It's been a year since my trip to Stockholm during the winter 2012 in February. As an introduction, Stockholm, was founded in the year 1250, and has long been one of Sweden's cultural, media, political, and economic centres. Stockholm is the largest city in Scandinavia. As part of the Stockholm Day and Night series, I would like to introduce my readers on Gamla Stan (means 'old town' in Sweden) of Stockholm. Gamla Stan was built on the central island and has been the core of Stockholm. The town dates back in the 13th century consisting of medieval style alley, cobbled streets and archaic architecture.
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| No. 38 unit at the Gamlan Stan has been transformed into an old style 7-Eleven convenience store |
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| I was surprised to see 'The Body Shop' as well in this old street |
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| A souvenir shop selling various creative T-Shirts |
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| One of my favorite... 'I Love Swedish Girls' T-Shirt |
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| Explore the old and one of the narrowest alley in Gamla Stan, the Mårten Trotzigs Gränd alley |
Up next along the Gamla Stan, you will be coming across the oldest Church/Cathedral in Gamla Stan which is the Storkyrkan.
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| one of the common beautiful sight of the clock tower at the top of the Stockholms Domkyrka and Storkyrkan |
Day and night photo of the tower of the Stockholm Cathedral
Around the middle of Gamla Stan is the famous Stortorget aka the Great Square in English. Stortorget is the oldest square in Stockholm, the historical centre around which the medieval urban conglomeration gradually came into being (Wikipedia, 2013). This is the main attraction in Old Stockholm City.
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| Stortorget is the location of the Stock Exchange Building (Börshuset), which houses the Swedish Academy, the Nobel Museum, and the Nobel Library. It was built in the year 1773–1776.Stortorget is the location of the Stock Exchange Building (Börshuset), which houses the Swedish Academy, the Nobel Museum, and the Nobel Library. |
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| Stock Exchange Building (Börshuset). It was built in the year 1773–1776. |
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| The present well on the square was also designed by Palmstedt and built in connection to the new Stock Exchange Building. It dried up in 1856 due to land elevation. |
Around the Stortorget Square, are the famous buildings with 'numbers' each with their special story behind.
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| No.3 was built by the merchant Hans Bremer in the 1640s The building today is called Grillska huset ("The Grill House") after the goldsmith Antoni Grill, who immigrated from Augsburg to Sweden in the 1680s during the era of Gustavus Adolphus to found the Grill Dynasty |
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| I couldn't find any special story behind no.6 except for its peculiar roots around the wall. The current house is a souvenir shop. |
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| Number 20 with 82 white stones on, is the Ribbinska huset ("House of Ribbing") or Schantzka huset("House of Schantz"), which are occasionally said to symbolize the heads decapitated by the Danish king in 1520. The house was, however, built no later than 1479, when it appears in historical records. Currently, the house serves as a café cum restaurant. |
At the Stadsholmen ("city island"), which is also in Gamla Stan, is the Stockholms slott or Kungliga slotted (Stockholm Palace or the Royal Palace). The royal palace is the official residence of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.
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| This is the view from the Western Row..ever wonder why there were a small crowd gathered at the entrance of the palace? |
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| everyone was waiting to see the King of Sweden, King Carl XVI Gustaf to exit the palace. The King of Sweden was inside the limousine Volvo. Probably the shadow at the backseat. |
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| Old cannons were arranged in front of the entrance |
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| The East Facade of the Royal Palace of Sweden |
Up next Stockholm Day and Night Part 2
