Stockholm History – How The Waterways Created Prosperity

Water in Stockholm is not only omnipresent. It even defined Stockholm history. The Swedish capital became a prosperous city thanks to its location.

Stockholm history officially began around 1250.

The city was founded by Birger Jarl. However, people lived in the area long before that.

In the Middle Ages settlements like Birka and Sigtuna at the shores of lake Mälaren were important trade centers.

Back then it was not yet possible to travel by boat between Mälaren and the Baltic Sea.

Boatmen had to reload goods like iron, tar and copper. This was done at the island of Helgeandsholmen, where now the parliament resides. Here Stockholm began.

It didn’t take long before the southern island of (now) Gamla Stan was inhabited too. This became the center of the new city.

Stockholm soon flourished as a trade centre.

The old settlements lost their appeal. Birka even completely disappeared. The remains of this town are now a popular tourist destination.

Stockholm history is not free from bloodshed. In 1520 the Danish king Christian got control over Stockholm. After a celebration in the royal castle in Stockholm he ordered a massacre at Stortorget, the main square in Gamla Stan. At least eighty Swedish noblemen were beheaded.

The Danes were dispelled shortly afterwards by a young man called Gustav Eriksson. In 1523 he became the new king Gustav Vasa.

Around 1580 about 10,000 people lived in Stockholm.

By then Gamla Stan,Helgeandsholmen, Riddarholmen and parts of Norrmalm were inhabited, soon followed by Södermalm. Although the king had resided in Stockholm long before that, it lasted till 1634 before the city became the official capital of Sweden.

Old drawings from Stockholm history show that the skyline was dominated by Tre Kronor Slott. This royal castle burnt down in 1697. It was replaced by Kungliga Slottet, one of the oldest witnesses of Stockholm history.

Between 1611 and 1721 the Swedes ruled over Sweden, Finland and small parts of Russia and Germany. After the battle of Poltava in (now) Ukraine the empire declined.

Stockholm didn’t lose its status as a trade centre.

During the 19th Century large parts of the city were rebuilt.

The Swedish capital still attracted people from all over the country and grew rapidly: from 75,000 inhabitants in 1800 to 300,000 early 20th Century.

The so called Swedish welfare state started in the thirties of the 20th Century. New suburbs were built and, in the sixties, also a new modern business district in the city centre.

The tunnelbanan (subway, underground) replaced the tram as major transportation system and symbolized Stockholm’s development.

Two brutal murders that became part of Stockholm history caused bursts in the image of the safe and secure Swedish state.

In 1986 the popular prime minister Olof Palme was killed on the pavement of Sveavägen. In 2003 an emotionally disturbed young man stabbed foreign minister Anna Lindh in the majestic NK department store, not far from the place where Palme was shot.

Stockholm has 760,000 inhabitants at the present moment.

In the greater Stockholm region almost 1,900,000 people live.

Stockholm history is best illustrated by a walk across the town. Many streets and buildings tell a story. Take a book or travel guide with you and you will find all the details.