:: Tuesday, September 28, 2004 ::

Stockholm on Sunday (Part 1)

After my busy first day in Stockholm, I woke up bright and early the next morning (after being woken up only a few times during the night by my 7 various roommates coming home, turning on the lights, etc.), and headed to the kitchen in the hostel building on shore for breakfast. Being Sunday, I didn't have much time to see everything, as opening hours were shorter. But I knew where I wanted to go: the Kungliga Slottet, or Royal Palace! I headed across the Skeppsholmsbron to Blasieholmen, turned left and headed for Gamla Stan.

At Gustav Adolfs Torg I crossed the Norrström on the Norrbro bridge to the island of Helgeandsholmen, home to the Riksdaghuset, Sweden's parliament building. Crossing the Stallkanalen brought me to Gamla Stan, Stockholm's Old Town, and the Kungliga Slottet itself. Though the royal family hasn't actually lived there since 1982, the palace is considered the official residence of the king, and many official functions and ceremonies take place there. Being Sunday, the Palace wasn't open yet, so I wandered around the Yttre Borggården or Outer Courtyard. I didn't have to wait long, however, and was soon exploring all the Royal Palace had to offer. (Unfortunately, I was unable to take pictures inside the palace, so you'll just have to trust me when I say that what I saw was really cool!)

I started with the Ordenssalarna, the Apartments of the Orders of Chivalry, which are located in the offices inhabited by the High Court (established in 1789) until 1949. The Hall of the Order of Vasa, the Hall of the Order of the Northern Star, the Hall of the Order of the Sword, and the Hall of the Order of the Seraphim hold exhibitions relating to the Royal Orders, both those granted by Sweden and by other countries to Sweden's nobility. There are also a number of coats of arms of various nobilities around the world.

The Ordenssalarna lead directly into the Rikssalen, the Hall of State. Until 1975, the Hall of State hosted the ceremonial opening of the Swedish Parliament, complete with a march of the royal bodyguard in full regalia. Now it is used for official state functions (such as Crown Princess Victoria's coming of age ceremony), and is also home to one of the palace's greatest treasures, Queen Kristina's huge silver throne, a gift commemorating her coronation in 1650.

After the Hall of State, I visited the Bernadottevåningen, the Bernadotte Apartments, so named because of the gallery displaying portraits of the Bernadotte dynasty (Sweden's current royal family are Bernadottes). I saw various guardrooms, the Pillared Hall, the Victoria Drawing Room, the East (and West) Octagonal Cabinets (where the king still receives foreign ambassadors), Oskar II's Writing Room, Carl XVI Gustaf's Jubilee Room, as well as Lovisa Ulrika's Audience Chamber, Antechamber, and Dining Room. Basically lots of ceiling paintings, lavish decor, and wealthy knick-knacks.

From there I headed to the second floor, to the Representationsvåningen, or Royal Apartments. First was the Festvåningen, the State Apartments, consisting of such royal rooms as the Council Chamber, the Audience Chamber, and the HUGE Karl XI's Gallery, modeled on the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, where state banquets are held. There is also Gustav III's State Bedchamber, where the king died in 1792 after being shot at the Opera House, Sofia Magdalena's State Bedchamber, the Don Quixote Room, and "The White Sea" drawing room.

Next was the Stora Gästvåningen, the Guest Apartments, where visiting heads of state stay, consisting of the Empire Salon, the Meleager Salon, and the Great Bedchamber. Those heads of state who find the opulence of the Great Bedchamber too overwhelming may instead stay in either the Small or Inner Bedchambers. Finally, there is the Margareta Room, named for the king's grandmother, an amateur painter, where some of her works are displayed.

Thus finished with the main apartments of the palace, I headed back outside. The palace contains more museums, but it was almost time for the Changing of the Guard, so I wandered a little around Gamla Stan, stopping at a kiosk for a korv (basically a big Swedish hot dog) for lunch. As it turned out, the square was Stortorget, Gamla Stan's main square, and site of the infamous Stockholm Bloodbath of 1520, where the Danish king Kristian II beheaded more than 80 of Sweden's nobles, before burning them as heretics outside the city walls.

Next: The Changing of the Guard, Storkyrka, and the Vasa

Swedish word of the day: kronprincessa, which means "crown princess"

:: posted by Rob 1:12 AM [+] ::

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