- For other uses, see Stockholm (disambiguation).
 Stockholm [stɔkːɔlm] is the capital and the largest city in Sweden. Administratively Stockholm is a municipality in Stockholm County often referred to as Stockholms stad ("Stockholm City"). As a capital, Stockholm is the site of the Government and the parliament of Sweden. It is also the residence of the head of state, king Carl XVI Gustaf. Metropolitan Stockholm, or Stor-Stockholm, consists of most of the municipalities in the county, and has a population of 1,704,930 (2005).
History
The Old town in Stockholm
- Main article: History of Stockholm
Origins
The earliest mention of Stockholm in writing dates from 1252, when it was an important post in the iron trade from the mines in Bergslagen. The first part of the name — stock — means log, while the last part — holm — means islet or small island. The full origin of the name is disputed.
The city is said to have been founded by Birger Jarl in order to protect Sweden from invasion from the sea by foreign navies and to stop pillage of the cities such as Sigtuna on Lake Mälaren. The first building at Stockholm was a fortification for the purpose of controlling the traffic between the Baltic Sea and Mälaren. Under the leadership of Magnus Ladulås Stockholm developed into an important trade city in the following decades, advanced through relations with Lübeck of the Hansa league. In 1270 Stockholm appears in historical documents as a city and in 1289 it was described as the most populated city in the Swedish region. The first trustworthy estimate of the size of city comes from the middle of the 15th century, giving Stockholm about one thousand households and five to six thousand residents.
Kalmar Union
The strategic and economic importance of the city made Stockholm an important factor in relations between the Danish Kings of the Kalmar Union and the national independence movement in the 15th century. On October 14, 1471 Sweden under Sten Sture, with the support of the people of Stockholm, achieved a dramatic victory over the Danish king Christian I. His grandson Christian II occupied the city in 1518 in vain, but was able to secure the city in 1520. On November 8, 1520, massive executions of opposition figures, called the Stockholm Bloodbath, took place. This massacre set off further uprisings, which eventually led to the break-up of the Kalmar Union.
Vasa Period
With the accession of Gustav Vasa in 1523 and construction of a royal power, Stockholm developed into a larger city. The city island no longer offered enough space, and in 1529 Södermalm and Norrmalm were incorporated into the city. The city continued to grow and by 1600 reached a population of ten thousand.
17th Century
The 17th Century saw the rise of Sweden into a major European power, which was reflected in the development of the city. From 1610 to 1680 the population multiplied sixfold. Ladugårdslandet, today's Östermalm, and the island Kungsholmen were also incorporated. In 1634 Stockholm became the official capital of the Swedish empire. trading rules were also created that gave Stockholm an essential monoply over trade between foreign merchants and other Swedish and Scandinavian territories.
In this period, great palaces and castles were built, including the House of Knights and later, in the early 18th century, the Royal Palace.
18th Century
Between 1713-1714, Stockholm suffered from the Black Death. After the end of the Great Northern War and the destruction of several areas of the city in 1721, the city stagnated. Population growth halted, and the rapid economic growth slowed. However, Stockholm maintained its role as the political center of Sweden and under Gustav III it continued to develop culturally. The royal opera is a good architectual expression of this era.
19th century
In the beginning of the 19th century, the economic importance of Stockholm declined further. Norrköping became the greatest manufacturing city of Sweden and Göteborg developed into the key trading port because of its location on the North Sea. In the second half of the century, Stockholm regained its leading economic role. New industries emerged, and Stockholm transformed into an important trade and service center, as well as a key gateway point within Sweden.
The population grew dramatically in the second half of the 19th century, especially through immigration. At the end of the century, not even 40% of the residents were born in Stockholm. Settlement began to expand outside of the city limits and also created dense poor districts, but also new districts in the countryside and on the coast.
Stockholm further developed as a cultural and educational center. In 19th century, a number of scientific institutes opened in Stockholm, for example the Karolinska Institute.
20th century
In the late 20th century, Stockholm became a modern, technologically-advanced and ethnically diverse city. Throughout the century, many industries shifted away from work-intensive activities into more high-technology and service-industry knowledge-based areas.
The city continued to expand and new district were created, for example Rinkeby, Tensta, and Sollentuna, some with high proportions of immigrants.
In 1923 the Stockholm municipal government moved to a new building, the Stockholm City Hall. In 1967 the city of Stockholm was integrated into Stockholm County.
Recent Key Events
In 1986, Prime Minister Olof Palme was shot on the street, and the murderer was never found. In September 2003, foreign minister Anna Lindh was mortally wounded in a stabbing attack that took place in the shopping mall Nordiska Kompaniet.
Stockholm was also named the European Capital of Culture of 1998.
Politics
- Main article: Politics of Stockholm
The city is subdivided into 18 boroughs, which carry responsibility for primary school, social, leisure and cultural services within their respective areas.
Unofficially Stockholm is divided into three major parts: Stockholm City Centre (Innerstaden), South Stockholm (Söderort) and West Stockholm (Västerort). They are in turn divided into smaller parts.
Geography
An old map of Stockholm City showing the intricate set of islands
- Main article: Geography of Stockholm
The city is situated on fourteen islands and on the banks of the archipelago where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea, which are joined together by 53 bridges. The city center is virtually situated on the water, in the bay Riddarfjärden. (Coordinates: 59°21′ N 18°4′ E.)
Institutions of higher education
- Main article: Universities in Sweden
Stockholm might be best known for the Nobel Prizes and the prize ceremony held each year, but the city also houses the largest concentration of universities with research and higher education in Sweden.
Culture
- Main article: Culture of Stockholm
Apart from being a large city with an active cultural life, Stockholm as a capital also houses many of the national cultural institutions of Sweden, including theatre, opera and museums. There are two UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Stockholm area: the Drottningholm Palace and a large cemetery, Skogskyrkogården, which include some well-known examples of the architecture of Gunnar Asplund. During 1998 Stockholm was designated as the European City of Culture.
Sites of interest
- Main article: Tourism in Stockholm
Sports teams
Sporting events are popular, with football and ice hockey being the most popular sports. The city hosted the 1912 Summer Olympics, as well as all but one of the Nordic Games, a winter multi-sport event that predated the Winter Olympics.
The three most popular men's football teams in the Stockholm region are Djurgårdens IF, Hammarby IF and AIK. However, AIK is not based in the municipality of Stockholm but in its northern neighbour Solna. All three clubs have women's teams, although Djurgården's women's elite team is called Djurgården/Älvsjö after a merger with Älvsjö AIK. The clubs also all have ice hockey teams, but currently (2004-2005 season) only Djurgården plays in the highest division, Elitserien (also known as the Swedish Elite League). Hammarby also have a bandy team in the highest league, as well as a handball team.
Notable natives
See also
References
External links
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