The Stockholm military tour describes military-related destinations in and around Stockholm.
Understand
Stockholm was founded in the 13th century around the Castle Tre Kronor (Three Crowns) to prevent pirates from sacking the lands around Mälaren. From the 16th century, Stockholm has been the country's undisputed capital, overseeing the rise and fall of the Swedish Empire in the 17th and 18th centuries. Sweden evaded both World War I and World War II, and had a world-class air force through the Cold War. In the 1990s, most of the armed forces were dismantled, with re-armament beginning in the 2010s, with military service restored in 2017, and application for NATO membership in 2022.
Destinations
Inner Stockholm
- 🌍 Birger Jarl's tower (Birger Jarls torn). This tower got its name from the aforementioned Birger, due to a myth that he commissioned it; if true it would be as old as Stockholm itself. It is more likely built in the 16th century by bricks scavenged by Sancta Klara monastery on Norrmalm, but still one of Stockholm's oldest buildings. It is today the seat of Sweden's Chancellor of Justice. Not open to the public.
- 🌍 Royal Guards (Kungliga Högvakten). The outer courtyard is the place for the changing of the Royal Guards (Högvakten). Until the 19th century, they were needed for policing and firefighting. They also had artillery; Sweden has been known for cannon-making for centuries, and four memorial m/1881 cannons (the first Swedish cannon made of steel) remain on the courtyard. Today, the Royal Guards are not a permanent organization; the honour is shared between different units of the Armed Forces. While they are primarily ceremonial, they have authority to use force, and do so against antisocial behaviour around the palace.
- 🌍 Skeppsholmen bunker. Skeppsholmen used to be the island of the navy. Today a toy museum.
- 🌍 Strandvägen 7 (Hotel Diplomat). In World War II, Germany occupied Denmark and Norway in 1940, while Finland was co-belligerent with Germany. Sweden remained non-belligerent, but made many concessions to Germany to keep peace, including iron export and passage of German troops to Norway and Finland. Stockholm became a haven for diplomats and spies. Östermalm was the embassy district, and the palace at Strandvägen 7 hosted several embassies; for the United States, Italy, Yugoslavia and Turkey, and the German military attaché. On the backstreet was the local branch of the German Nazi Party. While Sweden's business community remained pro-German well into the war, the Nazi ideology failed in Sweden. Since 1966, one wing of the building is a hotel, appropriately named Diplomat.
- 🌍 The Royal Mews, Väpnargatan 1. Guided tours and group visits only.
- 🌍 Army Museum, Riddargatan 13. Displays the history of war, focused on the rise and fall of the Swedish Empire during the 16th to 18th centuries, followed by Sweden's role in the shade of World War I, World War II in Europe and Cold War Europe. The museum makes a great effort of putting warfare into a broader social context.
- 🌍 General Staff building. A 1914 neo-Baroque building which has hosted various military functions.
- 🌍 Svea Artilleri. Artillery barracks from 1876, which still host some military functions.
- 🌍 Garnisonen. A 19th century garrison building converted to offices.
- 🌍 Tre Vapen. An administrative building finished in 1943.
- 🌍 Vasa Museum (Vasamuseet), Galärvarvsvägen 14 (Nordiska museet/Vasamuseet 7 ). This museum displays the Vasa, an original warship built for the Thirty Years War which sank in Stockholm Harbour on its maiden voyage in 1628, during the heyday of the Swedish Empire. Salvaged in 1961, the ship is almost wholly preserved, and is the only one of its kind and quality in the world.
- 🌍 Cavalry barracks. Headquarters of the Swedish Armed forces. Limited public access.
- 🌍 Swedish Veteran Monument (Östermalm). A ceremony is held here on the Swedish Veteran Day. While Sweden evaded the World Wars and the wars of the Swedish Empire are long past, many Swedish soldiers have served in international missions. Some notable assignments were the 1960 Congo crisis (see Congo-Kinshasa for the country today), and the Afghanistan war from 2001 to 2021. The monument was erected in 2013 to commemorate those veterans.
- 🌍 Maritime Museum (Sjöhistoriska museet), Djurgårdsbrunnsvägen 24. Exhibits Sweden's long history as a seafaring nation. Remnants of the Amphion, an 18th-century Royal yacht, and a broad collection of scale models.
Outskirts of Stockholm
- 🌍 Karlberg Palace (Karlbergs slott). The Karlberg Palace was built in 1632. Since 1792 it hosts the Military Academy, and the interior is usually not open to the public. The palace park is a pleasant place for picnics.
- 🌍 Russian walls. Built for the Great Northern War in the 18th century. Never finished.
- 🌍 Tantolunden air defenses. Built for World War II in Europe.
Northern defense line
Vaxholm line
- 🌍 Vaxholm Fortress (Vaxholms fästning) (Stockholm archipelago). A fortress which has guarded Stockholm's harbour since the 16th century, and famously resisted an attack by the Russian Empire in 1719. Over the centuries, an extensive coastal defense system was built across the archipelago, with Vaxholm as its headquarters. Since 2003, the fortress has a museum of its history, as well as hospitality venues.
- 🌍 Rindö redutt.
- 🌍 Boat Hall (Rindö).
- 🌍 Oskar-Fredriksborg. A fortress.
- 🌍 Pålsundsbatteriet.
- 🌍 Kronuddsbatteriet.
- 🌍 Fredriksborg.
See also
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