World Walker

Stockholm has a rich medieval history, much of it still preserved in Gamla Stan, Old Town, making it one of the best places to visit in Europe for travellers who are interested in this period of history. It was because of this rich history, that the Museum of Medieval Stockholm was missed. For nearly three years the museum was being renovated. Finally, the museum opened its doors to the public once again. Because I am a history nerd and love museums, I was there.

The museum was crawling with people, many of whom were still in there large winter jackets because of the weather outside. It made for some crowding around the exhibitions, but no one seemed to mind.

The museum itself was beautiful; the only preserved portion of Stockholm’s medieval wall is the center piece of the museum. Around it, you can learn the history of the town. From the morbid exhibition about crime and punishment, to the tunnel leading from the museum to the castle.

The mock medieval building of Stockholm situated right inside the museum brought the history to life to an extent. There is a church, a garden, a town square, and plenty of small shops, all of which give a great medieval feel.

In the end the museum felt very new, which was both good and bad. Good because it is a gorgeous museum, bad because it is a medieval museum. While the exhibitions were interesting, they lacked actual artifacts. I want to see coins dug up from 14^th century Stockholm. I want to see household items. I want to see art. They had some… just not enough.

It seemed like the museum was aimed at a younger audience, a kid-friendly audience. As someone who loves medieval history, I love the idea of getting little kids interested in history; I just wish they worked a little harder to keep big kids like me interested.

It has been an absolutely deep freeze chill across almost all of Europe so it seems a bit of a laugh to mention Sweden’s Kiruna Snow Festival.  But since there’s no risk of there being a lack of snow for the festivities, I thought I would mention it  This year’s festival is January 29-31.

The festival is actually in the north of Sweden, in the Swedish Lapland.  So you’ll need to dress warm.  But why exactly do 20k head north to freeze in the cold for?

• Amazing snow sculptures.  The above picture is a book, but there are statues and art and all sorts of other creations and contraptions.  This is not the snow angel you made as a child.  People take this contest part of the festival very seriously.
• Winter fashion show.  Ever notice how fashionable the Swedes are?  They even rock the catwalk in the depths of winter.
• Skating competitions.  Olympics, only better!
• Reindeer racing.  Santa has finished with them until next year, so this is their playtime.
• Visit the largest igloo in the world.  Who needs an ice hotel when you can igloo?
• Mr Snowman competition which names the strongest man of the winter.

There’s of course the activities you can usually enjoy in Kiruna this time of year:  dogsledding, northern lights, and food (reindeer burger or bear steak anyone?)

Our resident writer Anna Etmanska previously mentioned that lapland in winter is “strictly for foreign tourists…cold, dark, and generally miserable” so I encourage you to have an open mind if you’re looking for an off-beat festival this winter.  (Though I live in Scotland and it is pretty cold, dark, and generally miserable so I could be biased!)

Photo by findfado

In 1100, a church was built in what is now the city of Helsingborg.  Two hundred years later, the population had grown enough that a new church was needed.  It took nearly 100 years to build it, but finally, around 1400, Saint Mary’s Church in Helsingborg was completed.  Today, Sancta Maria kyrka still stands in the middle of the Swedish town.

Before you go in, walk around the exterior of the building.  Saint Mary’s Church is an impressive display of brick.  That may seem strange, but when seen up close, the use of brick in the architectural style of the church is remarkable.

When you enter the church, turn left and walk towards the wall.  In a small case hidden away stone reliefs are displayed.  The reliefs were removed from the exterior of the church and replaced with replicas. The meaning of the faces is still unknown.

Along with the faces, take a look at the altarpiece from the 1400s and keep your eyes on the wall of the church looking for remnants of frescoes painted long ago and now fading.

The church is open to the public, and entrance is completely free.  Couple it with a trip to Kärnan, Helsingborg’s medieval fortress for a good look at the Swedish/Danish history of the region.

Helsingborg sits on the coast of Øresund, the sound leading into the Baltic Sea.  Today, the city is part of Skåne, or Scania, a region in southern Sweden.  Four hundred years ago, Helsingborg was part of Denmark.  Remnants of that time can still be found, most notably Kärnan.

Kärnan dates back to the 13^th century, although until the 1890s it had been allowed to fall into ruins.  Today, the fortress has been restored and looks out over the city of Helsingborg and Øresund.  The tower was once part of the larger Helsingborg Castle which was later destroyed by the Swedish for fear that it was too exposed to possible attacks.  Kärnan was allowed to stand, and now the 35 meter high tower gives a wonderful look at the history, especially military, of Helsingborg.  Plus, hiking to the top gives you a beautiful view.

On clear days, you can see right over to Denmark and Kronborg, the castle which, along with Kärnan, helped the Danes control the waterway to the Baltic.  Kronborg is also the castle setting of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

The medieval fortress is open to the public all year (except for Mondays and some holidays).  Check the website (in Swedish) for open times because they do vary depending on the season.  You can check out the first floor of the tower for free, but if you want to hike to the top it will cost you 20-30 SEK.

Nestled in one of the more expensive neighborhoods in Stockholm is an Olympic stadium. In 1912 Stockholm hosted the Olympics.  Sweden was not a large country, Stockholm was not a large city, but the Olympics were held there nonetheless.  The stadium that hosted those Olympics is still in use.

In fact, in 1956, Stadion once again hosted the Olympics.  Kind of.  The equestrian events were held in Stockholm despite the rest of the Olympics being held in Melbourne, Australia.  Turns out, Australia’s quarantine laws didn’t lend themselves to competitions involving livestock from around the world.  Instead, Stockholm can claim to have hosted two different Olympics.  Kind of, again.  The event was treated as its own Olympics with opening and closing ceremonies.

Today, Stockholm Stadion is home to one of the local soccer teams, Djurgården.  It proudly hosts the DN Gala, a world class track and field event which saw Tyson Gay run a wind-aided 9.79 second 100 meters in 2009. In the winter, the stadium is used for free-style skiing events by trucking in a whole lot of snow early in the season.  It even watched as Bruce Springsteen played three concerts in the fall of ‘09.

Stadion isn’t found in most tourist books.  Mostly because attending an event is the only way to get in.  The stadium is not open to the public on a regular basis, but the romantic architectural style can be appreciated from afar.  That being said, if architecture isn’t your thing, there are few things as impressive as watching Bruce Springsteen fumble his way through thanking the crowd in Swedish, or watching world-class sprinters post world-class times, or being smack dab in the middle of a Stockholm soccer derby.