A city as lovely, unusual and pioneering as Stockholm deserves a fitting symbol. And that symbol is the Stadhus (City Hall) which was finished in 1923. The City Hall in Stockholm is worth a visit.
Lying across the Stadhusbron bridge in the island of Kungsholmen, this city landmark was built in the truest spirit of the national romanticism. The building is made from around 8 million decorated bricks, and garnished with spires, domes and minarets of green-tinged copper.
One corner of the building rises into a 106-meter (450ft) tower and at the very pinnacle of the tower shine three golden crowns (Tre Kronor), Sweden’s emblem.
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The City Hall in Stockholm
Inside this brick behemoth, the Blue Hall, with its sweeping marble staircase and colonnades, is used as the banqueting hall for the Nobel Prize ceremony, held in December each year. After the 1,300 guests have finished dining, they move upstairs to the Stadhus’s most jaw-dropping room, the shimmering Golden Hall, where 19 million gold mosaic tiles decorate the walls.
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Notable features
Other notable features include a series of frescoes by Prince Eugene Waldermarsodde – the “Painter Prince” – the 10,000-pipe organ and mechanical figures of St. George and the Dragon on the north front of the building, which spring into action at noon and 6pm.
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Stadhus is the work of architect Ragnar Ostberg, who devoted 12 years of his life to the building.
Guided tours
You can admire the interior of his masterpiece by guided tour only. There are usually at least six 45-minute English tours daily (depending on municipal events; charge); it’s well worth jouning one if you can.
The City Hall in Stockholm, written by Tor Kjolberg