Norrmalm - part 2
DROTTNINGGATAN, KUNGSGATAN, TEGNÉRLUNDEN, KUNGSTRÄDGÅRDEN, BERZELLI PARK, NYBROPLAN, NORRMALMSTORG, HAMNGATAN, NK

Norrmalm is the district, north of Mälaren (norr=north), there the most central part of the city center is situated. It is the most shopping oriented and commercial district with many department stores, like NK and Pub, and companies. Many of the most famous buildings and squares are situated here, many of them concentrated of the mostly pedestrian Drottninggatan, a long shopping street that stretches from the Old Town to Vasastan. The central station, where we arrived by train, is also situated on Norrmalm. Norrmalm is the most modern of the districts in central Stockholm, many old buildings where torn down in the 1960s to make way for grey modernist buildings, that is considered a big mistake in Swedish architecture history. Especially around Sergels torg and Hötorget, where you find the five so called Hötorgsskraporna. At the major street Kungsgatan you find the much older and more beautiful Kungstornen, considered to be among the first skyscrapers in Europe. Sveavägen and Olof Palmes Gata, where the Swedish prime minister was shot to death in 1986, and the minister Anna Lindh in 2003, is situated in Norrmalm, as well as the tomb of Olof Palme at Adolf Fredriks church. Kungsträdgården is one of the few parks in central Stockholm, a place for many events.

DROTTNINGGATAN:

Drottninggatan literally means Queen Street and is one of the most importants streets in central Stockholm, a long pedstrian shopping street where you find many popular brand stores, pubs and restaurants. It begins at the end of Gamla Stan, passes Hötorget and major attractions in Norrmalm and ends in the hilly park Observatorielunden Vasastan in the North. The North part, in the picture, is the most hilly part.

Drottninggatan, the long and crowded pedestrian street.

Drottninggatan near Hötorget

Drottninggatan near Hötorget

Drottninggatan/Olof Palmes gata intersection. Young and old people shopping.

Drottninggatan

Poetic sayings (in Swedish) written on the street, Drottninggatan

Adolf Fredriks kyrka, the church where the murdered prime minister Olof Palme is buried in its churchyard. The church was inaugurated in 1774 and built in Gustavian style with rococo elements.

Hilly North end of Drottninggatan

Shock, a poppular rock store at Drottninggatan that I visited

Drottninggatan: View southwards towards Katarina Kyrka from the high Northern end at Observatorielunden.

Hilly North end of Drottninggatan

Hilly side street to Drottninggatan

TEGNÉRLUNDEN:

Tegnérlunden is a small, hilly and quiet park at the border of northernmost Norrmalm and Vasastaden, just one block west of Drottninggatan. This very prominenent sculpture is the legendary Swedish author August Strindberg. There is also an Astrid Lindgren sculpture that I didn't see.

Tegnérlunden rules

August Strindberg Sculpture, Tegnérlunden

NORRA BANTORGET AND OLOF PALMES GATA:

Norra Bantorget with the LO building. LO is the well known labour union i n Sweden.

Vasagatan towards Norra Bantorget

Torsgatan, Norra Bantorget

Clarion Hotel Sign, a futuristic hotel at Norra Bantorget, is Stockholm's largest hotel. It has 558 rooms and opened in 2008. It was designed by Gert Wingårdh.

Barnhusgatan with Folkets hus

Stockholm City Conference Centre and a school

Drottninggatan from Olof Palmes gata.

Olof Palmes gata 17

Olof Palmes gata/Olofsgatan

Intersection Olof Palmes gata (formerly Tunnelgatan)/Sveavägen. This is the place where Olof Palme was assassinated in 1986. The killer has not yet been found.

Olof Palmes gata/Sveavägen

Memorial on the ground where Palme was murdered

KUNGSGATAN:

Kungsgatan (King Street) is one of the main streets of Norrmalm. It goes between Sergels torg and Stureplan, at the border to Östermalm.

Kungsgatan towards Kungstornen, Sweden's first "skyscrapers".

The bridge between Kungstornen.

Kungstornen from below

Kungstornen were built in 1924 and 1925 on each side of Kungsgatan, as Sweden's first and highest "skyscrapers". They are 61 and 60m tall and have 17 and 18 floors. They were designed by two different architects and were inspired by the highrise architecture of South Manhattan.

Kungsgatan towards Stureplan (see Östermalm section).

Streetlife on Kungsgatan.

Saga, the movie theater on Kungsgatan that Palme visited before the assassination.

Glass buildings next to Kungsgatan.

Underneath he bridge between Kungstornen.

Kungsgatan

Kungstornen and Klarakyrkan

NYBROPLAN AND BERZELII PARK:

Nybroplan, intersection of Birger Jarlsgatan, Strandvägen, Nybrogatan and Hamngatan. At the border to Östermalm.

Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern (Royal Dramatic Theatre), locally called "Dramaten", is situated at the border between Östermalm and Norrmalm, at Nybroplan in the intersection Strandvägen/Birger Jarlsgatan, opposite Berzelli park. The current building was completed in 1908 and renovated in 2007. It has a capacity of 1500 people on 6 different stages. Carl Milles has made the theatrical decorations and Fredrik Liljekvist designed the building.

Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern, or simply called “Dramaten”, is located at Nybroplan. An older tram is here passing by.

Berzellipark is one of very few parks in central Stockholm. The park is very small. Kungsträdgården (that I originally thought it was) is just one block away. “Dramaten” seen from Berzelii Park. Since a few years back, Stockholm has a few modern yellow trams.

Berzelii Park with the Jöns Jacob Berzelius statue. This small park was named after Berlius, one of the founders of modern chemistry.

Entrance to Berzelii Park Berzelius n statue, Berzelii Park

Berns salonger, an exclusive and famous nightclub, hotel and restaurant. It was completed in 1863. Such various artists as Frank Zinatra, Ryan Adams and Louis Armstrong have performed here.

Chinatheatern, a private theatre from 1928. To the left is Berns salonger seen.

Berzelii Park

The homeless people in Berzelii Park is now a great contrast to Berns.

NORRMALMSTORG:

Norrmalmstorg, a square between Hamngatan and Smålandsgatan, has been internationally famous for the therm "Stockholm syndrome" during the so called "Norrmalmtorgsdramat" bank robbery in 1973, where the hostage had sympathy for the robbers. The drama took place at what was then Kreditbanken, the light building to the right. Many trams passes here and the Swedish HQ for Danske Bank is located here.

Hamngatan towards NK and Danske Bank.

Norrmalmstorg. "Hufvudstaden" is an old Swedish word for "the capital"

HAMNGATAN:

NK (Nordiska Kompaniet) is Sweden's most famous and exclusive department store. The main entrance here is seen from Hamngatan. NK opened in 1915 and was created by Josef Sachs, who was inspired by department stores in New York and Berlin. The logo has remained intact since 1902.

NK:s rotating logo has became a symbol of Stockholm

NK:s rotating logo on the roof

NK atrium, inspired by international department stores. In the 1960s and 70s. NK was first in the world with its own credit card. On September 10th 2003, the former Swedish foreign minister Anna Lindh was stabbed to death in the store!

NK atrium

NK atrium

KUNGSTRÅDGÅRDEN:

Kungsträdgården (King's Garden) is not very large, but still the largest and most prominent park in Stockholm's city center. It is also Stockholm's oldest preserved park, a city not known for its many parks. It is situated between Hamngatan and Strömgatan, the south shore or Norrmalm. Originally the park was only for royalties and was bordered by a high wall. In Kungsträdgården today you can see different kinds of live performances, look at sculptures or sit down in some of the many cafés. In 1866 the exhibition Stockholmsutställningen took place here. The East alley at the park is called Birgit Nilsson allé and the West one Jussi Björlings allé.

Kungsträdgården seen from Hamngatan. Kungsträdgården has many pounds, fountains and sculptures. In 1971 the so called Almstriden took place here, a fight to preserve the elms. Springtime, the many beautiful cherry trees blossom.

Kungsträdgården towards Hamngatan with NK to the left and PK-huset (shopping galleria and Nordea's HQ) to the right. The café in the middle is called Friday's American Bar & Café.

People relaxing in Kungsträdgården a September day

Kungsträdgården with S:t Jacobs kyrka

Statue of King Karl XIII, Kungsträdgården.

Live performance in front of the Karl XIII statue, Kungsträdgården

Jussi Björlings allé, Kungsträdgården

Some kind of young emos make a dance performance behind a fountain, Kungsträdgården.

Molin's fountain, Kungsträdgården

Molin's fountain, Kungsträdgården

St Jacobs kyrka, a red church with green coppar roofs at Jakobs torg next to Kungsträdgården. It was inaugurated in 1643.

St Jacob's Church is a mix of late gothic, renaissance and baroque.

St Jacob's Church

GUSTAV ADOLFS TORG:

Gustav Adolfs Torg is a politically important historical square at the intersection Regeringsgatan/Strömgatan. It is situated right opposite Riksdagshuset (the Parliament House) and Slottet (the Royal Castle), right next to the water of Norrström, connected with Lake Mälaren. Kungliga Operan (the Royal Opera), Ministry of Foreign Affairas and Ministry of Defence are situated there as well as a statue of Gustav II Adolf.

Gustav Adolds torg with the equestrian statue of King Gustav II Adolf. In the background is the Royal Palace (left) and the Parliament House (right).

Kungliga Operan (the Royal Opera), founded in 1773, is the Swedish National Opera. The current neo-baroque building is from 1898 and was inspired by the Parisian Opera house.

THE GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS AT STRÖMGATAN:

Strömgatan towards Drottninggatan with important government buildigs: Sagerska Huset (The Sager House), that is the residence of the prime minister and was built in the late 1800s, and Rosenbad.

Sagerska Huset (The Sager House), the residence of the Swedish prime minister since 1995.

Strömgatan

Rosenbad is a building that has became the symbol for the Swedish government, since it houses the prime minister's office, the conferences and the seat of the government. It is situated in the intersection Drottninggatan/Strömgatan. It is built in 1900-1902, designed by Ferdinand Boberg in an an art nouveaux style.

Rosenbad, the Swedish government building.

Rosenbad.

Strömgatan/Drottninggatan.