Stockholms Kommun

The metropolis of Stockholm is not only the capital and political, economic and cultural centre of Sweden, but also the largest city in Northern Europe and one of the most beautiful capitals in the world. Stockholm's most common nicknames, such as Venice of the North or City on the Water, allude to its beauty and connect Stockholm with water, which is omnipresent.

Especially when you look at Stockholm from a birds-eye view, such as from the tower of the city hall on Kungsholmen, you can see the very special proximity to the water. With its special location, distributed over 14 islands in the transition of the lake Mälaren into the Baltic Sea, Stockholm is a city whose area consists of about one third water.

In addition to water, forty percent of Stockholm's land consists of forests or green areas. Green, which you encounter at every second street corner in the form of parks or green areas and whose largest collection is right next to the city centre as a large forest area on the island Djurgården.

Djurgården used to be the royal hunting ground within the capital and is now home to some of Stockholm's main attractions. These include the large amusement park Gröna Lund, the unique Vasamuseet and Skansen, the oldest open-air museum in the world.

Sights in Stockholm

There are over thirty museums within the urban area of Stockholm. These include some of Sweden's largest and most important museums, such as the National Museum, the largest Swedish art museum, or the huge Natural History Museum, as well as the Nordiska Museet, the largest cultural history museum in Sweden with over 1.5 million exhibits.

The largest and most famous attraction of Stockholm is the historical old town Gamla Stan on the island Stadsholmen in the outlet of the Mälaren. Gamla Stan is literally in the heart of Stockholm, because it is here that the city was founded in 1252 by the imperial administrator Birger Jarl to control access to the strategically important Mälaren and the Swedish inland.

Gamla Stan still has the old medieval road network with narrow streets and even narrower alleys lined by the proud facades of 17th century townhouses. The brickwork behind the facades is partly much older and many of the houses still have their medieval vaulted cellars.

The special charm of Stockholm comes from the unique combination of history and modernity coupled with the ubiquitous proximity to nature. No other major city in the world offers the many possibilities that Stockholm has to offer. You can party in the hippest nightclubs, dine in the best restaurants or shop in the most modern malls, and just a few hundred metres away you can walk from one tiny boutique, cozy café or pub to the next, walking over centuries-old pavement streets. At the same time you can fish for salmon from bridges and quay walls, take a refreshing dip in the clean water on one of the inner-city beaches or take a boat tour to see the picturesque backdrop of the city from the water.