Södermalm, often shortened to just Söder, is the southern district of

Stockholm City Centre Stockholm City Centre (, , ) is in Stockholm Municipality, also known as the City of Stockholm, part of the Stockholm urban area in Sweden. Since 2007, Stockholm City Centre has been organized into four (sometimes translated as "boroughs"): K ...

Overview

The Södermalm district covers the island of the same name (formerly called ''Åsön''), which, however, is not fully separated from the peninsula of

Södertörn Södertörn is a roughly triangular peninsula and artificial island in eastern Södermanland, Sweden, with an area of 1,207 km² and is bordered by: *Lake Mälaren, the Hammarby Canal and the inlet of Saltsjön (a part of the Baltic Sea) t ...

(or the rest of the Swedish mainland), as water to both its north and south does not flow freely but passes through a

lock Lock(s) or Locked may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainme ...

and a man-made waterway. Södermalm is connected to its surrounding areas by a number of bridges. It connects to

Gamla stan Gamla Stan (, "The Old Town"), until 1980 officially Staden mellan broarna ("The Town between the Bridges"), is the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Gamla Stan consists primarily of the island Stadsholmen. Gamla Stan includes the surrounding islets ...

to the north by

Slussen Slussen (') is an area in Stockholm, Sweden, located at the northern edge of Södermalm, adjacent to Gamla stan. It is known for its locks system between Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea, as well as its historic role as a major transport int ...

, a grid of road and rail and a lock separating the lake

Mälaren Mälaren ( , , or ), historically referred to as Lake Malar in English, is the third-largest freshwater lake in Sweden (after Vänern and Vättern). Its area is and its greatest depth is 64 m (210 ft). Mälaren spans from east to west. The l ...

from the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

, to

Långholmen Långholmen is an island between two other islands, Södermalm and Kungsholmen, in central Stockholm, Sweden. This island can be reached via two bridges; Pålsundsbron in the east and Långholmsbron in the west. Långholmen is a popular sp ...

to the northwest by one of the city's larger bridges,

Västerbron () is an arch bridge in central Stockholm, Sweden. With a total length exceeding 600 m, 340 m of which stretches over water, it is one of the major bridges in Stockholm, offering one of the most panoramic views of the central part of the city cent ...

, to the islet

Reimersholme Reimersholme is a small island in central Stockholm, lying to the west of Södermalm and to the south of the neighbouring island Långholmen. Reimersholme is inhabited by 2,324 people, living in 1,527 dwellings, and with an average annual incom ...

to the west, to

Liljeholmen Liljeholmen is a district of the Hägersten-Liljeholmen borough in Söderort, the southern suburban part of Stockholm. History In 1860 Liljeholmen became the first suburb outside Stockholm city limits. The district was then one of two self-gov ...

to the southwest by the bridge

Liljeholmsbron Liljeholmsbron ( Swedish: "The Liljeholmen Bridge") is a bridge in central Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching over Liljeholmsviken, it connects the western end of the major island Södermalm to the southern mainland district Liljeholmen. History ...

, to Årsta by Årstabron and

Skansbron Skansbron ( Swedish: "The Fortlet Bridge") is a bascule bridge in central Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching over the canal Hammarbykanalen, it connects the major island Södermalm to the southern mainland district Södra Hammarbyhamnen. Before the l ...

, to

Johanneshov Johanneshov () is a district in Stockholm located at the intersection of national road 73 and national road 75 in the borough of Enskede-Årsta-Vantör, southern Stockholm, Sweden. The icehockey arena Hovet is located in Johanneshov, its c ...

Johanneshovsbron Johanneshovsbron ( Swedish: "The Johanneshov Bridge") is a 756 metres long and 17,9 metres wide road bridge in central Stockholm, Sweden. Overpassing two older bridges, Skansbron and Skanstullsbron, and one newer bridge, Fredriksdalsbron, it co ...

and

Skanstullsbron Skanstullsbron (Swedish language, Swedish: "The Fortlet Tollgate Bridge") is a bridge in central Stockholm, Sweden. Overpassing the older bridge Skansbron, it connects the major island Södermalm to the southern district Johanneshov. The first p ...

to the south, and, finally, to

Södra Hammarbyhamnen Södra Skogsägarna, trading as Södra, is a forestry cooperative based in Växjö, Sweden. More than 52,000 forest owners in southern Sweden are members of the economic association that is Södra. They own just over half of all privately owned fo ...

to the east by Danvikstull Bridge. Administratively, Södermalm is part of

Stockholm Municipality Stockholm Municipality () or the City of Stockholm () 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, making it the second most ...

. It constitutes, together with

and some other districts, from 2007 the administrative district ''Södermalms stadsdelsområde'', often translated as

Södermalm borough Södermalm, often shortened to just Söder, is the southern district of Stockholm City Centre. Overview The Södermalm district covers the island of the same name (formerly called ''Åsön''), which, however, is not fully separated from th ...

History

The name Södermalm (as ''Suthaermalm'') is first mentioned in 1288 in a letter from Bishop Anund of Strängnäs. Until the early 17th century Södermalm was mainly a rural, agricultural area. Its first urban areas were planned and built in the mid 17th century, comprising a mixture of working class housing, such as the little red cottages of which a few can still be seen in northeastern Södermalm, and the summer houses and pavilions of wealthier families, such as

Emanuel Swedenborg Emanuel Swedenborg (; ; born Emanuel Swedberg; (29 January 168829 March 1772) was a Swedish polymath; scientist, engineer, astronomer, anatomist, Christian theologian, philosopher, and mysticism, mystic. He became best known for his book on the ...

's pavilion, which is now in the outdoor museum

Skansen Skansen (; "the Sconce") is the oldest open-air museum and zoo in Sweden located on the island Djurgården in Stockholm, Sweden. It was opened on 11 October 1891 by Artur Hazelius (1833–1901) to show the way of life in the different parts ...

. During this time, it was also the location of perhaps the first theatre in Scandinavia,

Björngårdsteatern Björngårdsteatern ('Bear's Yard Theater'), also called Christian Thums Commedi-huus ('Christian Thum's Comedy-house') and Theums Spelehus ('Theum's Play-house'), was a theatre in Stockholm in Sweden, active between 1640 and 1655. It was possibly t ...

. Södermalm is often poetically named ''Söders höjder'' ("heights of the south"), which reflects its topography of sheer cliffs and rocky hills. Indeed, the hills of Södermalm provide remarkable views of

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

's skyline. In the 18th century, the working-class cottages that clung to Mariaberget, the steep cliffs facing

Riddarfjärden Riddarfjärden (, "The Knight Firth") is the easternmost bay of 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); today the i ...

, were replaced by the large buildings that are still present today. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that urbanization grasped the entire width of Södermalm, and even today parts of Södermalm have a rural feeling to them, as for instance the landscape of tiny allotments that climb the slopes of Eriksdal. Södermalm was once known as the "slum" area of Stockholm. However today, Södermalm is known as the home of

bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a ...

alternative culture Alternative culture is a type of culture that exists outside or on the fringes of mainstream or popular culture, usually under the domain of one or more subcultures. These subcultures may have little or nothing in common besides their relative ...

and a broad range of cultural amenities. Meanwhile, the growing demand for housing, as well as an increasing

gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...

of Stockholm's central parts, makes apartments in Södermalm more and more difficult or expensive to come by. Thus what was once a

working-class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...

district is now somewhat a district of the privileged.

Geography

Neighbourhoods

Södermalm is roughly divided into the following neighbourhoods (from west to east): * Högalid (western area): ** Bergsund ** Drakenberg **

Heleneborg Heleneborg is an estate on Södermalm, a part of the city of Stockholm, Sweden. It is opposite Långholmen island (home to Långholmen prison until 1975). The property was bought in 1669 by Jonas Österling and was used by the Swedish tobacco m ...

** Tantolunden **

Zinkensdamm Zinkensdamm is an area and a former manor in Södermalm in the Stockholm City Centre just east of Hornstull. The area was named after Frantz Zinck, who lived on the property for five years in the 1600s, though he never formally owned it. The Z ...

* Maria Magdalena (mid-northern area): ** Mariaberget **

Mariatorget Mariatorget (the Maria Square) is a Town square, square and a city park in the district of Södermalm in Stockholm, Sweden. History It was constructed at the end of the 1760s. Its original name was Adolf Fredriks torg (after King Adolf Frederick ...

** Södra stationsområdet *Åsö (mid-southern area): ** Eriksdal ** Helgalund **

Medborgarplatsen Medborgarplatsen (literally ''Citizen's Square'') is a large city square located near the center of the island of Södermalm in Stockholm, Sweden. The square is often colloquially referred to as "''Medis''". Description The development of the ci ...

**Rosenlund **

Skanstull Skanstull (from ''skans'' "sconce; small fort" and ''tull'' "customs house") is an area in Södermalm in Stockholm. Skanstull connects the traffic between the inner city and the south parts of Stockholm and its suburbs. Skanstull was originally ...

Katarina-Sofia Katarina-Sofia was a borough (''stadsdelsområde'') in central Stockholm, named after the two parishes of Katarina and Sofia. Effective January 1, 2007, the borough merged with the borough of Maria-Gamla Stan to form the Södermalm borough. Kat ...

(north-eastern area): ** Blecktornsområdet ** Danvikstull ** Ersta ** Norra Hammarbyhamnen ** Nytorget **

Mosebacke Mosebacke (''Mosebacke torg'') is a square and park situated on Södermalm in Stockholm, Sweden. History The park's first plantings took place during 1852–1853. The square and the surrounding neighborhood of Mosebacke were created after the M ...

Parishes

There are four parishes of the

Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden () is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.5 million members at year end 2023, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sweden, the largest List ...

on the island (from west to east): * Högalid, partitioned from the parish of Maria Magdalena in 1925. * Maria Magdalena, partitioned from the Stockholm city parish in 1591, and subsequently divided into the modern parishes. * Katarina, partitioned from Maria Magdalena in 1654. *

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

, partitioned from Katarina in 1917 and also includes parts of the mainland south of Södermalm.

Schools

* Internationella Engelska Gymnasiet Södermalm

Main sights

Göta Lejon Göta Lejon is a theatre located at 55 Götgatan in the district of Södermalm in Stockholm, Sweden. History Göta Lejon was built in the years 1926–1928 according to drawings by architect Birger Borgström. (1890–1964). Architecturally, th ...

Högalid Church Högalid Church () is a protected church located in the Södermalm district of Stockholm, Sweden. It was designed by architect Ivar Tengbom. Built upon elevated ground 1916–1923, in a barren area later turned into a park, it is one of the most ...

Karl Johansslussen Karl Johansslussen ("Lock of Charles John") is a lock and a sluice, along the Söderström river connecting and controlling the flood discharge between Riddarfjärden, the easternmost part of Lake Mälaren, and Saltsjön, the section of th ...

Katarina Elevator The Katarina Elevator or Katarina Lift () is a passenger elevator in Stockholm that connects Slussenområdet, Slussen (the sluice/lock area) to the heights of Södermalm. The lift was a shortcut between Katarinavägen, Slussen and Mosebacke torg. ...

Katarina Church Katarina kyrka (''Church of Catherine'') is one of the major churches in central Stockholm, Sweden. The original building was constructed 1656–1695. It has been rebuilt twice after being destroyed by fires, the second time during the 199 ...

Maria Magdalena Church The Church of Saint Mary Magdalene () is a church on Södermalm in central Stockholm, Sweden, dedicated to and named for Jesus' companion Mary Magdalene. The church plan has a nave but no aisles. In its eastern end is a three-sided choir and t ...

* Medborgarhuset *

Stockholm Mosque Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's Mosque (, ), commonly known as the Stockholm Mosque (''Stockholms moské'') or the Stockholm Grand Mosque (''Stockholms stora moské''), is the largest mosque in Stockholm, Sweden. It is located at Kapellgränd 10, a ...

* St. Eric's Cathedral * Skatteskrapan *

Södra Teatern Södra Teatern is a theatre in Stockholm, Sweden. It is located at Mosebacke torg on Södermalm in Stockholm. The venue is the oldest theatre in Stockholm and is situated in the heart of the city. History Södra Teatern is one of Sweden's o ...

* Sofia kyrka * Stockholm Södra station * Söder Torn * Nytorget

Culture

In poetry and fiction

* The songs and poems ('' Fredman's Songs'' and ''

Fredman's Epistles ''Fredmans epistlar'' (English: ''Fredman's Epistles'') is a collection of 82 poems set to music by Carl Michael Bellman, a major figure in Swedish 18th century song. Though first published in 1790, it was created over a period of twenty year ...

'') of the popular 18th-century poet and songwriter

Carl Michael Bellman Carl Michael Bellman (; 4 February 1740 – 11 February 1795) was a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, poet, and entertainer. He is a central figure in the Swedish song tradition and remains a powerful influence in Swedish music, as wel ...

are filled with recurring references to names of places, primarily bars and mead halls, on Södermalm. * The celebrated first paragraph of

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 60 pla ...

's satirical novel '' The Red Room'' (''Röda rummet'') describes Stockholm as seen from Mosebacke on Södermalm, where much of the story takes place. * '' City of My Dreams'' (''Mina drömmars stad''), the first in a series of books by Per Anders Fogelström telling the story of several generations of Stockholmers, follows the young worker ''Henning's'' life on Södermalm. *

Lisbeth Salander Lisbeth Salander is a fictional character created by Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson in his award-winning Millennium (novel series), ''Millennium'' series. She first appeared in the 2005 novel ''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'', as a ...

and other characters in the '' Millennium Trilogy'' by

Stieg Larsson Karl Stig-Erland "Stieg" Larsson (, ; 15 August 1954 – 9 November 2004) was a Swedish writer, journalist, and far-left activist. He is best known for writing the ''Millennium'' trilogy of crime novels, which were published posthumously, sta ...

live and work on Södermalm. Much of the action in those books takes place in that district. *

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's Silent film, silent and early Classical Hollywood cinema, golden eras. Regarded as one of the g ...

grew up in the area. * The artists

Yung Lean Jonatan Aron Leandoer Håstad (born 18 July 1996), known professionally as Yung Lean, is a Swedish rapper. Widely cited as one of the most influential figures in the early cloud rap era, Yung Lean rose to prominence in 2013 with his song " Gins ...

Bladee Benjamin Thage Dag Reichwald (born 9 April 1994), known professionally as Bladee, is a Swedish singer and rapper. In 2013, he formed the Drain Gang music collective alongside childhood friends Ecco2K, Thaiboy Digital, and Whitearmor. Bladee ...

, and Ecco2K grew up in the area, all of them eventually becoming future collaborators.

In pop culture

Mojang Mojang AB, trading as Mojang Studios, is a Swedish video game developer based in Stockholm. A first-party developer for Xbox Game Studios, the studio is best known for developing the sandbox and survival game ''Minecraft'', the best-selli ...

, a video game developer and publisher best known for the creation of the popular game ''

Minecraft ''Minecraft'' is a 2011 sandbox game developed and published by the Swedish video game developer Mojang Studios. Originally created by Markus Persson, Markus "Notch" Persson using the Java (programming language), Java programming language, the ...

'', has their main offices located on Södermalm.

Notable incidents

In May of 2024, two elks were found wandering around Södermalm. This type of incident had happened previously, in 2023 as well as in 2022.

Transport

Railway and Stockholm metro stations

Hornstull Hornstull () is an area in western Södermalm, Stockholm. Hornstull is actually the name of where the streets Hornsgatan and Långholmsgatan intersect. Up to the early 19th century it was also a city toll; "tull" in Swedish. Hornstull also has ...

: Red line metro *

: Green line metro *

: Green line metro, Red line metro and

Saltsjöbanan Saltsjöbanan () is an electrified suburban rail system between Stockholm and Saltsjöbaden in Nacka, Sweden. It is in length and has eighteen stations in use. An average of 17,200 boardings are made on an ordinary workday (2019). The line is ...

(Saltsjöbanans station is suspended until 2020) * Stockholm Södra station:

Commuter rail Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...

: Red Line Metro

Bridges

Centralbron Centralbron (, "The Central Bridge") is a major bridge in central Stockholm, Sweden, connecting the northern district Norrmalm to the southern Södermalm. It is 1,200 metres long and consists of two viaducts passing over Söderström (Stockholm), ...

* Danviksbro *

* Långholmsbron * Pålsundsbron * Reimersholmsbron *

Årstabroarna Årstabroarna () are two parallel Rail transport, railway viaducts in central Stockholm, Sweden. Passing over the watercourse of Årstaviken and the islets Årsta holmar, they connect the major island Södermalm to the southern mainland district ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sodermalm City districts of Stockholm Municipality