Gamla stan, Medieval quarter in Stockholm, Sweden
Gamla stan stands on Stadsholmen island with adjacent islets Riddarholmen, Helgeandsholmen, and Strömsborg, connected by stone bridges across waterways.
The district emerged in the 13th century as Stockholm's first urban settlement, developing into a major trading center with influential German merchant presence.
The Royal Palace contains 1,400 rooms and serves as the residence of the Swedish monarchs, featuring state apartments adorned with historical artworks.
Visitors can explore narrow streets, observe the daily guard ceremony at the Royal Palace, and visit museums including the Nobel Prize Museum.
Mårten Trotzigs Gränd, measuring just 90 centimeters at its narrowest point, represents the most confined alley in Stockholm.
Location: Stockholm
Part of: Södermalm city district
Shares border with: Riddarholmen, Skeppsholmen, Norrmalm, Södermalm
GPS coordinates: 59.32500,18.07083
Latest update: May 26, 2025 21:02
The historic districts display local architecture from medieval to baroque periods. The streets connect markets, cafes and old houses. The quarters preserve elements from their time of origin, from Romanesque churches to neoclassical facades.
Stockholm has over 70 museums and cultural institutions spread between its medieval city center and its islands accessible within a few minutes by tram. The city has preserved its original buildings while developing modern exhibition spaces that cover a thousand years of Scandinavian history. Visitors can spend a day walking from the cobbled streets of Gamla Stan, lined with 17th-century merchant houses, to the contemporary galleries of Fotografiska housed in former port warehouses. The permanent collections cover diverse fields. The Vasa Museum displays a 69-meter (226 feet) warship recovered intact after three centuries underwater. The Royal Palace opens its state apartments and treasury to the public. Djurgården Island features several major sites, including Skansen open-air museum with 150 historic buildings from across Sweden, the Modern Art Museum with works by Dalí and Picasso, and ABBA The Museum dedicated to the band that sold 400 million records. The Nobel Museum chronicles the history of the Nobel Prize since 1901 with objects belonging to over 900 laureates.
Storkyrkan
94 m
Stortorget
0 m
Saint George and the Dragon in Storkyrkan
92 m
Nobel Prize Museum
24 m
Indebetouska huset
78 m
Stockholm Stock Exchange Building
31 m
Västerlånggatan 31
80 m
Nobel Library
43 m
Grillska huset
29 m
Stortorgsbrunnen
5 m
Schantzska huset
35 m
Bollhustäppan
94 m
Hovförvaltningens hus
78 m
Uppland Runic Inscription 53
56 m
Mäster Olofsgården
48 m
Seyfridtzska huset
33 m
Trångsund
60 m
Skomakargatan
64 m
Trädgårdsgatan
86 m
Källargränd
51 m
Solgränd
61 m
Trädgårdstvärgränd
81 m
Nationalgalleriet
47 m
Ankargränd
84 m
Cornelis Vreeswijk Museum
62 m
Jacob Sauers house
86 m
Rådstugan
35 m
Literary sign: Lars Forssell
26 mReviews
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