Geography

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Stockholm, the capital and the largest city in Sweden, is situated on the banks of the channel, which links Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. In contrast to other capitals full of greenery and vivid colors, Stockholm appeared under gray sky and was raised by cool Baltic winds.

The geography of this city is pretty peculiar: it is located on 14 islands of archipelago, consisting of 24 000 little isles and rocks. Mostly, they are overbuilt with houses and cottages, that makes boats to be the only possible mean of transport within Stockholm water area. One more interesting thing to note is that most of the cities develop alongside certain river; Stockholm, on the contrary, has emerged around Lake Mälaren, which contributed to construction of multiple bridges and channels, linking the islands.

Every island in Stockholm appears to be a piece of city history and possesses its characteristic features. Stadsholmen is the central island and the heart of Stockholm. It is also called as Gamla stan or the Old City, which is famous for numerous historical sites and monumental castles. Bridges, which connect Stadsholmen to the rest of the territory, became a destination of pilgrimage of fishers, woodmen and shipbuilders in the 14th – 15th centuries, who were hiding behind Stadsholmen walls in times of invasions. Nowadays Stadsholmen is known as the best preserved Old City in Europe. The neighboring island is called Riddarholmen or Knight’s Island. In the 17th century every nobleman, who received a land share there, started building a castle and compete every neighbor in architectural excellence. Ostermalm Island is covered by Nobel’s Park, but the ceremony of Nobel Awards is held on Kungsholmen. Not far from central islets, Djurgården is located – the island of museums, among which is one of top museums in Stockholm, open air meseum Scansen and small residential areas. Normalm is the image of urban luxury and splendor with its fashionable and expensive hotels, monarch residency and multiple boutiques. On the whole, it is the downtown of Stockholm. Södermalm Island is a clubby land, where multiple night bars, night clubs and restaurants are of great popularity.

The crucial part of Stockholm geography and, of course, its natural scenery is lakes and watercourses. The water comprises nearly a half of total area of the capital. Lake Mälaren is the most important both from the point of travel attraction and city industry. Unlike other lakes, that used to be waste deposits earlier, this one is pure enough to swim in it and catch salmon, pike, perch and other freshwater fish. The southern bank of Mälaren is an urban recreation site, where locals usually enjoy resting in hot sunny days under the willow crowns. There are lots of other lakes and water basins around Stockholm area, but their number has decreased considerably because of the land elevation. Regardless, the number of bridges between them has been rising since the 17th century as the population of the city started to grow.

The entire natural beauty of Stockholm is under the authority of Kungliga Nationalstadsparken or National urban park and a few others, which promote certain regulations concerning camping, usage of fertilizers, making fire, etc.

The unique geography of Stockholm and its scenery is a crucial part of the city functioning and no one can escape it while being on its territory.