UPPSALA - JUNE 1981

OLD UNIVERSITY, CHARMING TOWN



"GAMLA UPPSALA is one of Scandinavia's most notable ancient monuments. Three majestic royal mounds from the 6th century, one of Scandinavia's largest burial places, and ruins of a cathedral built in the 12th century can be found there"



"UNIVERSITY - Uppsala, founded in 1477, was the first university in Scandinavia and is the oldest in the Nordic countries. Linnaeus (born in 1707 - third centenary next year), Celsius, and eight Nobel prizes helped to make the University known all over the world"


"CASTLE - King Gustav I in the mid-16th century started the construction; its present form was achieved in 1757. It includes the Hall of State, the Uppsala Art Museum, the university's art collection, and the home of the county governor"


"CATHEDRAL - The largest church building in Scandinavia (118.7 m high). The construction started in 1287 and took more than a century to complete (inaugurated in 1435). It was dedicated to the saints Lawrence, Eric - the patron of Sweden, and Olaf - the patron of Norway. King Gustav Vasa, 16th century, and the famous botanist Linnaeus, 18th century, are buried inside"


"DOWNTOWN - In front of the railway station, where you take the train back to Stockholm"

AROUND STOCKHOLM - JUNE 1981

ARTS AND SUBURBS


"MUSEUM OF MODERN ART - In May 1958, the Moderna Museet opened for the first time in the navy's former drill-house on the island of Skeppsholmen (the building which now houses the Museum of Architecture)"


"MUSEUM OF MODERN ART - The collection is a treasure of modern and contemporary art, one of the best collections in Europe of 20th century art"


"DROTTNINGHOLM - A former Royal summer residence on an island in Lake Mälar, in a suburb of Stockholm, the Drottningholm Palace is today the home of the Royal family. With its castle (built in the 17th century), its perfectly preserved theatre (built in 1766), the Chinese pavilion and its gardens, it is the finest example of a north European royal residence. The Drottningholm Palace is also on UNESCO's World Heritage list"


"DROTTNINGHOLM - There was even a beach there"


"MILLESGARDEN - Carl Milles is Sweden's most famous sculptor. He was born in Laga (near Uppsala) on June 23, 1875, and died in Lindingo on September 19, 1955. Carl Milles lived in Paris from 1897 to 1904 and worked as an assitant to Rodin"


"CARL MILLES SCULPTURE PARK - Fountains are glittering in the sun at the most spectacular museum in Stockholm, the Millesgården Sculpture Park Museum. It's built on terraces carved into the cliffs of the island Lidingö. The sculptures, stairways, columns and fountains made by Carl Milles rival the magnificent view over the city"


"FLYING - Everybody and everything flies in Milles' sculptures"-


"HAND OF GOD - The man standing on a hand sculpture was made for the UN building in New York, but it was never placed there"


"LOWER TERRACE - There are three large fountain sculptures on the lower terrace: Poseidon, Europa and Jonah and the Whale, that Carl Milles installed there in the early 1950's"


"VASA MUSEUM - On August 10, 1628, the Vasa fired a salute and set sail for the first time. A few minutes later, a sudden gust of wind caused her to list so that water poured in through the lowest tier of open gun ports. The ship which was supposed to have been the mightiest of its time, sank ridiculously quickly in 100 feet of water. Salvaged in 1961, it is now the world's only surviving 17th-century ship!"


"SKANSEN - Founded in 1891, and located on the island of Djurgården, a royal park near the centre of Stockholm, it is the oldest open-air museum in the world. Skansen has some 150 houses and farmsteads assembled from all over Sweden"


"TV TOWER - The building became a tourist attraction, mainly because it towers over Stockholm, and from the top you can see for miles on a clear day; and there is also a restaurant!"


GRÖNA LUND - Gröna Lund is Stockholm's Luna Park since 1883: a funny place to enjoy!"


"SUNSET"

STOCKHOLM - DOWNTOWN - JUNE 1981

A BEAUTIFUL CITY

Stockholm (in summer) is (with Sydney, all year round) one of the two most beautiful cities in the world (Lisbon is special, and does not enter this competition...).
Water plays undoubtely an important role: the city is built across 14 islands, one third of its area is covered by water, and thus Stockholm is often called «Venice of the North». It is located at the point where Lake Mälaren flows into the Baltic Sea, and it is said that the water is so clean that you can drink it, as well as catch salmon from one of the many bridges in the city centre.
With the lakes, parks, islands, perfect organization, and only 1,3 million people living in the greater city area, Stockholm is a destination impossible to be missed. Of course, with temperatures ranging from minus seven through minus twelve on March 11 (today's forecast), Winter is, from my point of view, far from being an inviting season...

***

ANOTHER ROOM WITH A VIEW


"HOTEL DIPLOMAT - «Wake up on the Sunny side»! A very pleasant place to stay, at Strandvagen, 7c, by the Nybroviken Quay. Strandvägen is Stockholm's most prestigious address, with some of its buildings dating back to 1890 - 1910. Magnificent view from room 602!"


"HOTEL DIPLOMAT - View to the Nybroviken Quay from where the sightseeing boats depart"


"HOTEL DIPLOMAT - The view to the other side"

***

DOWNTOWN

STOCKHOLM refers to the town in between bridges. The name was first mentionned in the chronicle of Erik, probably written between 1322 and 1332. According to this chronicle Stockholm was founded by Birger Jarl in 1252.


"CITY HALL - One of the Swedens most famous buildings, home to the Nobel Party. Located in the centre, its Tower has a very nice view to the city and the water. Of course, due to the weather conditions, it's usually only open during the Summer"


"SHERATON - Close by, near Stockholm's central business district, there is the amazing building of the Sheraton Hotel with nice views of Lake Mälaren, City Hall, and the Old Town"



"SERGELS TORG - Heart of downtown, with a huge glass building - the Kulturhuset (House of Culture) -, which symbolizes Stockholm and shows the development of modernism in Sweden"


"KUNGSTRADGARDEN - A park with plenty to enjoy"

***

THE OLD TOWN


"GAMLA STAN - The Old Town Island (500 meters in diameter), where it all started more than 750 years ago. Most historic buildings date from the seventeenth century, which gives Gamla Stan an interesting look"


"THE HOUSE OF NOBILITY was built in 1641-74 for the meetings of the Swedish Nobility, in Parliament. The building is one of the most exquisite works of architecture in northern Europe"


"GAMLA STAN STREETS - Since 1520 Stockholm has has not seen war on its site, so its streets in the Old Town still keep the medieval layout. However, numerous buildings have been added or renovated, particularly in the 17th century, when Sweden was one of Europe's major military powers"


"THE GREAT MARKET PLACE (Stortorget) is situated in the heart of the Old Town, and was originally the centre of the city. The first floor of the buildings are medieval, the upper floors were added in the 17th century. The Börsen building houses nowadays the Nobel Museum. On the second floor, the Swedish Academy meets every week and also elects the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature.


"GAMLA STAN - Around the Stortorget there are several buildings from the seventeenth century and one dating back to the sixteenth century"


"ROYAL PALACE, built between 1697 and 1754) was the largest single construction project in Europe during this time. It is now the biggest palace in the world still used by a head of state (608 rooms) - King Carl Gustav XVI"

***

BY THE WATER


"BLASIEHOLMSHAMMEN - Home to the magnificent Grand Hotel"


"SKEPPSHOLMSBRON - the «Ship's Island Bridge», was built in 1861, and connects the Skeppsholmen island to the northern mainland"


"AF CHAPMAN - The white fullrigger docked along the quai of western Skeppsholmen, built in 1888, was named after an 18th century Swedish naval architect. She sailed as a British cargo vessel until 1908, and served as the training ship for the Swedish Navy. In 1949, she became Stockholm's youth hostel"


"SUNSET, with Af Chapman"