Stockholm is an incredibly beautiful and historic city. Last week I made a trip from my home in Skåne to Stockholm together with my American 2nd cousin whom I discovered a few years ago thanks to a DNA test.
To see all historical places you would probably need around two weeks in Stockholm, at least one week, but in four days we would manage to see a whole lot.
Here are some of the best historical places in Stockholm.
Stockholm was originally built on a few small islands where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea. It was a very strategic location that had the ability to protect and control the entrance to Lake Mälaren, simply prevent enemy ships from entering the lake, and also over time be able to tax shipping and be a trading town.
The fortification probably began to be built on Helgeandsholmen and in today's Old Town as a reaction to the attacks that took place in the area from Finnish or Baltic pirates at the end of the 12th century. In 1187 they attacked and sacked to Royal town of Sigtuna in Lake Mälaren. In 1252, Stockholm is mentioned as a city for the first time by the Swedish king's father, Birger Jarl, who was the one who ruled the country with his son Valdemar as a symbolic king.
So why is Stockholm called Stockholm? There are several theories about it? “Stock” means log and “holme” means island, so it could be a question of people using logs in the water to force boats to stop or take detours where they could be taxed, or it is about a great big log that served as a boundary marker between different counties.
I personally don't believe this and this is because …
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