Around Scandinavia: Part Eighteen

In which I explored the Swedish hall

02.06.2025: Tour Day7, Country3, City1

Good morning from Stockholm! I woke up at 6am and had breakfast at 07:30am. Luggage was loaded into the bus and we drove towards the first sightseeing for today. The bus was parked at 9am and we walked the path towards the city hall. We had a guided tour of an hour.

Stockholm City Hall (Stadshuset)

It is situated on the eastern tip of Kungsholmen island, serves as a seat for the city council. It is a masterpiece of National Romantic architecture and houses several iconic rooms, each with distinct functions and artistic significance:

The Blue Hall (Blå Hallen)

We entered the Blue Hall (which is red in colour), venue for hosting the annual Noble Banquet. 

The organ Stadshusorgein, with approx. 10000 pipes, is the largest in Scandinavia. We went upstairs to the passage and then passed by few rooms in the building. 

The Council Chamber (Rådssalen)

This is where the meetings of the city council are held. It is designed to resemble the Vikings longhouse.

The Oval Room (Ovalen)

It is known for its “Thureholm tapestries”, created by the Swedish textile artist Maja Sjostrom.

We walked the Prince Gallery, to reach the next room.

Golden Hall (Gyllene Salen)

This hall is a banquet venue known for dazzling gold mosaic tiles that depicts Swedish history and mythology, including the Queen of Lake Mälaren. It is used for dancing after the Nobel banquet dinner.

We spent some time at the souvenir shop, then roamed around the exteriors filled with rhododendrons. 

We walked by the waterfront of Lake Mälaren, watching the boats and other buildings. We got back to our bus at 10:15am and drove towards the Royal Palace. The bus dropped us at the public square in Gamla Stan. We walked towards the gate of Royal Palace. We passed by the equestrian statue of Charles XIV John, the clock tower of Storkyrkan and Obelisk at Slottsbacken. 

We reached the palace entrance at 11am. More on this in next post.