Stockholm travel guide

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Stockholm is home to all that makes the country of Sweden run. In here, you can find the most important banks and structures of the Swedish government: the Parliament and the monarch of the country. Stockholm has held the role of Sweden’s political and economic centre for over 800 years.

Population

With Stockholm housing 21% of the entire Swedish population, a national census in 2008 has calculated the number people of living in the city of Stockholm to be over 802,000.

History and etymology

The foundation of the capital of Stockholm is credited to a 13th-century political leader in Sweden named Birger Jarl, who saw that Sweden was in threat of invasion by the sea and judged that a fortification was needed to prevent that from happening. Thus, Stockholm was born. The name is testimony to its original role as a fortification: “Stock” could either mean “log” or “fortification” while “holm” means islet. Taken together, Stockholm means island fortification to reflect what Birger Jarl had in thought when he built the city.

Stockholm has served as major centre for the country of Sweden since the 13th century. Historical documents first mentioned Stockholm in 1252. At this time, Stockholm served as an important trading center for iron.

Besides being a major hub of trade, Stockholm is also important to Swedish history. Several historical events also occurred in Stockholm, including the horrifying bloodbath that took place on November 8, 1520. It was in the city where the Danish king Christian II killed a huge number of those opposing him and his dominance of the Kalmar Union among Sweden, Finland, and Demark. The Swedish people rebelled and broke up the Kalmar Union as a result of the massacre.

Economy

Being the capital, Stockholm holds majority of the industry of Sweden. Despite being a major trade hub, Stockholm is surprisingly clean. This is because the prominent industry in Stockholm is the service trade, and no heavy industry has its base in the city. The Swedish technology industry also has its home in Stockholm with companies such as IBM, Ericsson, and Electrolux having operations in the metropolis.

Stockholm is also home to several major financial institutions of the world. These include the Stockholm Stock Exchange and insurance companies like Skandia and Trygg-Hansa.

Stockholm’s tourism industry has also recently experienced a boom in the past 17 years. As of 2004, annual overnight stays in the city have totaled 7.7 million. This is a sharp rise from the 4 million a year recorded in 1991.