STOCKHOLM , SWEDEN

A CULTURAL CAPITAL OF EUROPE

Story and Photos by Sandy Katz

Travelin' Sandy Katz is a freelance writer based in Charleston, South Carolina. She has visited over 250 destinations and writes for many USA publications. Sandy who has a degree in psychology resides on the Ashley River with her husband.

The first thing you notice about Stockholm, Sweden's capital, is its extraordinary shape - the country's largest city spread over islands and around inlets. Then there's the Old Town (Gamla Stan) that appears medieval with its 16th and 17th Century buildings and cobbled streets. The original Gamla Stan was known as the "City between the bridges."

Popularly nicknamed the "Venice of the North" due to its many waterways, Stockholm lies on Sweden's east coast, where Lake Malaren and the Baltic Sea meet. The city sits on a dozen islands and along the shores of Lake Malaren. Close by are more than a thousand small islands that lie in Saltsjon Bay.

Canals and bridges lace the "City on the Water" founded in the 13th Century. Once occupied by the Danes, it has been Swedish territory since 1523.

The city underwent a renaissance in the 18th Century when cultural enrichment followed architectural and governmental expansion. Stockholm's great literary and scientific academies were founded in this period.

Wide beaches on many of the islands are popular with sunbathers and swimmers during the summer. Ice hockey and skiing are popular winter sports.

Stockholm is Sweden's showpiece in terms of democratic socialism - an extension of its clean, well-planned metropolis is the sophisticated, subtle and savvy ways of its residents reassured by a high standard of living.

There is one exception to the city's ultra-low profile on the international scene. In mid-December every year - the red carpet comes out sans mothballs, the silverware and crystal chandeliers are shone and polished, all in readiness for the annual list of Nobel Prize winners.

The event is hosted at Stockholm's City Hall, an impressive architectural masterpiece featuring a spectacular Golden Hall. Dedicated in 1923, Swedish history abounds on the walls covered with mosaics fashioned out of nearly 18 million gilded tiles.

The nation's capital is a cultural center offering opera, concerts, museums and art galleries.

The Art Gallery Underground - Stockholm's Tunnelbaban (subway) can be classified as the most beautiful in the world. The Stockholm Underground is aptly described as the world's largest art gallery. More than 70 of its 100 stations are artistically decorated.

The idea originated in the 1940's, but it was only in 1957 that T-Centralen, the hub of the network, could display the first three by Egon Moller-Nielsen. These were decorations on track walls made of white clinker and ceramic figures, with glass prisms in patterns and colors.

Gradually ticket halls, platforms, ceilings and even the track walls were covered with wonderful murals gathered from some 70 artists. The competition is stiff, but the consensus is the Akalla train (Route 11) is definitely the best of all - its entrance is like going down into a strange, deep cavern.

Tourists in Stockholm can purchase the special ticket called Stockholmskoret - the key to Stockholm, which entitles the traveler to transportation on buses, railways and suburban railways. (It's available at the tourist center in Kungstradgarden and at Hotellcentraler in the Central Railroad Station.) Within a 12 to 36-hour period you can use the same ticket on sightseeing trips and it is valid for admission to 50 of Stockholm's main attractions, including the Royal Palace, the Vasa Museum and Gripsholm Castle.

If art is your passion, the Museum of Modern Art houses one of the western world's finest collections of modern art. Designed by renowned Spanish architect Raael Moneco, the museum has been described by Eric Sjogren as "pavilion like, high ceilinged cubes with pyramidal roofs crowned by lanterns." Moneco's creation blends in perfectly with the archipelago landscape on the little island of Skeppsholem (old naval base turned museum island) in the heart of the city, connected to the mainland by a narrow bridge.

The Royal Coin Cabinet - the National Finance Museum is the newest museum in Stockholm and Europe's finest finance museum. A historical museum of its day with brand new, colorful exhibits on the worldwide money and finance history over 2,500 years. The exhibition includes "All the World's and Sweden's Money" and "The Nation's Finances."

Sweden is a constitutional monarchy. In layman's terms, their king has ceremonial and representative functions, but no political power. King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia are very popular, even beyond Swedish borders.

It's like stepping back into the Middle Ages when you traverse the narrow streets and alleyways of Gamla Stan. The many historical sites stand alongside antique shops, second-hand bookshops, craft shops, boutiques, taverns and cafes.

Built in 1697-1754, the Royal Palace deserves a visit for a historical background of the Swedish royal family. Art collections, tapestries and marble statuary occupy the 608 rooms. The king's silver throne is in the Hall of State, and the Swedish crown jewels are in the Treasury. The changing of the guards (during the summer months) is Stockholm's biggest free attraction and there is always extra pomp when the horse guards turn out.

The Royal Armoury is another section filled with historical royal garments and armour. These include stylish equipages and weapons and armours of superb quality, all of which have belonged to members of the Swedish Royal Family during the past five centuries. These articles have been used at coronations, court festivities and tournaments and other historically significant events.

The island of Djurgarden, a short walk away, is the location of the Vasa Museum. The prize film about the Vasa is shown every hour on the hour. Actor Stellan Starsgard guides the public back in time when Sweden was a great power and the Vasa set sail on its fateful maiden run in 1628 at the time the world's largest warship. Salvaged from the bottom of the sea in 1961 and carefully restored to her original condition, the regal 17th Century warship is on display in its own museum.

Here you will find the Nordic Museum with its displays of Swedish cultural traditions and folk art and daily life in Scandinavia since 1500 is depicted in detail.

A few minutes walk on beautiful Djurgarden will take you to Skansen, the world's oldest open-air museum with its collection of old buildings brought here from all over Sweden. The grounds house a zoo, parks and gardens.

The Grand Hotel is where Nobel prize winners stay, a choice I personally agree with since I enjoyed my stay there too. The recently renovated premises is steeped in European tradition and good old-fashioned luxury. Located opposite the Royal Palace, it is the most exclusive hotel in town.

By the City Hall and opposite the Grand Hotel one can catch sight of smart white steamships. They are lovingly preserved and still contribute to the heavy summer traffic out to the archipelago. There is a powerful romantic attachment to the islands they serve that stretch from Stockholm's doorsteps right out to sea. Several steamer operators offer frequent trips of varying lengths to the islands. Throughout the summer, daily ferry service is available.

The stages of Stockholm offer a rich variety of rock, opera, jazz, ballet, folk music, theatre, classical music, dance, pop music and shows. Every season caters to some form of entertainment.

The food-lover in you will not be disappointed - Stockholm has restaurants in abundance, ranging from world-famous gourmet establishments with award-winning chefs to every neighborhood spot featuring typical Swedish menus.