Stockholm's Architectural Procession

Stockholm's Architectural Procession

As in many other Swedish cities, a single afternoon walk in Stockholm offers a journey through centuries of architectural change and innovation. There are, of course, the classics. Take Kungliga Slottet (Royal Palace) on Gamla Stan. Designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger and built between 1690 and 1704, it's a rather austere palace -- no domes, no great towers -- and yet it commands a certain respect sitting so regally over the water. Nearby, on Riddarholmen, observe the gorgeous, medieval Riddarholmskyrkan (Riddarholm Church), with its lattice spire pointed toward the heavens. And let's not forget Drottningholms Slott, just west of the city, a 17th-century châteauesque structure -- designed by Tessin the Elder and finished by his son -- that has been the home of the royal family since 1981. Also at Drottningholm is the Court Theater (1766), which, remarkably, still contains its original interior and fully functional stage machinery.

Stadshuset (City Hall) is also a must-see. Completed in 1923, the building contains more than 8 million bricks and 19 million gilded mosaic tiles. Each year the Nobel Prize ceremony is held in the building's Blå Hallen (Blue Hall). Built a few years later is Stadsbiblioteket (City Library), designed by Eric Gunnar Asplund -- one of Sweden's most renowned architects. The library's eye-pleasing yet simple design foreshadows the funkis (functionalist) movement that Gunnar helped spearhead in the 1920s and '30s.

Skattehuset (Tax House), also known as Skatteskrapan (a play on the word "skyscraper"), is hard to miss, looming mercilessly as it does over Södermalm. Completed in the early 1950s as part of an attempt to consolidate the nation's tax offices, the singularly dull, gray, 25-story building is often criticized for having ruined the southern skyline of Stockholm.

Farther south, another architectural oddity plagues -- or enhances, depending on whom you ask -- the skyline. Globen (the Globe), the world's largest spherical building, looks something like a colossal golf ball. Unveiled in 1988, it's the main arena in Stockholm for indoor sporting events and rock concerts. Despite debates concerning its aesthetics (or lack thereof), a look at the cables and beams inside reveals Globen's architecture marvel.

Another much-debated architectural undertaking is Hötorgscity, across from the highly influential Kulturhuset at Sergels Torg. Constructed in the mid-'50s, Hötorgscity was built to house retail stores and offices to bring more commerce to downtown Stockholm. The project failed, and a significant chunk of historic Stockholm was lost. The buildings were shut down in the '70s, but today there is a renewed interest in the top floors of the buildings, especially among young business owners.

What is most striking about the buildings that make up Stockholm's architectural portfolio is their diversity. Centuries of history involving both failures and successes are reflected in the styles that make up the city's skyline. Every building in Stockholm, new or old, tells a story.