Stockholm is the capital and largest city of Sweden, with nearly 2 million inhabitants within its vicinities. The inner city is made up of 14 islands connected by some 50 bridges on Lake Malaren, which flows into the brackish Baltic Sea, and passes the Stockholm archipelago with some 24,000 islands and islets.Stockholm is a cosmopolitan place with both classical and modern architecture, and a captivating Old Town, Gamla Stan. Over 30% of the city area is made up of waterways, and another 30% is made up of green spaces. Air quality is fourth best of the European capitals – behind Zurich, Copenhagen and Vienna.This article gives an overview of the Stockholm metropolitan area, Stor-Stockholm, which includes Stockholm County except Norrtalje municipality, which is in Roslagen.Most venues are found in the inner city, “innerstaden”, historically the zone within the city tolls. The Municipality of Stockholm extends beyond the inner city, including the western and southern suburbs.. Runriket at Jarlabankes bro in Taby kyrkby is the gateway to the world’s largest collection of Viking Age standing stones with narrations carved in runic script. The museum trail is always open and stretches many miles along public roads and pathways into the municipality Vallentuna. Nearby Taby kyrka (church) holds some of the most vivid medieval wall paintings in the country. Stockholm is not the oldest town in Sweden. As Sigtuna, Sweden’s first capital, was sacked by pirates in 1187, the Swedes built up fortresses along the inlet of Malaren, and Birger Jarl (Jarl is a title corresponding to British Earl) had a fortress built on an island later known as Gamla Stan. The first records of Stockholm were written in 1252 by Birger. As the land raised, the Stockholm straits became the only waterway between Malaren and the Baltic Sea during the 15th century, replacing Uppsala as the effective capital. Since King Gustavus Vasa liberated Stockholm in 1523, Stockholm has remained Sweden’s most important centre of commerce, though Gothenburg later became the largest international port. During the 17th century, Stockholm was the base of the Swedish Empire, with a land area twice the country’s current size, nearly encircling the Baltic Sea.The city contains buildings from all ages since the 13th century. Like the rest of Sweden it was untouched by the World Wars, but particularly between 1955 and 1975, hundreds of old buildings in Norrmalm were demolished in a large-scale modernization process, encouraged by similar projects in other European cities. Since then, only infills and a few areas have been developed with new architecture in central Stockholm.Despite its northern location, Stockholm has fairly mild temperatures throughout the year. As a result of its northerly latitude, the city sees a dramatic seasonal variation in sunlight, from more than 18 hours of daylight around midsummer, to around 6 hours of daylight in late December. Stockholm enjoys an average of nearly 2,000 hours of sunshine a year. Average yearly precipitation is 539 mm (21.2″), with July and August slightly the wettest months. Throughout the summer, the average daily high temperatures reach 20-25C (68-77 F), with lows of 12-15C (54-59 F). However, summer heat waves are frequent and temperatures above 25C+ (77 F+) are not uncommon. Autumn tends to be rather cool and often rainy

Airport: ARN Stockholm-Arlanda Airport Cities in Sweden

Country: Sweden