Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital and largest city of Sweden, with a population of 794,494 inhabitants (1.95 million in its metropolitan area) is home to around 21% of Sweden's population. As the state capital, Stockholm is the site of  and the Swedish government and parliament. It is also the residence of head of state, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. With more tourists than anywhere else in Scandinavia is also considered the capital of the Nordic countries.

Stockholm is built on 14 islands, water is a pervasive element in the city that has 57 bridges to travel between the different neighborhoods, it is often called the Venice of the North. It is full of bridges, marinas and docks. The water is so clean you can drink it and catch salmon in the middle of the city. The weather is influenced by sea breezes that featured the alleys of the city.

Some interesting places in the city are:

• Vasamuseet (The Vasa Museum). The impressive warship Vasa sank on her maiden voyage in 1628 but was salvaged 333 years later in 1961. She has since been restored and can now be seen with her complete lower rigging at the Vasa Museum, the only museum of its kind in the world.

• Skansen (Open-Air Museum). Skansen, the world’s oldest open air museum, was founded in 1891 and features some 150 cultural and historic buildings from all over Sweden. With a zoo featuring wild and domestic Nordic animals, Skansen is the place for traditional annual festivities, markets and folk dance displays. You can learn all about traditional Swedish folklore here at Skansen.

• Gamla Stan (The Old Town). The historic center of Stockholm is renowned for its narrow cobblestone alleys, beautiful houses, boutiques, restaurants and sights. Explore the Old Town on your own or join one of the many guided walks.

• Kungliga Slottet (The Royal Palace). The Royal Palace is the official residence of His Majesty the King of Sweden. Completed in 1754, it is one of the largest palaces in Europe. Most of the Palace is open to the public, such as the State Apartments, the Royal Armoury and the Treasury.

• Stadshuset (The City Hall). The City Hall is one of the best known landmarks in Stockholm and the city’s administrative and representative center. The Blue Hall hosts the world famous Nobel Prize Banquet every year, followed by a ball in the Golden Hall. Guided tours daily.

• Moderna Museet (Museum of Modern Art). Designed by one of the world’s most distinguished contemporary architects, Rafael Moneo, The museum houses one of Europe’s finest collections of modern art.

• Nationalmuseum (The National Museum of Fine Arts). Sweden’s largest art gallery with collections of paintings and sculptures, drawings, engravings and handicrafts also features a permanent exhibition of Swedish design. Works by Sweden’s foremost painters as well as Rembrandt, Rubens, Goya, Renoir, Degas and Gauguin.

• Millesgården (The Milles Museum). The home of sculptor Carl Milles. Some of his best works are on display in a beautiful outdoor setting.

• Nobel Museum (The Nobel Museum). Cutting-edge design and technology lie behind the Nobel Prize. Learn about Alfred Nobel, the Laureates and their groundbreaking discoveries and ideas.

Apart from being a large city with an active cultural life, Stockholm, as Sweden's capital, houses many national cultural institutions. There are two UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Stockholm area: the Royal Palace Drottningholm (within Ekerö Municipality) and the Skogskyrkogården (The Woodland Cemetery). It was the 1998 European City of Culture.

Yearly events:

• Stockholm Jazz Festival is one of Sweden's oldest festivals. The festival takes place at Skeppsholmen in July.


• Stockholm Pride is the largest Pride event in the Nordic countries and takes place in the last week of July every year. The Stockholm Pride always ends with a parade and in 2007, 50 000 people marched with the parade and about 500 000 watched it.


• The Stockholm Marathon takes place on a Saturday in early June each year.


• The Nobel Banquet takes place at Stockholm City Hall every year on December 10.


• The Stockholm Culture Festival.


• The Ung08 festival takes place every year the week before school starts, mainly the second or third week of August.

Stockholm is also known for its great food. Due to immigration, the city have plenty of restaurants with all kinds of food from worldwide, such as American fast food, Asian, Italian, French, Greek, Scandinavian, Spanish, and Middle Eastern cuisine. Cafeterias and bars are easy to find in the city anywhere.

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm
http://www.stockholmtown.com/default____2023.aspx?epslanguage=EN