Schmap Stockholm Historical Background

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Stockholm - Historical Background
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Once upon a time, there lived a fisherman in the Bishop of Strängnäs' service at the castle of Tynnelsö. On an especially beautiful day the fisherman caught an enormous salmon, which he wanted to keep all for himself. Therefore, he decided to flee across the islands of Lake Mälaren and he ended up on an island at the outlet of the big lake - becoming Stockholm's first inhabitant.

This popular story about the salmon fisher is one of many legends of how Stockholm came to be founded. With regards to the name Stockholm, there is another known tale that goes as follows: when the town Sigtuna was destroyed by the Estonians, the citizens hid their things of great value in a hollow log and threw it in Lake Mälaren. The log (called stock in Swedish) floated ashore at the island (holm) in question, and the homeless Sigtuna citizens thought this was the perfect place to settle down.

The Founding of Stockholm

Archaeological excavations show that Stockholm was not founded until the 13th century. According to Erikskrönikan, the oldest depiction of medieval Sweden, the Regent Birger Jarl was Stockholm's founder. Stockholm went through a swift expansion and already in a document from 1289 the city is described as one of the most populated in Sweden. From the middle of the fifteenth century, the city had more than 1,000 households and a total population of 5,000 to 6,000, thus being far larger than any other contemporary Swedish city. Back then and for a long time afterwards, the population consisted of three dominating ethnic groups: the Swedes, who were a majority, the Germans, of whom many were leading merchants, and the Finns who mainly worked as servants and plain craftsmen. Maybe the most important prerequisite for the city's early expansion was the fact that Stockholm had an excellent location as a lock to Mälaren. The elevation of the land made Stockholm's waters the only passage for ships heading towards the Baltic sea.

The Battle at Brunkeberg

The battle at Brunkeberg became one of the most influential events in Sweden's political history. It once and for all ended the union kings' power over Sweden and the group of Swedish employers who had been allied with Denmark finally surrendered. 10 October 1470 the Swede Sten Sture fought the Danish king Kristian. The Dane had besieged Brunkeberg, which had not yet been settled, and the swamp where Kungsträdgården, Norrmalmstorg and Birger Jarlsgatan are today located. The Danes were attacked from two fronts and tried to retreat to Blaiseholmen. However, Stockholmers in boats attacked the bridge and succeeded in cutting it to pieces as the Danes ran over it. Many soldiers fell into the water and many drowned. Sten Sture's victory was great and glorious. King Kristian was wounded in battle - he lost some teeth caused by a bullet in the mouth - and never returned to the Swedish east coast. Sten Sture erected a monument in honor of his victory; the result was the wonderful sculpture Sankt Göran och Draken (St George and the Dragon), which can now be seen in Storkyrkan. More than a monument, it was a token of appreciation for the saint's support and assistance during the battle.

Massacre

Stockholm gained such strength and independence during the latter part of the Middle Ages, that the city became a powerful factor nationally on a political level, acting between the Danish union kings and the national movement lead by the Sture family. The dramatic course of events culminated in 1520 in a mass execution of the leading Swedish opposition. The massacre would forever be remembered as "Stockholm's bloodbath". The majority of the townspeople and the realm's nobility had been invited to the coronation of the Danish king Kristian II, nicknamed Kristian the Tyrant. After three days of hectic partying, the archbishop Gustav Trolle accused the nobility of heresy, and a temporary court found all of them guilty. The executions began the very next day. Between the depressing 8 and 9 November approximately 100 people were beheaded at Stortorget.

The massacre became the catalyst to a series of events that resulted in Gustav Vasa (with a fast-growing beard) marched into the city in 1523, and proclaiming himself Sweden's first king and dynasty founder.

Hard Times

On 7 May 1697, Stockholm's pride until then, the castle Tre Kronor (Three crowns), burned down. Miraculously, no one perished in the flames. The fire broke out in the middle of the day in the attic above the drawing-room, which was located in the medieval part of the big complex: the old castle consisted of houses from different eras. When the fire was finally discovered it had spread with such speed that the outer roof and the inner ceiling were ablaze. The old tower Tre Kronor was on fire as well, and eight guns and one church bell that were stored on the upper floor fell down with a terrible crash into the Queen's wine cellar, causing the whole tower to collapse. The fire continued the whole day and the whole night and destroyed everything except the north wing. The new castle - Slottet - is located exactly where Tre Kronor once stood, facing the Opera.

It was not until the seventeenth century that the political institutions such as riksdagen, the central administration, and the Svea court of appeal were located in Stockholm.

Several bad harvests at the end of the seventeenth century and a plague in 1710-11, along with the Nordic wars, stretched the country economically. However, through growing industrialization, at the end of the century Stockholm managed to regain its role as the realm's prominent industrial community.

The Masquerade Murder

King Gustav III adored France, and it was through him that the Swedish language, art, music and other culture developed, inspired by the baguette-loving kingdom. On Friday 16 March 1792 the king went to the opera in the evening for a masquerade. He had been warned of an assassination plot, but unfortunately the king ignored the warning, put on his mask and walked downstairs to the party. There, a group of masked men surrounded him and greeted him with the words "Bonjour, beau masque" (Greetings, beautiful mask). In the very next instant the king was shot at close range. But he did not fall over, he just uttered the words "Je suis blessé" - (I am hurt). The assassins shouted "Fire!", but no one panicked and they were all caught and arrested. Gustav III did not die that night at the opera, but his gun wound became infected, and he passed away many days later. Captain Anckarström, one of the conspirators, who fired the fatal shot, took the full blame for the crime and was duly executed. It has gone down in history as the "masquerade murder".

The Development of Stockholm

Stockholm was one of dirtiest cities in Europe in the early nineteenth century. In addition, it was overcrowded. Söder was pure slum. Many children were disfigured from malnutrition, and lived in tiny basements with no sunlight. From this situation, the working class movement quickly developed, and 1909 the Social Democrats together with the liberals had gained the majority in the city council.

28 nations participated in the Olympic Games held at Stockholms Stadion in 1912. During these early Games the host countries tended to win most gold medals, and Sweden was no exception.

As to more recent occurrences, the United Nations held their first international environmental conference in Stockholm 1972. One night, thousands of young people demonstrated in favor of preserving the whales and ending whale hunting. They walked through the city behind a truck, which resembled a black whale. The next day an unprecedented resolution was accepted - a ten-year interruption to whale hunting.

A lot has happened since that beautiful day a long, long time ago when the Bishop's fisherman caught his big salmon. Hopefully this short glimpse of history has given you a better idea of the Venice of the North - Stockholm.

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Kungliga Operan

Gustavian Opera

Gustav Adolfs torg
Stockholm 103 22
Sweden
+46 8 791 4400 / +46 8 791 4300
http://www.operan.se
reception@operan.se

King Gustav III, probably the most influential king of Swedish culture, founded The Royal Opera House in 1773. He forbade all foreign opera singers to sing in their own languages. He would not accept any opera unless it was performed in Swedish. Hence, all operas from this period are referred to as Gustavian. Today, the Royal Opera, which hosts close to 250 performances every year, is more open-minded than its founder and hosts performances in several languages.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Kungliga Operan photo by Helmer Wieringa

Photo: Helmer Wieringa

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Kungliga Operan photo by Luiza Girardello Sirotsky

Photo: Luiza Girardello Sirotsky

Stockholm Olympiastadion

Historical arena Lidingövägen 1
Stockholm 114 33
Sweden
+46 8 21 9456 / +46 8 545 158 00 (Djurgården IF) Built for the Olympic games in 1912, Olympia stadium is Stockholm's oldest sports arena. Today, it is mainly used by the Djurgårdens IF, the national football team. In addition to big events, such as the Stockholm marathon, Finnkampen and DN-galan, various rock concerts are also held here.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Kevin Hoogheem
Photo: Kevin Hoogheem

Stockholm Royal Palace

The Royal Palace Kungl Slottet
Stockholm 111 30
Sweden
+46 (0)8 402 6130
http://www.royalcourt.se
info.stockholms-slott@royalcourt.se The King of Sweden's official residence, Stockholm Royal Palace, which dates back to the thirteenth century is situated in the Old Town. The new palace was built between 1697-1754, according to the original drawings, in Roman Baroque style. With over 600 rooms, the palace is one of the largest residential castles in Europe. A number of museums are located within the walls, such as the Treasury, Gustav III's Museum of Antiquities, the Royal Armoury and the Royal Chapel. The changing of the guard is a treat to watch. See website for specific open hours of each attraction.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Storkyrkan Church

Pride of the Old Town Stortorget 1
Stockholm 11129
Sweden
+46 8 723 3000
http://www.sthdomkyrko.com
info@sthdomkyrko Storkykan or Sankt Nicolai church, is located between the Palace and the Stock Exchange in the Old Town. This single-nave church, built of brick, is the oldest congregation church in Stockholm. The Baroque façade, which is different from the Gothic-style interior, was designed by the city's architect J.E. Carlberg. Some annexes were built at the end of the eighteenth century, with an aim was to make the church more modern. Check the website for more details.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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