Central and northern Sweden
In many ways, the long wedge of land that comprises central and northern
Sweden - from the northern shores of Lake Vänern to the Norwegian border
- encompasses all that is most popular and typical of the country. Rural
and underpopulated, this is Sweden as seen in the brochures - lakes,
holiday cottages, forests and reindeer. Essentially the region divides
into two. On the eastern side, Sweden's coast forms one edge of the Gulf
of Bothnia . With its jumble of erstwhile fishing towns and squeaky-clean
contemporary urban planning, this corridor of land is quite unlike the
rest of the country - worth stopping off in if you're travelling north
or have just arrived from Finland by ferry. Though the weather isn't as
reliable as further south, you are guaranteed clean beaches, crystal-clear
waters and fine hiking. To the west, folklorish Dalarna county is the
most picturesque region, with sweeping green countryside and inhabitants
who maintain a cultural heritage (echoed in contemporary handicrafts and
traditions) that goes back to the Middle Ages. This is the place to
spend midsummer, particularly Midsummer's Night when the whole region
erupts in a frenzy of celebration. The Inlandsbanan , the great Inland
Railway, cuts right through this area from Lake Siljan though the
shimmering, modern lakeside town of Östersund to Gällivare above the
Arctic Circle. An enthralling 1300-kilometre, two-day ride, it ranks
with the best European train journeys.
Southern Sweden
Southern Sweden is a nest of coastal provinces, extensive lake and
forest regions, gracefully ageing cities and superb beaches. Much of the
area, especially the southwest coast, is the target of Swedish holiday-makers,
with a wealth of campsites and cycle tracks yet retaining a sense of
space and tranquility as well as plenty of historical and cultural high
points. The grandest coastal city is Gothenburg , Sweden's charming
second city and well deserving of far more exploration beyond its
gargantuan shipyards than the traditional post-ferry exodus allows.
South of here, Helsingborg , a stone's throw from Denmark, and Malmö ,
still solidly sixteenth century at its centre, are both worth a day or
two each for their charismatic charms, and Lund , a medieval cathedral
and university town, is a convenient and enjoyable point between the two.
To the east, the historic fortress town of Kalmar is a less obvious
target than the south coast resorts, but repays a stop on the southern
routes to and from Stockholm. Close by, the island of Gotland has long
been a domestic tourist haven for its climate, beaches and stunning
medieval Hanseatic capital, Visby , and is easy and inexpensive to reach
by ferry from Nynäshamn, south of Stockholm, and Oskarshamn, further
south still.
Stockholm
STOCKHOLM comes lauded as Sweden's most beautiful city, and apart from
some sad central squares of concrete developments and a tangled road
junction or two, it lives up to it - it's delightful, not least as a
contrast to the apparently endless lakes and forests of the rest of the
country. It's also a remarkably disparate capital, one whose tracts of
water and range of monumental buildings give it an ageing, lived-in feel
and an atmosphere quite at odds with its status as Sweden's most
contemporary, forward-looking city.
Built on fourteen small islands, Stockholm was a natural site for the
fortifications, erected by one Birger Jarl in 1255, that grew into the
current city. In the sixteenth century, the city fell to King Gustav
Vasa, a century later becoming the centre of the Swedish trading empire
that covered present-day Scandinavia. Following the waning of Swedish
power it entered something of a quiet period, only rising to prominence
again in the nineteenth century when industrialization sowed the seeds
of the Swedish economic miracle
The City
The Stadshuset , Hantverkargatan 1 (guided tours: mid-May to Sept daily
10am, noon & 2pm; rest of year 10am & noon; 50kr; T-Centralen), at the
water's edge near Central Station, and in particular its gently-tapering
106-metre high red-brick tower (May-Sept daily 10am-4.30pm; 15kr), has
the best fix on the city's layout. The building itself, a flagship of
the National Romantic movement in the 1910s and 1920s, draws heavily on
Swedish materials and themes, exemplified in the cavernous Blue Room,
where the Nobel prize-givings are held, and the Golden Room, where a
précis of Swedish history covers the walls in a gilt mosaic.
Uppsala
Forty minutes train ride north of Stockholm, UPPSALA is regarded as the
historical and religious centre of the country. It's a tranquil daytime
alternative to the capital, with a delightful river-cut centre, not to
mention an active student-geared nightlife. At the centre of the
medieval town, a ten-minute walk from the train station, is the great
Domkyrkan (daily 8am-6pm; free), Scandinavia's largest cathedral. The
echoing interior remains impressive, particularly the French Gothic
ambulatory, sided by tiny chapels, one of which contains a lively set of
restored fourteenth-century wall paintings that tell the legend of St
Erik, Sweden's patron saint, while another contains his relics. Poke
around and you'll also find the tombs of Reformation rebel monarch
Gustav Vasa and his son Johan III, and that of the great botanist Carl
Von Linné (self styled as Carolus Linnaeus), who lived in Uppsala.
Opposite the cathedral is the Gustavianum (mid-May to mid-Sept daily
11am-4pm, Thurs till 9pm; mid-Sept to mid-May Wed-Sun 11am-4pm; 40kr),
built in 1625 as part of the university, and much touted for its tidily
preserved anatomical theatre. The same building houses a couple of small
collections of Egyptian, Classical and Nordic antiquities and the
Uppsala University Museum , which contains the glorious Augsburg Art
Cabinet, an ebony treasure chest presented to Gustav II Adolf. The
current University building (Mon-Fri 8am-4pm) is the imposing nineteenth-century
Renaissance edifice over the way, among whose alumni are Anders Celsius,
inventor of the temperature scale. No one will mind if you stroll in for
a quick look at the extensive collection of portraits and the imposing
central hall. A little way beyond is the Carolina Rediviva (mid-May to
mid-Sept Mon-Fri 9am-8pm, Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 11am-4pm; rest of year
closed Sun; 10kr in summer, free rest of year), one of Scandinavia's
largest libraries, with a collection of rare letters and other
paraphernalia, including a beautiful sixth-century silver Bible and
Mozart's manuscript for The Magic Flute . The Castle (summer daily
11am-4pm, also Wed 7-9pm; 40kr) has recently been made open to the
public - a 1702 fire that destroyed three-quarters of the city did away
with all but one side and two towers of this opulent palace. Now you can
wander around the excavations and peruse the waxworks in authentic
costumes. There are also guided tours in English of the opulent State
Apartments (mid-June to mid-Aug daily 1pm & 3pm; 40kr).
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