Stockholm – a historic landmark

The history of Stockholm

Helgeandsholmen in Stockholm.

The history of Stockholm goes back to the Thirteenth Century. The earliest mention of the city of Stockholm in the history books dated back to 1252 with details of its significance as an iron trading post. Stockholm’s history began in the mid 13th century with the building of the fortress in Gamla stan (the Old Town).

An important date in Sweden’s history is 10th October 1471 when the Battle of Brunkeberg (nowadays called Norrmalm; a part of central Stockholm) took place. The Danes and the Swedes had many ‘infectious’ battles in history which were the cause of a lot of vengeance, like the Stockholm bloodbath. After the bloodbath on November 8th in 1520, the Kalmar Union broke and caused long-standing hostility between Sweden and Danmark.

King Gustav Vasa and the location of the Swedish capital

Three years later Sweden got a new king, Gustav Vasa, who was to have a great impact on both Stockholm and the rest of Sweden. He made Sweden an independent monarchy,and Stockholm the capital of Sweden.

The old Stockholm was located on Helgeandsholmen which grew up during the 13th century. For history lovers, there are countless examples of buildings that embody the spirit of the city’s past with the Cathedral of Stockholm, the Royal Palace and the Stockholm City Museum providing some great examples. In 1634, Stockholm became the official capital of the Swedish empire. The oldest building in Stockholm is the Riddarholmskyrkan from the late 13th century. Several of the buildings that stood as strongholds during the establishment of Stockholm are still standing in the city today, as historical landmarks. The Stortorget was the natural centre for the people in old Stockholm. Since Stockholm did a lot of business with the German trade association Hansan, the city was strongly influenced by the Germans for several decades.

Conclusion

Today Stockholm is a modern, technologically advanced and ethnically diverse city. If you’re tired of elbowing people while choking on dust in the world’s more crowded metropolises, try Stockholm. Stockholm has been the political and economic centre of Sweden since the 13th century. Today, Stockholm is one of the world’s most exciting cities for design, as well as one of its most creative culinary metropolises. Today Stockholm is known for science and technological advances, but is still know for it’s cultural diversities. And with a very interesting history for you to discover.

Stockholm – a historic landmark at Flickr