Atlantica - 01.11.2000, Page 41

A T L A N T I C A 39
The island of Gamla Stan, or
the “old town” is the best
preserved old town area in
Scandinavia. Its narrow streets
and old houses make for a
charming world to visit on a trip
to Stockholm. It is hard to miss
the Royal Palace, its impressive
structure containing all of 608
rooms, one more than London’s
Buckingham Palace.
Stockholm’s Royal Palace was
built between 1697 and 1754 on
the ruins of the old palace which
was destroyed in a fire on 7 May,
1697. A German master builder
by the name of Tessin designed
it, but unfortunately he did not
live to see the finished structure.
Each face of the palace has a
different character. The west face
is the King’s face, with sculptures
of war and masculine symbols,
and the east face is the Queen’s
face, feminine and delicate. The
south face belongs to the nation,
STOCKHOLM
The centre of Sweden’s capital
features “Slottet”, which is what the
Swedes call their Royal Palace. This is
the residence of King Karl Gustav of
Sweden and his Queen Silvia.
P H O T O S B Y
P Á L L S T E F Á N S S O N
The Swedish Royal Palace
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