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City Guide - Stockholm - History | ||
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History c. AD760 Vikings establish a trading centre at Birka, near modern Stockholm c. 1252 Stockholm is established by Birger Jarl as a fortified island defence outpost against Baltic pirates, commanding the transshipment route between the Baltic Sea and Lake Mälaren 1270 The Riddarholmskyrkan (Riddarholm Church), a Franciscan monastery and Stockholm's oldest surviving building, is founded in the Old Town 1306 Consecration of Stockholm's oldest church (dedicated to St Nicholas), now part of Storkyrkan (Stockholm Cathedral) 1376 The image of St Eric (King Eric IX), patron saint and symbol of Stockholm, first appears on the city's seal 1436 Earliest surviving charter of the city of Stockholm is enacted 1471 Battle of Brunkeberg in Stockholm: Swedish rebels under Sten Sture defeat Danish King Christian I 1520 Stockholm Bloodbath: Danish King Christian II executes 82 Swedish noblemen in the Stortorget (Great Market), Old Town 1520-23 War of Liberation from Denmark: Stockholm becomes a last bastion of Danish power and is besieged 1524 Gustav I Vasa of Sweden enters Stockholm on 24 June after a long siege 1611 Gustav II Adolf accedes to the Swedish throne; he soon makes Sweden a major European power with Stockholm as its chief city 1628 The warship Vasa sinks in Stockholm Harbour on its maiden voyage 1634 Stockholm formally becomes the national capital of Sweden 1710 A disastrous plague wipes out about one third of Stockholm's population 1754 The Swedish royal family move into the newly completed Royal Palace 1833 Alfred Bernhard Nobel is born in Stockholm 1849 Johan August Strindberg is born in the city 1860 Opening of the railway link ends Stockholm's isolation in winter 1862 Legislation is passed making the City Council Stockholm's supreme governing body 1875-80 New plans for city growth approved: Stockholm expands rapidly as industrial development brings new prosperity 1878 Stockholm College, later Stockholm University, begins giving classes 1896 Alfred Nobel dies, leaving a fortune to sponsor prizes in various disciplines, administered by Swedish academies and awarded in Stockholm 1901 Stockholm is the venue for the award of the first Nobel Prizes 1961 Vasa is raised from the bed of Stockholm Harbour 1986 The Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme is assassinated while walking home from a Stockholm cinema with his wife; the identity and motives of his attacker remain a mystery 1998 Stockholm is made European Capital of Culture |