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Stockholm City Hall ( sv, Stockholms stadshus, ''Stadshuset'' locally) is the seat of
Stockholm Municipality Stockholm Municipality or the City of Stockholm ( sv, Stockholms kommun or ) is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden. It has the largest population of the 290 municipalities of the country, but one of the smallest areas, m ...
in
Stockholm Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...
,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
. It stands on the eastern tip of Kungsholmen island, next to
Riddarfjärden Riddarfjärden (, "The Knight Firth") is the easternmost bay of Mälaren, Lake Mälaren in central Stockholm. Stockholm was founded in 1252 on an island in the stream where Lake Mälaren (from the west) drains into the Baltic Sea (to the east); to ...
's northern shore and facing the islands of Riddarholmen and
Södermalm Södermalm, often shortened to just Söder, is a district and island in central Stockholm. Overview The district covers the large island of the same name (formerly called ''Åsön''). Although Södermalm usually is considered an island, wat ...
. It houses offices and conference rooms as well as ceremonial halls. It is the venue of the Nobel Prize banquet and is one of Stockholm's major tourist attractions.


Site and construction

In 1907, the city council decided to build a new city hall at the former site of
Eldkvarn Eldkvarn was a grand gristmill in central Stockholm that burned in 1878 — an event which was known as "the fire of the century". It was located where today the Stockholm City Hall stands. The mill was built in 1805 for Abraham Niclas Ede ...
. An
architectural design competition An architectural design competition is a type of design competition in which an organization that intends on constructing a new building invites architects to submit design proposals. The winning design is usually chosen by an independent panel ...
was held, which first resulted in the selection of drafts by Ragnar Östberg,
Carl Westman Ernst Carl Westman (20 February 1866 – 23 January 1936) was a Swedish architect and interior designer. He was an early adopter of the National Romantic Style, but turned later to the neo-classical style of the 1920s. Biography Carl Westman ...
,
Ivar Tengbom Ivar Justus Tengbom (April 7, 1878 – August 6, 1968) was a Swedish architect and one of the best-known representatives of the Swedish neo-classical architecture of the 1910s and 1920s. Tengbom was born in Vireda in Jönköping County, s ...
jointly with Ernst Torulf, and
Carl Bergsten Carl Gustaf Bergsten (10 May 1879 in Norrköping - 22 April 1935 in Stockholm) was a Swedish architect. He graduated in 1901 from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology and three years later from the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts in Sto ...
. After a further competition between Westman and Östberg, the latter was assigned the construction of the City Hall, while the former was asked to build
Stockholm Court House The Stockholm Court House ( sv, Stockholms rådhus) is situated on Kungsholmen in Central Stockholm, Sweden. The building is connected to the Stockholm Police House through an underground pedestrian walkway. The Stockholm City Court was situat ...
. Östberg modified his original draft using elements of Westman's design, including the tower. During construction, Östberg constantly reworked his plans, resulting in the addition of the lantern on top of the tower, and the abandonment of the blue glazed tiles in the Blue Hall. Oskar Asker was employed as construction leader and Paul Toll, of builders Kreuger & Toll, designed the foundations.
Georg Greve Georg C. F. Greve (born 10 March 1973 in Helgoland, Germany) is a software developer, physicist, author and currently co-founder and president at Vereign. He has been working on technology politics since he founded the Free Software Foundation ...
also assisted in preparing the plans. Construction took twelve years, from 1911 to 1923. Nearly eight million red
brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...
s were used. The dark red bricks, called "munktegel" (monks's brick) because of their traditional use in the construction of monasteries and churches, were provided by Lina brickworks of
Södertälje Södertälje ( , ) is a city in Södermanland and Stockholm County, Sweden and seat of Södertälje Municipality. As of 2017, it has 72,704 inhabitants. Södertälje is located at Mälarens confluence in to the Baltic Sea through the lock in the ...
. The building was inaugurated on 23 June 1923, exactly 400 years after
Gustav Vasa Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksför ...
's arrival in Stockholm. Verner von Heidenstam and
Hjalmar Branting Karl Hjalmar Branting (; 23 November 1860 – 24 February 1925) was a Swedish politician who was the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party (SAP) from 1907 until his death in 1925, and three times Prime Minister of Sweden. When Branting cam ...
delivered the inaugurational speeches.


Architecture and style

Stockholm City Hall is an example of
National Romantic style The National Romantic style was a Nordic architectural style that was part of the National Romantic movement during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is often considered to be a form of Art Nouveau. The National Romantic style spread ...
. The site, overlooking Riddarfjärden, inspired a central motif, namely the juxtaposition of city architecture and water that represents a central feature of Stockholm's cityscape as a whole. The hall's style is one of refined eclecticism, blending massive, austere, Northern European brick construction with whimsical elements reminiscent of
Venetian Gothic architecture Venetian Gothic is the particular form of Italian Gothic architecture typical of Venice, originating in local building requirements, with some influence from Byzantine architecture, and some from Islamic architecture, reflecting Venice's tradin ...
, such as turrets adorned with golden starlets, decorated balconies, wooden masts, and statues. The Blue Hall, with its straight walls and arcades, incorporates elements of a formal courtyard. Its walls are in fact without blue decorations; the name derives from Östberg's first draft, and is notable as the dining hall where banquets are held after the annual
Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
award ceremony. The
organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...
in the Blue Hall, with its 10,270 pipes, is the largest in Scandinavia. Above the Blue Hall lies the Golden Hall (''Gyllene Salen''), named after the decorative
mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
s made of more than 18 million tiles. The mosaics make use of motifs from Swedish history. They were executed by the Berlin, Germany, firm of Puhl & Wagner (Gottfried Heinersdorff), after nine years of negotiations by Gottfried Heinersdorff (1883-1941) for the commission. The southeast corner of the building, immediately adjacent to the shore, is dominated by a monumental tower topped with the
Three Crowns Three Crowns ( sv, tre kronor, links=no) is the national emblem of Sweden, present in the coat of arms of Sweden, and composed of three yellow or gilded coronets ordered two above and one below, placed on a blue background. Similar designs are f ...
, the Swedish national symbol. The tower is 106 metres high and is accessible by lift or a 365 step staircase. The eastern side of its base is decorated with the gold-plated
cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the vast majority of cenot ...
of 13th century Swedish statesman
Birger Jarl Birger Jarl, also known as ''Birger Magnusson'' (21 October 1266), was a Swedish statesman, ''jarl'', and a member of the House of Bjelbo, who played a pivotal role in the consolidation of Sweden. Birger also led the Second Swedish Crusade, w ...
. Stockholm City Hall has been the location of a number of cultural productions, including the 1991 music video Fading Like a Flower (Every Time You Leave) by Swedish pop duo
Roxette Roxette was a Swedish pop rock duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson (vocals and keyboards) and Per Gessle (vocals and guitar). Formed in 1986, the duo became an international act in the late 1980s, when they released their breakthrough second ...
.


Stadshusparken

The small park between the building and Lake Mälaren's shore is adorned with several sculptures, among them
Carl Eldh Carl Eldh (10 May 1873 – 26 January 1954) was a Swedish artist and sculptor. Full name: Carl Johan Eldh (signs on artwork as "''C.J. ELDH''"). Older brother to Albert Eldh. Biography Eldh was born in Östhammar Municipality, Uppland, the ...
's ensemble representing the artists
August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...
, Gustaf Fröding and
Ernst Josephson Ernst Abraham Josephson (1851-1906) was a Swedish painter and poet. He specialized in portraits, genre scenes of folklife and folklore. Background He was born to a middle-class family of merchants of Jewish ancestry. His uncle, Ludvig Josephso ...
, as well as Eldh's
bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids suc ...
sculptures "Sången" and "Dansen" ("The Song" and "The Dance"). To the south-east of the city hall, facing Riddarholmen, is a pillar topped with a statue of
Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson (1390s – 27 April/4 May 1436) was a Swedish nobleman, rebel leader and military boss of German ancestry. He was the leader of the Engelbrekt rebellion in 1434 against Eric of Pomerania, king of the Kalmar Union. Eng ...
.


Gallery

File:Stadshuset mot nordost 2012.jpg, Stockholms City Hall Tower File:Cityhallplanet.jpg, Stockholm City Hall in HDR stereographic projection File:Stockholm-city-hall.jpg, Stockholm City Hall at night. File:Stadshuset Hof 1.jpg, Stockholm City Hall, inneryard File:Inner courtyard of city hall, Stockholm.jpg, Inner courtyard of Stockholm City Hall File:Gyllene salen 2009.jpg, Golden room with "Mälardrottning". File:Blå hallen 2009.jpg, "Blå hallen" File:Rådsalen 2009a.jpg, "Rådsalen" File:Stockholm City hall.jpg, Stockholm City Hall on a summer evening. File:Stadshuset vinter 2006.jpg, Stockholm City Hall on a winter day. File:Stadshustornet 2009a.jpg, The bells File:Stadshustornet 2009c.jpg, Sankt Erik in tower museum File:Stadshustornet 2009d.jpg, The towermuseum File:Stadshustornet 2009g.jpg, View to north-east File:Stockholm Stadshuset sept2010.jpg, Stockholm City Hall at dusk File:Stockholm City Hall ilummniated by night.jpg, alt=A city building with a space picture projected on the side, Stockholm City Hall lit up in a 2020 art project during Nobel Week


See also

* Architecture of Stockholm *
History of Stockholm The history of Stockholm, capital of Sweden, for many centuries coincided with the development of what is today known as Gamla stan, the Stockholm Old Town. Stockholm's ''raison d'être'' always was to be the Swedish capital and by far the larges ...
* List of streets and squares in Gamla stan *
Geography of Stockholm The City of Stockholm is situated on fourteen islands and on the banks to the archipelago where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea. The city centre is virtually situated on the water. The area of Stockholm is one of several places in Sweden with ...
*
Stockholm Court House The Stockholm Court House ( sv, Stockholms rådhus) is situated on Kungsholmen in Central Stockholm, Sweden. The building is connected to the Stockholm Police House through an underground pedestrian walkway. The Stockholm City Court was situat ...


References


External links


Stockholm City: Official city hall pagesStockholm360.net: Virtual Tour of Stockholm City Hall
— ''with 360 x 180 degree panoramas''. {{Authority control Buildings and structures in Stockholm City and town halls in Sweden 1923 establishments in Sweden Government buildings completed in 1923 Nobel Prize National Romantic architecture in Sweden Art Nouveau architecture in Stockholm Art Nouveau government buildings Office buildings in Sweden