Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and most populous city of Sweden, as well as the largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately 1 million people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.5 million in the metropolitan area. The city stretches across fourteen islands where Lake Mälaren flows into the Baltic Sea. Outside the city to the east, and along the coast, is the island chain of the Stockholm archipelago. The area has been settled since the Stone Age, in the 6th millennium BC, and was founded as a city in 1252 by Swedish statesman Birger Jarl.
Typical weather
1981–presentCity Rhythm
measuredOpening hours, by kind of place
median across mapped venuesVital absurdities
measured · the Anti-AwardsSame time system
by rhythmWhat to do each season
2winter
cold, dark; mean −3.4 to 10.1 °C across the range; ~6 hours daylight in late December; reliable snow cover variable; precipitation year-round 1.3-2.4 mm/day
- the city contracts indoors: museums (Moderna, Vasa, ABBA The Museum, Skansen open-air), the Royal Dramatic Theatre, the Royal Swedish Opera
- the dark season is punctuated by Lucia processions (13 December) and Christmas markets (Skansen, Gamla Stan, Kungsträdgården)
- the Christmas-table ('julbord') restaurant economy activates
- the cold limits outdoor café culture; the Swedes retreat to candle-lit interiors
summer
pleasantly warm, very long days; mean 12.3-17.9 °C, July mean max 21.9 °C; >18 hr daylight midsummer, light nights late May to mid-July
- the city moves outdoors: Stockholm to its archipelago (skärgård), island-hopping ferries, swimming
- Midsummer (late June) is the social peak — maypole, herring, snaps
- outdoor restaurant and bar terraces open; the Strömmen waterfront activates
- Music festivals: Stockholm Jazz Festival (July), Popaganda (August)
What it is known for
Important moments in a year
Midsummer
- maypole dancing
- archipelago mass migration
- the social peak of the year
Lucia
- Lucia processions in churches, schools, workplaces
- white robes, candles
Stockholm Pride
- Scandinavia's largest Pride festival
- parade through the city
Stockholm Cultural Festival
- citywide free cultural programme in squares and streets
Nobel Day
- Nobel Prize ceremony at the Konserthuset
- banquet at the Stadshuset
- international spotlight
On the record
source-trackedThe city stretches across fourteen islands where Lake Mälaren flows into the Baltic Sea.
Outside the city to the east, and along the coast, is the island chain of the Stockholm archipelago.
The Stockholm region alone accounts for over a third of the country's GDP, and is among the top 10 regions in Europe by GDP per capita.
Stockholm has a humid continental climate in the 0 °C isotherm (Köppen: Dfb) bordering on an oceanic climate (Cfb) in the -3 °C isotherm.
Due to the city's high northerly latitude, the length of the day varies widely from more than 18 hours around midsummer to only around 6 hours in late December.
Over 30% of the city area is made up of waterways and another 30% is made up of parks and green spaces.
Many of Sweden's largest companies are headquartered in the city. These companies include some of the Nordic region's most valuable corporations, like Ericsson, which is one of the world's largest telecommunications companies.
Other large companies based in Stockholm include Electrolux, H&M and Securitas AB.
Stockholm is one of continental Europe's leading hubs for the technology industry.
Since the Ice Age, the land has been rising through post-glacial rebound, at about half a metre per century. What is today Lake Mälaren, was part of the brackish Baltic Sea until AD 1000.
Until the 19th century, Södermalm was mainly a farmland to support Stockholm. As the industries were displaced by offices in the 20th century, the island began to gentrify, and now has some of the most fashionable neighbourhood[s].
The method behind this atlas — 196 pp. Not published yet.