are from Stockholm.
Amusement park
Gröna Lund is an amusement park located on the island of Djurgården. This amusement park has over 30 attractions and many restaurants. It is a popular tourist attraction and visited by thousands of people every day. It is open from the end of April to the middle of September. Gröna Lund also serves as a concert venue.
Media
Stockholm is the media centre of Sweden. It has four nationwide daily newspapers and is also the central location of the publicly funded radio (Sveriges Radio, SR) and television (Sveriges Television, SVT). In addition, all other major television channels have their base in Stockholm, such as: TV3 (Viasat), TV3, TV4 Group, TV4 and TV6 (Sweden), TV6. All major magazines are also located to Stockholm, as are the largest literature publisher, the Bonnier Group, Bonnier group. The world's best-selling video game ''Minecraft'' was created in Stockholm by Markus Persson, Markus 'Notch' Persson in 2009, and its company Mojang is headquartered there.
Sports
The most popular spectator sports are Association football, football and ice hockey. The three most popular football clubs in Stockholm are AIK Fotboll, AIK, Djurgårdens IF Fotboll, Djurgårdens IF and Hammarby Fotboll, Hammarby IF, who all play in the first tier, Allsvenskan. AIK Fotboll, AIK play at Sweden's List of national stadiums, national stadium for football, Friends Arena in Solna
Solna Municipality ( sv, Solna kommun or , ) is a municipality in Stockholm County in Sweden, located just north of Stockholm City Centre. Its seat is located in the town of Solna, which is a part of the Stockholm urban area. Solna is one of t ...
, with a capacity of 54,329. The 2017 UEFA Europa League Final was played on 24 May between AFC Ajax and Manchester United at the Friends Arena. Manchester United won the trophy after a 2–0 victory.
Djurgårdens IF and Hammarby IF, Hammarby play at Tele2 Arena in Johanneshov, with a capacity of 30,000 spectators.
All three clubs are multi-sport clubs, which have ice hockey teams; Djurgårdens IF Hockey, Djurgårdens IF play in Swedish Hockey League, the first tier, AIK in HockeyAllsvenskan, the second and Hammarby in Hockeyettan, the third tier, as well as teams in bandy, basketball, floorball and other sports, including individual sports.
Historically, the city was the host of the 1912 Summer Olympics
The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, be ...
. From those days stem the Stockholm Olympic Stadium, Stockholms Olympiastadion which has since hosted numerous sports events, notably football and athletics. Other major sports arenas are Friends Arena, the new national football stadium, Avicii Arena, a multi-sport arena and one of the largest spherical buildings in the world and the nearby indoor arena Hovet.
Besides the 1912 Summer Olympics, Stockholm hosted the Equestrian at the 1956 Summer Olympics, 1956 Summer Olympics Equestrian Games and the UEFA Euro 1992. The city was also second runner up in the Bids for the 2004 Summer Olympics, 2004 Summer Olympics bids. Stockholm hosted the 1958 FIFA World Cup. Stockholm recently bid jointly with Åre for the 2026 Winter Olympics but lost out to the joint bid of Milan/Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, if awarded it would have been the second city to host both Summer and Winter Olympics after Beijing and for the 2026 Winter Paralympics and with Åre it would have also be to host all three winter event including Winter Olympic Games, Winter Paralympic Games and the Special Olympics World Games, Special Olympics World Winter Games in which Åre would have host in 2021 along with Östersund, however Sweden pulled out host the Special Olympic World Winter Games 2021 due to lack of funding instead it moved to Kazan, Russia and was delayed to 2022. Stockholm first bid for the Winter Olympics for 2022 Winter Olympics, but withdrew its bid in 2014 due to financial matters.
Stockholm also hosted all but one of the Nordic Games, a winter multi-sport event that predated the Winter Olympic Games, Winter Olympics.
In 2015, the Stockholms Kungar Rugby league club was formed. They are Stockholm's first Rugby league team and will play in Sweden's National Rugby league championship.
Every year Stockholm is host to the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship.
Stockholm has hosted the Stockholm Open, an ATP World Tour 250 series professional tennis tournament annually since 1969. Each year since 1995, the tournament has been hosted at the Kungliga tennishallen.
Cuisine
There are over 1,000 restaurants in Stockholm. Stockholm boasts a total of ten Michelin Guide, Michelin star restaurants, two with two stars and one with three stars.
Yearly events and festivals
* Stockholm Jazz Festival is one of Sweden's oldest festivals. The festival takes place at Skeppsholmen in July.
* Stockholm Early Music Festival, the largest international event for historical music in the Nordic countries. First week in June since 2002.
* The Stockholm Culture Festival ( sv, links=no, Stockholms kulturfestival) is a free recurring cultural festival in August, which is held by the City of Stockholm. Runs in parallel with We Are Stockholm.
* We Are Sthlm, We Are Stockholm is a free youth festival people between 13 and 19 years. Runs in parallel with the Stockholm Culture Festival in August and is held by the City of Stockholm. Between 2001 -2013, the festival went by the name Ung08.
* Stockholm Pride is the largest Gay pride, Pride event in the Nordic countries and takes place in the last week of July every year. The Stockholm Pride festival always ends with a parade and in 2007, 50,000 people marched with the parade and about 500,000 watched.
* The Stockholm Marathon takes place on a Saturday in early June each year.
* The Nobel Prize, Nobel Banquet takes place at Stockholm City Hall
Stockholm City Hall ( sv, Stockholms stadshus, ''Stadshuset'' locally) is the seat of Stockholm Municipality in Stockholm, Sweden. It stands on the eastern tip of Kungsholmen island, next to Riddarfjärden's northern shore and facing the islands ...
every year on 10 December.
* The Stockholm Water Festival ( sv, links=no, Vattenfestivalen) was a popular summer festival held annually in Stockholm between 1991 and 1999.
* Manifestation, a yearly ecumenical Christian festival with up to 25,000 participants.
* Summerburst, Summerburst Music festival
* Stockholm International Film Festival, The Stockholm International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Stockholm each year since 1990.
Environment
Green city with a national urban park
Stockholm is one of the cleanest capitals in the world. The city was granted the 2010 European Green Capital Award by the European Commission, EU Commission; this was Europe's first "green capital". Applicant cities were evaluated in several ways: climate change, local transport, public green areas, air quality, noise, waste, water consumption, waste water treatment, sustainable utilisation of land, biodiversity and environmental management. Out of 35 participant cities, eight finalists were chosen: Stockholm, Amsterdam, Bristol, Copenhagen, Freiburg im Breisgau, Freiburg, Hamburg, Münster, and Oslo. Some of the reasons why Stockholm won the 2010 European Green Capital Award were: its integrated administrative system, which ensures that environmental aspects are considered in budgets, operational planning, reporting, and monitoring; its cut in carbon dioxide emissions by 25% per capita in ten years; and its decision towards being fossil fuel free by 2050. Stockholm has long demonstrated concern for the environment. The city's environmental program is the fifth since the first one was established in the mid-1970s. In 2011, Stockholm passed the title of European Green Capital to Hamburg, Germany.
Role model
At the beginning of 2010, Stockholm launched the program Professional Study Visits in order to share the city's green best practices. The program provides visitors with the opportunity to learn how to address issues such as waste management, urban planning, carbon dioxide emissions, and sustainable and efficient transportation system, among others.
According to the European Cities Monitor 2010, Stockholm is the best city in terms of freedom from pollution. Surrounded by 219 nature reserves, Stockholm has around 1,000 green spaces, which corresponds to 30% of the city's area. Founded in 1995, the Royal National City Park is the world's first legally protected "national urban park". For a description of the formation process, value assets and implementation of the legal protection of The Royal National Urban Park, se
Schantz 2006
The water in Stockholm is so clean that people can dive and fish in the centre of the city. The waters of downtown Stockholm serve as spawning grounds for multiple fish species including trout and salmon, though human intervention is needed to keep populations up. Regarding emissions, the government's target is that Stockholm will be free before 2050.
Air quality
Stockholm used to have problematic levels of particulates (PM10) due to studded winter tires, but by the 2010s they were below limits, after street-specific bans. Nitrogen oxides emitted by diesel vehicles were a problem in the 2010s, but by 2021 they were again below limits, after electric cars had started to replace diesel-driven ones, and pollution regulations for lorries had tightened. As of 2021, the pollutant that exceeds limits is ozone, due to global pollution. In 2021 the average levels for urban background (roof of Torkel Knutssonsgatan on Södermalm) were: Nitrogen dioxide, NO2 9.7 μg/m3, Particulates, PM10 9.5 μg/m3, PM2.5 5.1 μg/m3, soot 0.36 μg/m3, ultrafine particles 6100/cm3, Sulfur dioxide, SO2 0.4 μg/m3, ozone 53 μg/m3. For urban street level (the densely trafficked Hornsgatan on Södermalm) the average levels were: NO2 23 μg/m3, PM10 17 μg/m3, PM2.5 6.0 μg/m3, soot 0.55 μg/m3.
Transport
Public transportation
Stockholm has an extensive public transport system. It consists of the Stockholm Metro ( sv, Tunnelbanan), which consist of three colour-coded main systems (green, red and blue) with seven lines (10, 11, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19); the Stockholm commuter rail ( sv, Pendeltåget) which runs on the state-owned railroads on six lines (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 48); four Trams in Stockholm, light rail/tramway lines (Spårväg City, 7, Nockebybanan, 12, Lidingöbanan, 21, and Tvärbanan, 22); the Swedish three foot gauge railways, 891 mm narrow-gauge railway Roslagsbanan, on three lines (27, 28, 29) in the northeastern part; the local railway Saltsjöbanan, on two lines (25, 26) in the southeastern part; a large number of bus lines, and the inner-city Djurgården ferry. The overwhelming majority of the land-based public transport in Stockholm County (save for the airport buses/Arlanda Express, airport express trains and other few commercially viable bus lines) is organized under the common umbrella of Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (SL), an aktiebolag wholly owned by Stockholm County Council. Since the 1990s, the operation and maintenance of the SL public transport services are contracted out to independent companies bidding for contracts, such as MTR Corporation, MTR, which operate the Metro. The archipelago boat traffic is handled by Waxholmsbolaget, which is also wholly owned by the County Council.
SL has a common ticket system in the entire Stockholm County, which allows for easy travel between different modes of transport. The tickets are of two main types, single ticket and travel cards, both allowing for unlimited travel with SL in the entire Stockholm County for the duration of the ticket validity. On 1 April 2007, a zone system (A, B, C) and price system was introduced. Single tickets were available in forms of cash ticket, individual unit pre-paid tickets, pre-paid ticket slips of 8, SMS-ticket and machine ticket. Cash tickets bought at the point of travel were the most expensive and pre-paid tickets slips of 8 are the cheapest. A single ticket costs SEK 32 with the card and SEK 45 without and is valid for 75 minutes. The duration of the travel card validity depended on the exact type; they were available from 24 hours up to a year. As of 2018, a 30-day card costs SEK 860. Tickets of all these types were available with reduced prices for students and persons under 20 and over 65 years of age. On 9 January 2017, the zone system was removed, and the cost of the tickets was increased.
The City Line Project
With an estimated cost of SEK 16.8 billion (January 2007 price level), which equals 2.44 billion US dollars, the Stockholm City Line, City Line, an environmentally certified project, comprises a -long commuter train tunnel (in rock and water) beneath Stockholm, with two new stations (Stockholm City and Stockholm Odenplan), and a -long railway bridge at Enskede-Ã…rsta, Ã…rsta. The City Line was built by the Swedish Transport Administration in co-operation with the City of Stockholm, Stockholm County Council, and Stockholm Transport, SL. As Stockholm Central Station is overloaded, the purpose of this project was to double the city's track capacity and improve service efficiency. Operations began in July 2017.
Between Riddarholmen and Söder Mälarstrand, the City Line runs through a submerged concrete tunnel. As a green project, the City Line includes the purification of waste water; noise reduction through sound-attenuating tracks; the use of synthetic diesel, which provides users with clean air; and the recycling of excavated rocks.
Roads
Stockholm is at the junction of the International E-road network, European routes European route E4, E4, European route E18, E18 and European route E20, E20. A Stockholm Ring Road, half-completed motorway ring road exists on the south, west and north sides of the City Centre. The northern section of the ring road, Norra Länken, opened for traffic in 2015 while the final subsea eastern section is being discussed as a future project. A bypass motorway for traffic between Northern and Southern Sweden, Förbifart Stockholm, is being built. The many islands and waterways make extensions of the road system both complicated and expensive, and new motorways are often built as systems of tunnels and bridges.
Congestion charges
Stockholm has a congestion pricing system, the Stockholm congestion tax, in use on a permanent basis since 1 August 2007, after having had a seven-month trial period in the first half of 2006. The City Centre is within the congestion tax zone. All the entrances and exits of this area have unmanned control points operating with automatic number plate recognition. All vehicles entering or exiting the congestion tax affected area, with a few exceptions, have to pay 10–20 Swedish krona, SEK (1.09–2.18 Euro, EUR, 1.49–2.98 United States dollar, USD) depending on the time of day between 06:30 and 18:29. The maximum tax amount per vehicle per day is SEK 60 (EUR 6.53). Payment is done by various means within 14 days after one has passed one of the control points; one cannot pay at the control points.
After the trial period was over, consultative referendums were held in Stockholm Municipality and several other municipalities in Stockholm County. The then-reigning government (Persson Cabinet) stated that they would only take into consideration the results of the referendum in Stockholm Municipality. The opposition parties (Alliance (Sweden), Alliance for Sweden) stated that if they were to form a cabinet after the 2006 Swedish general election, general election—which was held the same day as the congestion tax referendums—they would take into consideration the referendums held in several of the other municipalities in Stockholm County
Stockholm County ( sv, Stockholms län, link=no ) is a county or '' län'' (in Swedish) on the Baltic Sea coast of Sweden. It borders Uppsala County and Södermanland County. It also borders Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The city of Stockholm ...
as well. The results of the referendums were that the Stockholm Municipality voted for the congestion tax, while the other municipalities voted against it. The opposition parties won the general election and a few days before they formed government (Reinfeldt Cabinet) they announced that the congestion tax would be reintroduced in Stockholm, but that the revenue would go entirely to road construction in and around Stockholm. During the trial period and according to the agenda of the previous government the revenue went entirely to public transport.
Ferries
Stockholm has regular ferry lines to Helsinki and Turku in Finland (commonly called "Baltic Sea cruiseferries, Finlandsfärjan"); Mariehamn, Åland; Tallinn, Estonia; Riga, Latvia, and to Saint Petersburg in Russia. The large Stockholm archipelago is served by the archipelago boats of Waxholmsbolaget (owned and subsidized by Stockholm County Council). Additionally, there are many for-profit private companies offering tours and regular service in the archipelago.
City bikes
Between April and October, during the warmer months, it is possible to rent Stockholm City Bikes by purchasing a bike card online or through retailers. Cards allow users to rent bikes from any Stockholm City Bikes stand spread across the city and return them in any stand.
There are two types of cards: the Season Card (valid from 1 April to 31 October) and the 3-day card. When their validity runs out they can be reactivated and are therefore reusable. Bikes can be used for up to three hours per loan and can be rented from Monday to Sunday from 6 am to 10 pm.
Airports
* International and domestic:
** Stockholm Arlanda Airport is the largest and busiest airport in Sweden with 27 million passengers in 2017. It is located about north of Stockholm and serves as a hub for Scandinavian Airlines.
** Stockholm Bromma Airport is located about west of Stockholm.
* Only international:
** Stockholm Skavsta Airport is located south of Stockholm. It is located away from Södermanland County capital Nyköping.
** Stockholm Västerås Airport is located west of Stockholm, in the city of Västerås.
The ''Arlanda Express'' airport rail link runs between Arlanda North Station, Arlanda Airport and Stockholm Central Station. With a journey of 20 minutes, the train ride is the fastest way of travelling to the city centre. Arlanda Central Station is also served by commuter, regional and intercity trains.
Additionally, there are also bus lines, Flygbussarna, that run between central Stockholm and all the airports.
there are no airports specifically for general aviation in the Stockholm area.
Inter-city trains
Stockholm Central Station has train connections to many Swedish cities as well as to Oslo Central Station, Oslo, Norway and Copenhagen Central Station, Copenhagen, Denmark. The popular X 2000 service to Gothenburg takes three hours. Most of the trains are run by SJ AB.
International rankings
Stockholm often performs well in international rankings, some of which are mentioned below:
*In the book ''The Ultimate Guide to International Marathons'' (1997), written by Dennis Craythorn and Rich Hanna, Stockholm Marathon is ranked as the best marathon in the world.
* In the 2006 European Innovation Scoreboard, prepared by the Maastricht Economic Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT) and the Joint Research Centre's Institute for the Protection and the Security of the Citizen of the European Commission, Stockholm was ranked as the most innovation, innovative city in Europe.
* In the 2008 World Knowledge Competitiveness Index, published by the Centre for International Competitiveness, Stockholm was ranked as the sixth most Competition (companies), competitive region in the world and the most competitive region outside the United States.
* In the 2006 European Regional Growth Index (E-REGI), published by JLL (company), Jones Lang LaSalle, Stockholm was ranked fifth on the list of European cities with the strongest Gross domestic product, GDP growth forecast. Stockholm was ranked first in Scandinavia and second outside Central and Eastern Europe.
* In the 2007 European Cities Monitor, published by Cushman & Wakefield, Stockholm was ranked as the best Nordic city to locate a business. In the same report, Stockholm was ranked first in Europe in terms of freedom from pollution.
* In a 2007 survey performed by the environmental economist Matthew Kahn for the ''Reader's Digest'' magazine, Stockholm was ranked first on its list of the "greenest" and most "livable" cities in the world.
* In a 2008 survey published by ''Reader's Digest'' magazine, Stockholm was ranked fourth in the world in its list of the "world's top ten honest cities".
* In a 2008 survey published by the ''National Geographic Traveler'' magazine, Gamla stan Gamla stan (, "The Old Town"), until 1980 officially Staden mellan broarna ("The Town between the Bridges"), is the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Gamla stan consists primarily of the island Stadsholmen. Officially, but not colloquially, Gamla stan ...
(the old town) in Stockholm was ranked sixth on its list of rated historic places.
* In a 2008 survey published by the ''Foreign Policy'' magazine, Stockholm was ranked twenty-fourth on its list of the world's most global cities.
* In 2009 Stockholm was awarded the title as European Green Capital 2010, as the first Green capital ever in the European Green Capital Award scheme.
* In 2013, Stockholm was named the 8th most competitive city in the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
*In 2016 Stockholm was one of the cities with the most Unicorn (finance), unicorn companies in the world.
*In 2019 Stockholm was awarded the World Smart City Award in the city category for its leadership of the European Smart Cities and Communities project GrowSmarter.
Twin cities and towns
Stockholm does not have any twin cities.[The policy of Stockholm is to have informal town twinning with all capitals of the world, its main focus being those in northern Europe. Stockholm does not sign any formal town twinning treaties, and has only cooperation agreements on specific issues limited in time — ]
See also
* Holmium – a chemical element named after Stockholm
* List of people from Stockholm
* Outline of Stockholm
* Ports of the Baltic Sea
* Stockholm syndrome
References
External links
Stockholm
€”official website
Stockholm Visitors Board
€”the official visitors' guide
* Selma Lagerlöf'
account of the history of Stockholm
in Ch. VII of ''The Wonderful Adventures of Nils''
{{Authority control
Stockholm,
Capitals in Europe
Coastal cities and towns in Sweden
County seats in Sweden
Metropolitan Stockholm
Municipal seats of Stockholm County
Populated lakeshore places in Sweden
Port cities and towns of the Baltic Sea
Port cities in Sweden
Stockholm urban area
Swedish municipal seats
Populated places in Stockholm Municipality
Members of the Hanseatic League
Cities in Stockholm County