Royal Apartments at the Palace

The Royal Palace (Kungliga Slottet) is hard to miss if you are visiting Stockholm... located on the north-east corner of Gamla Stan, this palace actually has one more room than Buckingham Palace (in other words, quite large). The palace was built in the early to mid 1700's on the site of the original castle, Tre Kronor, which was destroyed in a fire in 1697. It is the main royal palace in Sweden and where the offices of the king and other royal family members are located, though their official residence is at Drottningholm Palace.

Just about every tourist that comes to Stockholm visits the palace at some point during their trip... whether they just take a walk around and admire the facade, see the changing of the guard or visit one of the many museums inside the palace (Royal Armoury, The Treasury, Tre Kronor, Museum of Antiquities). Another option is to visit the Royal Apartments, which is part of the palace interior, including the Guest Apartments, Hall of State, banquet hall as well as exhibition on the Swedish Orders of Chivalry.

Embarrassing as it is to admit, it had been decades since I last visited the Apartments... so I took an afternoon last week and rectified this. The entrance fee is 150 SEK for adults (75 SEK for children between 7 and 18 years) and it also includes entrance to the Treasury, Tre Kronor Museum and the Gustav III Museum of Antiquities. Don't worry... the ticket is good for 7 days, so you don't have to visit all of the museums on the same day! Also included in the entrance fee are the guided tours of the Apartments and Treasury. Click here for the times for the guided tours this summer (May 15th to Sep 15th). I wandered through the Apartments on my own without guide. It is a very interesting window on Swedish history from the 1700's to today as well as the design and style of the times. I also liked the room that contained the heraldic crests of the different kings & queens of Europe and Asia (all recipients of the Swedish Order of the Seraphim).

It is very easy to get to the Royal Palace from the Rival Hotel... just a 15 minute or so walk through Gamla Stan (old town). Photography is not allowed in the Apartments, so the pictures taken by me in this blog post (above) are from the stairwells and corridors outside of the Apartments. Please be aware that this is a "working" palace and the Royal Apartments may be fully or partly closed on certain days due to official receptions of the king.

Gustav III's Bedchamber, photo by Alexis Daflos, Kungliga Hovstaterna

Stockholm Culture Night (Kulturnatt)

kulturnattstockholm.se 

This Saturday, April 20th, is Culture Night (Kulturnatt) in Stockholm. This is the fourth annual Culture Night in Stockholm and it has become quite popular! So, what is a Culture Night? Well, it basically is an evening devoted to all things cultural... and FREE! Different cultural institutions in Stockholm are open during the evening (6pm to midnight), including museums, art galleries, libraries, churches, palaces, clubs, theatres, cinemas and more. To break it down in numbers, this festival will have around 350 events taking place at over 90 different locations throughout the city! And, as I mentioned earlier, admission is free... so this is a great opportunity to get cultural without damaging your wallet.

Photo by Robert Höglund, Kulturnatt Stockholm

So there is a lot to choose from... art & museum exhibitions, concerts, guided tours, performances, viewings and parties. Something for every taste! You can find a program to download in English on their website (click here) in which they have hand picked events where knowledge of the Swedish language isn't necessary. More detailed information in Swedish along with the full program can be found by clicking here.

Photo by Robert Höglund, Kulturnatt Stockholm

The official After Party, with free admission of course, will take place at the iconic Stockholm City Hall (Stadshuset)... where the Nobel dinner/party takes place every year. It starts at 10:30pm and goes on to 3am. The City Hall is located on Kungsholmen. If you are staying at the Rival Hotel, stop by and talk to me and I can explain in more detail about the different events.

Riddarholmen

Palaces surrounding Birger Jarl Square

One of the central islands of Stockholm and, along with Gamla Stan, one of the most historic, Riddarholmen is often overlooked by visitors. Located just adjacent to Gamla Stan, Riddarholmen is the home of some of Stockholm's most beautiful buildings including Riddarholmen Church. The fact that the main central highway separates the two islands may deter visitors, but a bridge over the highway connects them making a visit to Riddarholmen quite easy. The lack of shops, restaurants and cafés also makes it much quieter than neighbouring Gamla Stan. This makes it the perfect place to escape the crowds and soak up some history.

Statue of Birger Jarl, Stockholm's founder

Many Swedish noble families had their palaces here during the 17th and 18th centuries. These days the buildings house the appellate and Supreme courts as well as many Swedish government agencies. The fact that it was the nobility that lived here means that the cobblestone streets are much wider and brighter than Gamla Stan (where the working class lived before Stockholm expanded). There are great views of Stockholm from the waterfront of Riddarholmen... especially the north shore with views of the City Hall.

Riddarholmen Church

The Riddarholm Church dates back as far as the 13th century and is the only remaining medieval monastery church in Stockholm (built originally as a grey friars monastery). It is most famous for being the final resting place of the kings & queens of Sweden up until the 1950's. Every regent from Gustav II Adolf to Gustav V is buried here... with the exception of Queen Christina who is buried in St Peters in Rome. It is also the resting place of many nobles and a few of the medieval kings. It is, unfortunately, only open to the public during the summer months. Another fun, and adventurous, thing to do on Riddarholmen during the warmer months is one of the roof top tours... not for people afraid of heights!

Strömparterren Park

Down the stairs from Norrbro

After two years and almost 28 million SEK of renovations, Strömparterren has reopened! This is one of Stockholm's oldest parks (1832) and probably best situated... located on the island of Helgeandsholmen, nestled in the Strömmen (rapids connecting Lake Mälaren with the Baltic) and surrounded on three sides by the Royal Palace, the Parliament Building and the Royal Opera House. "Strömparterren" is a mix of Swedish and French words, basically meaning downstairs at Strömmen. The name does make sense as you have to go down stairs from the bridge Norrbro to get to the park, which is just a little above water level. This is a great place to sit, listen to the rushing water and admire the beautiful buildings surrounding you on all sides.

The Sun Singer by Carl Milles (minus the sun)

In the past the park has been famous for waterfront cafés, fishermen and live music. It is still a popular place for fishing and it is possible to see a fisherman reel in a salmon there. Trout, eel, perch and pike are other common fish caught here. These days the park is mostly known for the statue The Sun Singer (Solsångaren) by famed Swedish sculptor Carl Milles, as well as being the entrance to the Medieval Museum (Medeltidsmuseet). If the statue catches your fancy and you want see more... visit Millesgården, just on the outskirts of the city. There are plans to bring back live music by summer 2013 which, along with the museum's outdoor café, should be a nice addition to the city landscape.

The park with Palace to the left & the Parliament to the right

To get there from the Rival Hotel, it is a nice 20-25 minute walk through the Old Town or you can take either bus 43 or 55.

Viking Restaurant Aifur

As promised...

Entrance...

I recently visited Aifur, a restaurant dedicated to "the gastronomic heritage from the Viking Age", for a dinner with relatives. To be honest, I was a little sceptical before the visit. Themed restaurants aren't really my thing and I thought it might be "too touristy". I am happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, there were many tourists there, but hey... it is located in Gamla Stan! Aifur is owned by Swedish pop-star Martin Eriksson, who is a real Viking aficianado, so it does feel more serious than other history themed restaurants. The restaurant is quite dark and fitted with long tables with the benches covered with sheep skins. Hanging on the walls were tapestries, shields and weapons. When we first arrived, we had one long table to ourselves. But as the restaurant filled up, we soon had company from other diners and it was part of the fun to see how others reacted to their surroundings. 

Dinner! Note the utensils.

I was also sceptical about the food... how good can Viking cuisine actually be? But it was good (Viking cuisine modernized?)! The ingredients are mainly from the Viking Age- items that could be found in Scandinavia or brought in through trade. They have a nice explanation of each dish on the menu that ties it in with the Viking history. We had the honey and garlic marinated rack of lamb which was delicious. We did try some mead before dinner. A little sweet, not really my taste but they had some nice non-Viking wine that went well with the lamb. Click here for the menu, scroll down for the English version. A word of warning: they do announce you to the other diners as you enter the restaurant. A little embarassing but lots of fun after you have a drink and can cheer and laugh at the discomfort of other patrons as they arrive. So, all in all, a good experience. I wouldn't go there for a romatic dinner... but fun for a family or people interested in history. 
Other Viking experiences in Stockholm!

Shields along the wall.

Other restaurant recommendations...

Vikings, Vikings and... More Vikings!

Guided tour through grave field at Birka

The most famous era of Swedish history is the Viking Age (approx 800-1100 AD) and Vikings have become somewhat of a symbol for Sweden... even if they are most often portrayed incorrectly with horned helmets! There are plenty of museums, tours and activities to do in the Stockholm area tied in to Viking history. I have already written about most of them here in this blog, but in the past week I have re-visited Birka and dined at Aifur and I had the idea to collect all Viking "experiences" in one post.

• Historiska Museet (the history museum)- This museum has a great exhibition on Vikings including artifacts such as weapons and jewelry. The Gold Room is of special interest, showing the gold and silver hoards found throughout Sweden. During the summer (12 to 4:30pm until August 26th) the Vikings take over the inner courtyard with crafts, sports and games... great for children!
• Birka (day trip-summer)- Birka was a town and important trading center during the Viking Age and is today a UNESCO World Heritage site. Located on the island of Björkö in Lake Mälaren, the Strömma company offers a day trip to Birka by boat which includes a great guided tour and entrance to the on-site museum. They also have a reconstruction of part of a Viking Age village and have many events through the summer (like market and games).
• Aifur (restaurant)- located in Gamla Stan, this restaurant concentrates on the gastronomic heritage from the Viking Age. I was here last week for the first time and it was quite fun and the food was good. I will write a more comprehensive review next week.
• Viking Walk- nothing authentic... more of a guided tour of Stockholm (history & culture) with a "Viking Guide"!
• Souvenirs- on the street Västerlånggatan, located in Gamla Stan, you will find a large variety of Viking souvenirs... from fun to tacky. On the fun side, you have Handfaste (the Viking Shop) where you can get some good quality t-shirts, jewelry and books.
• Uppsala (town)- just 40 minutes by train from Stockholm you have the town of Uppsala which is a great place to visit if you are interested in Vikings. The surrounding area is filled with Viking Age artifacts like runestones, monuments and grave fields. Click here for a list of tours, sites and museums.
• Viking Day Tour- a full day tour that takes you from Stockholm to Sigtuna and Uppsala to visit Viking Age sites. I haven't done the tour myself, but I have sent guests and they have all returned with favorable reports.
• Storholmen Viking Village- (day trip-summer) north of Stockholm (approx 1½ hours by bus), in the Norrtälje area, you will find the Viking village of Storholmen... an experimental open air museum.

Entrance to Aifur

This should keep Viking aficionados occupied! Keep your eyes open while walking about Stockholm... you can see runestones in the city as well. Besides the aforementioned history museum, you can see them in Skansen park as well as the corner of Prästgatan and Kåkbrinken in Gamla Stan.

Runestone in Gamla Stan

Museum Tre Kronor

Entrance to museum

I took the opportunity the other day to visit a museum here in Stockholm that I had never been to, but had always been curious about... Museum Tre Kronor. You would think that I have visited all 80+ museums in Stockholm, but I am still working on it! This museum is dedicated to the original castle in Stockholm, called Tre Kronor, which burned down in 1697. The current Royal Palace is built on the site of the old castle. The museum is located in Gamla Stan under the north wing of the palace (much of which survived the fire) in parts of the original Tre Kronor structure. Besides recounting the history of the castle, there is information about the construction of the castle and life within the walls. It was quite interesting, though I would recommend perhaps a visit to the nearby Medieval Museum first to get an overview of the history of Stockholm at the time. Tre Kronor means "three crowns" and, besides being the name of the old castle, is the symbol of Sweden as well as the name of the national ice hockey team. The three crown symbol can be seen on top of the City Hall Tower which I recently wrote about.

Quite dark inside! Good for ambiance, bad for pictures.

Entrance costs 150 SEK, and it is good to note that the fee gives you entrance as well to the Royal Apartments, The Treasury and Gustav III's Museum of Antiquities (within a 7 day time period). The latter museum is included just during the summer months. Free entrance to all museums included in the Stockholm Card. If you time your visit properly, you can watch the changing of the guards at the Royal Palace before or after visiting the museum (12:15 all days except for Sundays and holidays when it starts at 1:15pm).
Click here for other museum recommendations.

Changing of the guards

Stockholm City Hall - Stadshuset

Stockholm City Hall, or Stadshuset, is one of the most famous Stockholm landmarks and is probably best known for being the venue for the annual Nobel Prize banquet. A popular tourist destination, it is also the functioning city hall and from where Stockholm is governed. Completed in 1923, using almost 8 million red bricks, the building is one of the best examples in Sweden of national romaticism in architecture.

The only way to visit the interior of the building is by taking part in one of the public tours (recommended!),which are offered daily, or by booking a private tour. The public tours are given in several languages and the price for admission for an adult is 60-90 SEK depending on the time of year. The 106 meter tall City Hall Tower can be visited as well between May and September and costs an additional 40 SEK. The tower is open between 9:15am and 5:15pm and visits are organized in 40 minute intervals. Half way up the tower you will find the Tower Museum and at the top you have fantastic views of the city.

I think the grounds itself is worth a visit and I often stop by while walking along the Kungsholmen waterfront (pictures here taken from one recent such visit). There is a statuary garden between the water and the main building which is a great place to watch boats and enjoy views across to Gamla Stan and the island of Södermalm. There is also a golden cenotaph (empty tomb) of Birger Jarl, the founder of Stockholm according to tradition. 

Located on the eastern tip of the island of Kungsholmen, it is quite close to Gamla Stan. To get to the City Hall from the Rival Hotel, it is about a 25 minute walk. Otherwise it can be reached by taking subway (all lines) three stations to T-Centralen. 

Drottningholm Palace

Drottningholm Palace!

My parents are currently visiting me and the other day I decided to take them to one of my favorite places to visit: Drottningholm Palace. Not only is the palace the current residence of the king and queen of Sweden, it is also a UNESCO World Heritage site (one of three in Stockholm). The palace was built in the late 1600's and is a great example of European architecture of this period.

Interior of palace. Photo by: Alexis Daflos

While it is open for the public year-round, it is during the summer that one really should visit the palace. They have more generous opening hours (daily from May through September) during the summer and it is also the best time to explore the beautiful gardens surrounding the palace. The gardens are massive and contain both French & English influences, as well as fountains, sculptures, waterfalls, hedges and groves. On the grounds you will also find the Chinese Pavillion, built in 1753 by King Adolf Fredrik, and Drottningholm Theatre.

Part of the Chinese Pavillion complex

Another great reason to visit Drottningholm during the summer is the trip to the palace itself. Drottningholm Palace is located on an island in Lake Mälaren on the western outskirts of Stockholm. While you can get there from the city by a combination of subway and bus, the best way is by boat! The sightseeing company Strömma runs boat trips out to the palace all summer long. The boats (historic, turn of the century ships) depart from the pier adjacent to City Hall and the trip takes just under an hour.

Looking back at palace from the gardens

The boat ride takes you through the suburbs and countryside and is very relaxing & enjoyable, especially on a sunny day. On board you will find a restaurant and café. During the high season the boats depart every half hour which gives you the flexibility of spending the full day or just an afternoon at the palace. A round trip ticket costs 175 SEK and one can also purchase a combination ticket which includes entrance to the palace (320 SEK). If you are staying at the Rival Hotel, contact me and I can help you with booking tickets! Pictures taken by me, unless marked otherwise.

Strömma's boat to Drottningholm

Four Statues, Four Kings

This post is for those of you who, like I, are curious about historical statues one encounters when visiting a foreign city. Plus, with the birth of a royal princess this week it felt fitting to write about some of her ancestors.

Charles XIV Johan

If you walk to the Old Town from the Rival Hotel, you encounter the first statue as you cross the bridge. The statue is of King Charles XIV Johan astride a horse. It was unveiled in 1854 and depicts the king riding into the city, as the newly elected crown prince. A bit of trivia... the king was born Jean Baptiste Bernadotte and was one of Napoleon's field marshals before being elected to the throne during a dynastic crisis in Sweden. The current king is of the Bernadotte dynasty.

Gustav III

If you continue along the waterfront of the Old Town you will encounter the next statue in front of the Royal Palace. This is Gustav III. Unveiled in 1808, it depicts the king returning in triumph from the Russian-Swedish War. The statue is inspired by the famous Roman statue Apollo Belvedere. A bit of trivia... Gustav III was assassinated during a masquerade ball in 1792 at the nearby opera house.

Charles XII

Continuing across the bridge towards central Stockholm you will come to the park Kungsträdgården and there you will find the statue of Charles XII, Sweden's Warrior King. The statue was unveiled in 1868 in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the king's death and depicts him pointing towards Russia and his arch-nemesis Czar Peter the Great. A bit of trivia... an exceptional military leader, the king spent the majority of his reign abroad at war with Russia, Denmark and Poland.

Gustav II Adolf

To the left of the statue is the Royal Opera House and behind it is Gustav Adolf Square where you will find, what else, a statue of Gustav II Adolf. The king was known as the "Lion of the North" and is most famous for leading the Protestant forces during the Thirty Year's War and thereby started Sweden's Age of Power. The statue was unveiled in 1796 and shows the king astride his warhorse Streiff.
This walk, from beginning to end (with short stops, won't take you more than half an hour or so.

Museum Exhibits This Winter/Spring

Entrance to Fotografiska

I visited the photography museum Fotografiska (a favorite!) yesterday to see the Aitor Ortiz exhibition of haunting black & white photographs. Loved it... very architectural and thought provoking. This exhibition is going on until March 4th. Other exhibitions at Fotografiska include Norwegian photographer Margaret M. de Lange (also until March 4th) and the upcoming (and much anticipated) Anton Corbijn exhibition (Jan 14th to April 15th).

Margaret M de Lange at Fotografiska

Other exhibitions going on this season?
The National Museum continues with their exhibitions Shimmering Silver (through March) and The Four Seasons (until May 27th). Their big upcoming exhibition is Passions: Five Centuries of Art & the Emotions (March 8th to August 12th).
The modern art museum Moderna will be continuing with their showing of their own collection of photography (Another Story) a little while longer (until Feb 19th). Some upcoming exhibitions include Eija-Liisa Ahtila (Feb 11th to May 6th) and Sturtevant (March 17th to May 17th). And keep your eyes open this summer for their Yoko Ono exhibition... should be great!

National Museum of Afghanistan ©Musée Guimet / Thierry Ollivier

The Museum of Ethnography has an amazing exhibtion on the cultural treasures of Afghanistan... precious objects that survíved the Taliban rule. A must see (until March 25th)! Just a couple more weeks to see the Gold Treasures of the Incas, housed in the Skeppsholmen Caverns (until Feb 12th).
At Waldemarsudde they are continuing with their exhibitions of Carl Fredrik Hill (until Jan 29th) and Erik Olson (until Feb 26th) and their new exhibition this season will be Eugène Jansson – Blue Dusk and Naked Athletes (Feb 18th to June 10th). Click here for a list of current and upcoming exhibitions.
There are over 80 museums in the greater Stockholm area... so the above are only some highlights of the current and upcoming exhibitions this season!
Visit Stockholm has a good list of art exhibits on their blog... click here!

Inca Gold Exhibition

We've had a great summer here in Stockholm and at the Rival Hotel, lots of wonderful visitors and interesting things happening in the city. But just because the weather is getting cooler it doesn't mean that there still aren't great things to look forward to! Number one on the list of exciting events this autumn is the Inca Gold exhibition.

http://www.worldculture.se/inca/

Last year the Museum of East Asian Antiquities held an amazing exhibition of Terracotta Warriors from the X'ian province in China. The exhibition was held in the vast underground system of caverns (Bergsrummet) located on the island of Skeppsholmen and was a big success. And now, following on this success, the Swedish National Museums of World Culture will be showing an exhibition of Inca gold artifacts in the same caverns.

http://www.worldculture.se/inca/

The exhibition consists of about 300 objects (with some of the very latest discoveries) on loan from 15 Peruvian museums. The artifacts show the wealth of the Inca Empire and the symbolic power of gold in their culture. The exhibition opens on September 10th and runs through February 12th, 2012. It will be open every day from 10am to 8pm with a few exceptions (see website for dates) and the entrance cost is 150 SEK for adults and free for children up to 19 years of age. Tickets can be bought online or by phone (see website), otherwise they can be purchased at the door or at any of the World Culture Museums in Stockholm.
Click here for other ongoing or upcoming exhibitions!

ABBA- The Walk!

Bengt H. Malmqvist © Premium Rockshot

People often wonder why Stockholm doesn't take more advantage of its association with ABBA... like Liverpool does with the Beatles and Detroit does with Motown. Heaven knows that there is a market! For a few years now there has been talk of an ABBA museum, but the plans keep getting delayed. Now the Stockholm City Museum is doing something about it. The museum, responsible for the highly popular Stieg Larsson Millenium Walking Tour, will be offering a guided tour of the city this summer with ABBA as the theme... called ABBA: The Walk.
They are starting with tours in Swedish on May 19th (Saturdays) and then they will be offering tours in English every Friday and Saturday at 4pm in July, August and September. The tour is about 2 hours long and costs 120 SEK per person. Tickets can be purchased at the museum or on Ticnet. They also have a special city map with all ABBA related places marked out for sale at the museum (40 SEK).
The Stockholm City Museum is located at Slussen, just a 10 minute walk from the Rival Hotel. And who knows... maybe the hotel (owned by Benny Andersson and the venue of the gala premiere of Mamma Mia The Movie) will be on the tour?
And for a little inspiration:

Olof Palme Memorial

This Monday (February 28th) is the 25th anniversary of the assassination of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme. He was fatally shot while walking home from a movie theater with his wife. His assassination came as quite a shock to Swedes and the world as well. Sweden was viewed as a very safe place, synonymous with peace, prosperity and neutrality, and security was never an issue for Swedish politicians... the couple had no bodyguards with them that evening. Despite several witnesses, including his wife, his murder has never been solved and the assassination has become almost Kennedy-esque in nature. Palme had many enemies: he was a vocal critic of US involvement in Vietnam, Soviet brutality in Prague, apartheid in South Africa and the Franco regime. So it is perhaps not strange that conspiratorial theories abound concerning CIA, KGB and even South African operatives.

If you are a history buff, or would like to pay your respects to this Swedish politician, then there are a couple of memorials in the city you can visit. At the place where he was shot, on the corner of Sveavägen and Tunnelgatan (renamed Olof Palme's Gata in his honor), is a plaque commemorating the event... and people often lay flowers here. Olof Palme's grave is located just two blocks up the street at the church Adolf Fredriks kyrka.

Trivia: In the church there is also a memorial to the French philosopher René Descartes ("cogito ergo sum/I think therefore I am") who was actually buried here for a time before his body was moved to Paris. He had died in Stockholm while visiting the city at the invitation of Queen Christina to be her teacher.

New Fall Exhibition at the National Museum

I stopped by the National Museum today to see their new exhibition "Staging Power". Being the history buff that I am... I thoroughly enjoyed it! That being said, there is a lot there for art lovers as well. The exhibition looks at "the art of ruling through art" in the Napoleonic Era. It concentrates on three very similar (at the same time different) rulers of the era... Napoleon, Czar Alexander I of Russia and Carl-Johan of Sweden. Besides the grand portraits of the rulers and their families, the exhibition contains many great artifacts from the rulers: uniforms, clothes, jewellery, letters, furniture, weapons, etc; You get to see how the ruling elite used art to convey power and how constant war formed this ideal. Some artifacts were especially interesting to see... Napoleon's uniform with famous bicorne hat for example, as well as one of the gold bay leaves from his coronation wreath.

This exhibition was formed through cooperation between the National Museum and the Hermitage in St Petersburg, Russia (where the exhibition will be next year). So many of the objects are from the Hermitage as well as on loan from museums all over Europe including France, Sweden, the UK and Poland. Sweden's king has also graciously loaned the exhibition many artifacts from his personal collection.

The exhibtion is on display until the 23rd of January. The museum is closed on Mondays, otherwise it opens at 11am and closes at 5pm, except on Tues & Thurs when it closes at 8pm. Entrance costs 120 SEK, 100 SEK for students and seniors. Youths under 19 get in for free as well as people with the Stockholm Card. To find out about other exhibitions at the National Museum, check their website (linked above) or read my last blog entry about the museum. The museum is located on Blasieholmen - within walking distance from the Rival Hotel, otherwise the closest subway station is Kungstädgården (blue line).

Click here for information about other art exhibitions going on in Stockholm this autumn, and here for info about other museums in the city.

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