The Blue Hall () is the main hall of the

Stockholm City Hall Stockholm City Hall (, ''Stadshuset'' locally) is the seat of Stockholm Municipality in Stockholm, Sweden. It stands on the eastern tip of Kungsholmen island, next to Riddarfjärden's northern shore and facing the islands of Riddarholmen and ...

best known as the banquet hall for the annual Nobel Banquet, and also used for state visits, student balls, jubilees and other large events.

Description

The Hall is long, wide and high and has a floor space of . It contains a monumental staircase, balcony, and

loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior Long gallery, gallery or corridor, often on an upper level, sometimes on the ground level of a building. The corridor is open to the elements because its outer wall is only parti ...

. A bust of the architect of the hall,

Ragnar Östberg Ragnar Östberg (14 July 1866 – 5 February 1945) was a Swedish architect who is best known for designing Stockholm City Hall. Biography Östberg was born in Stockholm, Sweden. His parents were Carl Östberg and Erika Kindahl. Between 1884 an ...

, is placed on the hall's rooftop terrace. The Blue Hall has brick walls which are not plastered. The hall was originally supposed to have been plastered and painted blue, a colour scheme that would have resembled the water of the bay. But Östberg changed his mind during the construction of the hall after he saw the red brick. Though Östberg abandoned his blue design in favour of the unfinished red brick, the name "Blue Hall" was already in general use and stuck.

Pipe organ

The Blue Hall contains a

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...

known as the Stadshusorgeln (Town Hall pipe organ). The organ was dedicated in 1925. It has around 10,000 pipes and is Scandinavia's 2nd largest musical instrument. Towards the end of the 1960s, the organ was rebuilt and the instrument underwent maintenance at various times afterwards, but by 2007 it was decided that the instrument needed a major overhaul and from 2007 to 2008 the pipe organ was completely renovated by the firm

Harrison & Harrison Harrison & Harrison Ltd is a British company based in Durham that makes and restores pipe organs. It was established in Rochdale in 1861. It is well known for its work on instruments such as King's College, Cambridge, Westminster Abbey, and t ...

in England.

Use

The Hall is the site of the annual Nobel Banquet, held every December 10. This banquet is "the most sought-after social invitation in Sweden", attended by the Swedish royal family, government ministers, parliamentarians, and over 1200 invited guests. Following the banquet, guests go to the

Golden Hall The Golden Hall (''Jindian'' or ''Jinding''), situated at the top of Tianzhu Peak (1612m), is one of the most distinctive landmarks in Wudangshan. It was built in 1416 during the Ming dynasty. According to local histories, the hall was forged ...

, in the same complex, for dancing. The

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

s are not handed out in the Blue Hall, but are given out earlier at the

Stockholm Concert Hall The Stockholm Concert Hall () is the main hall for orchestral music in Stockholm, Sweden. With a design by Ivar Tengbom chosen in competition, inaugurated in 1926, the Hall is home to the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. It is also wh ...

Hötorget Hötorget (''Haymarket'') is a city square in the center of Stockholm, Sweden that has been transitioning since the Early Medieval Period. Description To its east lies the Royal Concert Hall, to its south lies Filmstaden Sergel, one of the ...

. On his day each year the S:t Eriksmedaljen (

St. Erik Saint Erik ( 1125 - 18 May 1160), also called Eric IX or Erik Jedvardsson was King of Sweden from 1156 until his death in 1160. The ''Roman Martyrology'' of the Catholic Church names him as a saint memorialized on 18 May. He was the founder of ...

s Medal) is handed out to awardees at the Blue Hall. The Blue Hall is also used for state visits, student balls, jubilees, and other large events.

References

Notes

Sources

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External links

360 degree panorama of Blå Hallen360 degree panorama of Blå Hallen nr.2
{{authority control Culture in Stockholm Individual rooms