Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Stockholm fit on Gamla Stan. Stockholm traded with other northern ports
such as Amsterdam, Lübeck, and Tallinn. German culture influenced art,
building styles, and even the language, turning Old Norse into modern
Swedish. With its narrow alleys and stairways, Gamla Stan mixes poorly with
cars and modern economies. Today, it's been given over to the Royal Palace
and to the tourists—sometimes seemingly unaware that most of Stockholm's
best attractions are elsewhere—who throng Gamla Stan's main drag, Väster-
långgatan. While you could just happily wander, this quick walk gives mean-
ing to Stockholm's Old Town.
• Start at the base of Slottsbacken (the Palace Hill esplanade) leading up to
the...
Royal Palace:
Check out the
statue of King Gustav III
gazing at the
palace, which was built on the site of Stockholm's first castle (described later,
under“SightsinStockholm”).GustavturnedStockholmfromadowdyScand-
inavian port into a sophisticated European capital, modeled on buildings he'd
seen in Paris, Vienna, and Berlin. Gustav loved the arts, and he founded the
Royal Dramatic Theater and the Royal Opera in Stockholm. Ironically, he was
assassinated at a masquerade ball at the Royal Opera House in 1792, inspiring
Verdi's opera
Un Ballo in Maschera.
Walk up the broad, cobbled boulevard. Partway up the hill, stop and scan
the harbor. The grand building across the water is the National Museum,
which is often mistaken for the palace. Beyond that, in the distance, is the fine
row of buildings on Strandvägen street. Until the 1850s, this area was home
to peasant shacks, but as Stockholm entered its grand stage, it was cleaned
up and replaced by fine apartments, including some of the city's smartest
addresses. (Tiger Woods shared a home here with his Swedish wife during
their now-defunct marriage.) The TV tower—a major attraction back in the
1970s—stands tall in the distance. Turn to the palace facade on your left (fin-
ished in 1754, replacing one that burned in 1697). The niches are filled with
Swedish bigwigs (literally) from the mid-18th century.
