Stockholm is an old town even for European standars. It was founded allready about 1250 and has been a successfull business town since. When I get freinds coming over to visit me from other citises and countrys are there a few places I always take them. We go to see the Wasa, an old war-ship that sunk in town on it's maiden voyage in 1628. A tour in the Old Town is always on our list, there we go see the house where a canonball from the Danish is still left, and as well the Main Square, where the Danish king had quite a number of Swedish noble-men decapitated in 1520. The royal palace is right beside it and we go to see that.
These are the natural tourist-sights but I want my friends to see more, to see what I see, to hear my stories about what I see. And, I want You, that read my page to do the same. Come with me on my tour around Stockholm and it's surroundings. We will see photos, read tales of what the town used to be as well as see what it is today. We will go to pubs and bars. But most of all, we will try to figure out what it must have been like to live in this town. From when it was a tiny little village to what it is today, a grand city. The most beautiful city in the world, I think.
This time we will visit places in Danderyd, such as
You will in the text see links, they go either to other interesting sites talking about what you read, or to pictures of the same. Also there will be links to a page describing how to best go to the place you are reading about, by car or subway/bus. What you will not see are any references to where I picked up the information. All that I have written here is from my head. It is information I have picked up along the road. I can not claim to have historical proof or facts to what I tell you, cause a lot is legends that is beeing passed from mouth to mouth. I am taking you at the tour I take my friends, telling you what I tell them, showing you what I find interesting. If you are planning on coming to visit, feel free to send me a mail and maybe we can arrange for me to take you out on the tour personally
Now, let's take a tour around Stockholm. We start in Stocksund, where I live. Stocksund is right next to Stocksundet, the narrow sound that lead between the Baltic and Brunnsviken. It is part of a community called Danderyd, an area that has been settled since at least 1000 BC. This is proved by a grave, that is actually next to my house. My area is called Inverness and is named after the Scottish town with the same name. See, a man that once had his summerresidence in this area, mr Cedergren, had a passion for Scotland. He loved it so much he decided to build his very own Scottish castle in the big park that surrounded the house.
He started building the tower and had this superstitios idea that if it ever got to be finished something terrible would happen. Finally it actually did, mr Cedergren died in 1921 and they immediatly stopped building. The area was inherited by his daughters and when they died they left it to the Royal College of Agriculture, due to the enormous park that contains a large number of different trees. In the end it was bought by the community of Danderyd in 1981, they now own and run the park. The Tower has been finished and is today run as a place you can rent for conferences and parties and the park is open for anyone to walk in.
Along the road leading past the park there are several very good examples of villas, built as summerresidences for the upper-class in Stockholm. It did in fact not always turn out to be the upper-class that actually bought them but the bourgoisie. Follow on Stockholmsvägen, as the road is called and you will eventually end up in Djursholm.
Two huge oak trees fencing the road is the border between the two areas. About 500 meters passed the trees there is a road called Götavägen that crosses Stockholmsvägen. Look up on the hill to the left, in the white house my father lives. If you take that road to the right and follow it as long as you can, you get to the beach-walk. Kepp going that to your left. Along it you can see lots of fancy houses where the rich and famous have their quarters.
If we look at those houses for a while and then take the road heading for Centrum we end up in the area centre, with a small shopping area. There are a few shop, like groceriestore, beauty-parlor and a linguerie-shop that is surprisingly good.
The castle
Now go through the Centrum and you will see sighns saying Slottet, that is the castle. The castle was built in the 17'th century by the Banér family. It's built on the same place as an old mansion that was built in the 15'th century. Many times it has been rebuilt but at the last restoration in the 1960's it was brought back to it's original looks. In the castle today is the comunitys headquaters and parts can be rented for parties and so on.
The Banér family has played an important part in our countrys history. They have been noble-men and as such been part of the kings council. We can see the traces of their grandior in the church that we will visit next.
Danderyds church
The church was first built in the 15'th century. It is just beautiful. We will get there by going back down to the center of Djursholm. If we go straight through the center and turn right after we have passed Apoteket, the pharmasie, we will follow that road as long as we can before getting up on the high-way. Just before the highway we look up to the left, and there it is, the church. Let's take a look at what it has to offer in terms of things to look at.
There is a beautiful statue of Christ, made in the 12'th century, one of the oldest we have in Sweden. There is also a sculpture of the holy madonna from the 14'th century.
