- For other uses, see Stockholm (disambiguation).
Stockholm
['stɔkhɔlm,
˘stɔkhɔlm] is the capital and the largest City of Sweden. The City of
Stockholm is administratively a municipality within
Stockholm County, the population of the city proper is 761,721
(2004), with the suburbs included, the population is 1,695,946 (2004) (Stockholm County except Norrtälje, Nykvarn, Nynäshamn and Södertälje). The metropolitan area is known
as Stor-Stockholm. The conurbation of Stockholm, a statistical unit
stretching through several municipalities, had a population of 1,212,196 according to the 2000 census.
As a capital Stockholm is the site of the Government and
the Parliament of Sweden. It is also the residence of the
head of state, King Carl XVI Gustaf.
History
The earliest mention of Stockholm in writing dates from 1252, when it was an important
post in the iron trade from the mines in Bergslagen. The first part of the name
- stock - means logs, while the last part - holm - means small island. The city is said to have been founded by Birger Jarl in order to protect Sweden from invasion from the sea by foreign navies
and to stop pillage of the cities such as Sigtuna on Lake Mälaren. The first building at Stockholm was a fortification for the purpose of controlling the traffic
between the Baltic Sea and Mälaren.
Politics
The city is subdivided into 18 boroughs, which carry responsibility for primary school, social, leisure and cultural services
within their respective areas.
Unofficially Stockholm is divided into three major parts: Stockholm City Centre (Innerstaden), South Stockholm (Söderort) and West
Stockholm (Västerort). They are in turn divided into smaller parts.
Geography
The city is situated on fourteen islands and on the banks of the archipelago where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea. The city center is virtually situated on the water. Coordinates: 59°21'N, 18°4'E.
Universities
Stockholm might be most well known for the Nobel Prizes and the prize
ceremony held each year, but the city also houses the largest concentration of universities with research and higher education in Sweden.
Culture
Apart from being a large city with an active cultural life Stockholm as a capital also houses many of the national cultural
institutions of Sweden, including theatre, opera and museums. There are two UNESCO
World Heritage sites in the Stockholm area: the Drottningholm Palace and a large cemetery, Skogskyrkogården, which include some well-known examples of the
architecture of Gunnar Asplund. During 1998 Stockholm was designated as the European City of Culture.
Sites of interest
Sports teams
Sporting events are popular, with football and ice hockey being the most popular sports. The
city hosted the 1912 Summer Olympics, as well as all but
one of the Nordic Games, a winter multi-sport event that predated the Winter
Olympics.
The three most popular men's football teams are Djurgårdens IF,
Hammarby IF and AIK. All three clubs have
women's teams, although Djurgården's women's elite team is called Djurgården/Älvsjö after a merger with Älvsjö AIK. The clubs
also all have ice hockey teams, but currently (2004-2005 season) only Djurgården plays in the highest division.
Notable natives
External links
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