Greta Garbo’s Stockholm
– From Södermalm Roots to Global Stardom

Promotional poster with Greta Garbo. Photo: Susanlenox from España (PDM-owner)

💡 Summary
Greta Garbo, one of cinema’s most enigmatic stars, began her journey in Stockholm. From her birthplace in Södermalm and early career at PUB department store to her final resting place at Skogskyrkogården, this article explores the legacy she left in her hometown—a trail of history, cinema, and mystique.

Greta Garbo’s Stockholm: Life, Legacy, and Landmarks

Stockholm, Sweden’s picturesque capital, is not only famous for its scenic waterways and historic streets but also as the birthplace of Greta Garbo (1905–1990), one of cinema’s most enigmatic stars.

Celebrated worldwide as one of the greatest actresses of all time, Garbo’s story begins in modest surroundings in Södermalm before her meteoric rise to Hollywood fame. For visitors, retracing Garbo’s steps in Stockholm offers a unique mix of cultural heritage and cinematic history.

The Swedish actress Greta Garbo in a photo from 1931. Photo: Ross-Verlag (Public domain)

Greta Garbo on the cover of the Brazilian magazine "Ascena Muda" from 1940. Photo: A Scena Muda - https://bjks-opac.museus.gov.br/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=22900 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Greta Garbo’s birthplace in Södermalm

Born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, Garbo spent her early years on Blekingegatan in Södermalm. Though her childhood home was demolished in the 1970s, Greta Garbo Square and her former school, Katarina Södra, remain close by. Walking these streets today, it’s easy to imagine the young Garbo dreaming of a life far beyond the neighborhood.

Address card for actress Greta Garbo, from the Census Office's address card register. Greta Garbo is listed at the address Blekingegatan 32 from her birth in 1905 until the age of 21. On November 8, 1926, the address Miramar Hotel in Los Angeles was registered on the card. Photo: Stockholms stadsarkiv (CC-BY)

Katarina Södra, the main facade facing Katarina Bangata. Photo: Holger.Ellgaard (CC BY-SA 4.0)

From PUB department store to discovery

As a teenager, Garbo worked as a shop assistant in the hat department of the PUB department store on Hötorget. She also modeled in promotional ads, where her striking presence caught the eye of film director Erik A. Petschler. He encouraged her to join the Royal Dramatic Theatre’s acting school—changing her path forever.

🎭 Garbo’s Stockholm Beginnings

In the early 1920s, before Hollywood stardom, Greta Garbo worked at PUB department store. In a 1927 letter, she confessed she dreamed of “a bachelor’s apartment in Stockholm, a good bottle of champagne, and Mimi Pollak by her side”—a glimpse into the ambitions and longing rooted in her hometown.

The PUB building, once a cornerstone of Stockholm shopping, is now the Haymarket Hotel. Adding a layer of intrigue, Vladimir Lenin famously bought a suit here during his brief stop in Stockholm in 1917.

The facade of the PUB department store facing Hötorget in Stockholm, 2007. Photo: Holger.Ellgaard (CC BY-SA 3.0)

A woman selling berries at Hötorget in Stockholm in 1930. The Concert Hall is visible on the right in the background. Photo: E.D. Schött, Tekniska museet (CC BY 2.5)

Filmstaden Råsunda: Where her career took flight

Garbo’s breakthrough came at Filmstaden Råsunda in Solna, north of Stockholm. As Sweden’s largest film studio of the time, Filmstaden produced classics that launched Swedish actors onto the world stage. Here, Garbo starred in Gösta Berlings Saga (1924), a performance that led directly to her international career and eventual move to Hollywood.

The entrance to Filmstaden in Råsunda, just outside Stockholm, around 1925. Photo: Unknown (Public domain)

The entrance to Filmstaden in Råsunda has not changed significantly in 100 years. Today, the area is open to the public. Photo: Holger.Ellgaard (CC BY-SA 3.0)

🔎 Hidden History: Garbo’s Secret Retreat in Ingarö

Away from the Hollywood spotlight, Greta Garbo often returned to Stockholm under the radar. She spent time on Ingarö in the Stockholm archipelago, seeking privacy and escape. Though rarely mentioned, these visits reveal the quiet side of a star who the world saw as untouchable.

From New York exile to Stockholm’s Skogskyrkogården

After years of global stardom, Greta Garbo lived her later life in reclusive privacy in New York. She passed away on April 15, 1990, at the age of 84.

Her final resting place is in Stockholm’s Skogskyrkogården, the serene woodland cemetery now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Her grave remains a place of quiet pilgrimage for fans from around the world.

🎬 Greta Garbo’s Stockholm—From Södermalm to Stardom

Born in 1905 in a modest Södermalm apartment, Greta Garbo worked at PUB before her discovery at the Royal Dramatic Theatre. Her early Stockholm life, full of both hardship and ambition, shaped the mystique that later captivated Hollywood. Today, her story lingers across Södermalm, Hötorget, and Skogskyrkogården, inviting visitors to walk the same streets once crossed by the “Swedish Sphinx.”

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Greta Garbo (1905–1990), born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, was one of early Hollywood’s most influential actresses. Though she lived much of her life abroad, her story begins and ends in Stockholm, where her memory remains tied to Södermalm, PUB, Filmstaden, and Skogskyrkogården.

Greta Garbo’s Stockholm– From Södermalm Roots to Global Stardom