Stockholm is the capital and most populous city of Sweden.
The city is located on Sweden’s east coast, where the freshwater Lake Mälaren — 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.
As of August 2018, the population of Stockholm is about 950,000 people. The city’s urban area has a population of 1,500,000.
The city of Stockholm covers a total area of 188 square kilometers (73 square miles).
Skinnarviksberget located on Södermalm is Stockholm’s highest natural vantage point with an extensive panoramic view of the city and Riddarfjärden. It is about 53 meters (174 feet) above sea level.
The first mention of Stockholm occured in 1252, some time after the city was chartered by Birger Jarl (“jarl” means “earl”). He founded Stockholm in order to block off the water passage between Lake Mälaren and the Baltic, and within 100 years it grew to be the largest settlement in Sweden.
Stockholm’s core, the present Old Town was built on the central island next to Helgeandsholmen from the mid-13th century onward.
The 17th century saw Sweden grow into a major European power, reflected in the development of the city of Stockholm.
By the second half of the 19th century, Stockholm had regained its leading economic role.
Currently, Stockholm’s metropolitan area is one of the fastest growing regions in Europe.
Gamla Stan, the Old Town, is one of the largest and best preserved medieval city centers in Europe, and one of the foremost attractions in Stockholm. This is where Stockholm was founded in 1252. All of Gamla Stan and the adjacent island of Riddarholmen are like a living pedestrian-friendly museum full of sights, attractions, restaurants, cafés, bars, and places to shop.
Stockholm Palace or the Royal Palace is the official residence and major royal palace of the Swedish monarch. It is located in Gamla stan. The offices of the King, the other members of the Swedish Royal Family, and the offices of the Royal Court of Sweden are located here. The palace is used for representative purposes by the King whilst performing his duties as the head of state.
Skansen is the first open-air museum and zoo in Sweden and is located on the island Djurgården in Stockholm, Sweden. It was opened on 11 October 1891 by Artur Hazelius (1833–1901) to show the way of life in the different parts of Sweden before the industrial era. Skansen attracts more than 1.3 million visitors each year.
Stockholm is the only capital in the world with a national urban park. The Royal National City Park is a green lung forming an arc more than 9.5 kilometers (6 miles) long, stretching around and through the city. The park abuts the adjoining forests around the city, ensuring an exceptional wealth of species. You can encounter deer and hares, even foxes and moose, and spot rare birds, butterflies, and insects, right inside the city.
The Vasa Museum is a maritime museum 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 sank on her maiden voyage in 1628. The Vasa Museum opened in 1990 and, according to the official web site, is the most visited museum in Scandinavia.
Stockholm is one of the most crowded museum-cities in the world with around 100 museums, visited by millions of people every year.
The city hosts the annual Nobel Prize ceremonies and banquet at the Stockholm Concert Hall and Stockholm City Hall.
Over 30% of the city area is made up of waterways and another 30% is made up of parks and green spaces.
The Stockholm metro, opened in 1950, is well known for the decor of its stations; it has been called the longest art gallery in the world.
The city has 57 bridges.
The narrowest street in Stockholm is Mårten Trotzigs alley, which has 36 steps and is a mere 89 centimeters (35 inches) wide at its slimmest point.
The city was the host of the 1912 Summer Olympics, and hosted the equestrian portion of the 1956 Summer Olympics otherwise held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
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.
Stockholm is one of the cleanest capitals in the world.
The most popular spectator sports are football and ice hockey.
Stockholm syndrome is a condition that causes hostages to develop a psychological alliance with their captors as a survival strategy during captivity. It was named in 1973 when four hostages were taken during a bank robbery in Stockholm.