History of Bridges

Interview of stockholmerteenagers : « I take bus-boat

everyday »

This month, we are going to study the role of thewater in Stockholm, and its impacts on theStockholmer lives. Let’s remind us thatStockholm is the capital and the largest city ofSweden. With it 847 070 inhabitants, it is also themost populated area in Scandinavia.

But the particularity of Stockholm, which is themain reason for its difference from many othercities in the world, is that it’s an archipelagoconstituted of 14 islands. The water occupies avery big place in Stockholm, and has animportant role in the lives of the Stockolmers.

THE 50 BRIDGES IN STOCKHOLM

To move along Stockholm, we can count more than 50

bridges which link the 14 islands. They are very present

in Stockholm : the historical name for Stockholm Old

Town was “Staden mellan broarna”(The city between

the bridges).

A little point of History :

In a urban code dated 1350, King Magnus IV prescribed the

bridges leading over Norrström and Söderström to be built

and maintained by the city of Stockholm together with six

other cities surrounding Lake Mälaren. But these first

bridges were simple wooden bridges, and they were no more

than a few meters high.

In the 17th century, bridges were built in the north and south

of Gamla stan, on Norrmalm and Södermalm, and at the end

of the century, the number of bridges in Stockholm has

grown considerably. In the 20th century, the bridges became

more modern, safer, and they were made to let the boats pass

under. But still today, if we are looking carefully, we can

notice that some bridges are still old and are not tall enough,

so that the boats can’t pass under.

If you have a walk in

the city, as all the

Stockholmers, you’ll

surely cross lots of

bridges. As Isabelle,

18 years old, said,

“Every morning, I

have to cross four

bridges to join my

highschool”.

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The boatsBecause of the water, boats are

used a lot in the city :

The tourists can discover the city

on board of special boats that

travel along Stockholm. Many

organisms offer to the tourists

circuits based on their interest to

visit the city, and the archipelago

in the suburbs, composed of

30 000 islands.

(If you are interested, see on your

left the addresses of some

organisms).

But the use of the boats is not

reserved for the tourists; the

Stockholmers often use the boat,

like they use metro and bus. They

can use the same pass as the metro

one. There are many stations so

they can go to different places in

the entire city. Even if during

winter, the frequency is limited,

Stockholmers use boats in their

everyday life.

Stockholms-Visitors

BoardThey offer excursions to

visit the archipelago on

boat, to join them : +46

(0)8-508 28 508

They offer touristic

visits of the city :

VisitSweden, Stortorget 24

SE-831 30 Östersund,

Sweden

We recommend you the agency City Discover if

you want to discover the bridges by boat. The

excusions last 2 hours and you pass under 15

bridges. It’s free for children under 10. More

informations on +46794977564

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The unusual things you can do

in the archipelago of Stockholm

SWIM

Yes, it is possible to swim in the centre of

the city! In town and surrounding area, there

are many beaches where you can have

sunbath. As Carl, 17 years old, says,

“teenagers of Stockholm go to these beaches

which are in downtown to spend good time

swimming with friends very often during

summer, even if the water is not very hot”.

Långholmsbadet Strand, Rålambshovsbadet and

Reimersholme count among the most popular

beaches. Of course, they are only open in summer.

If you want to swim quiet, you can still find a rock

just for you, right in town!

SPORTS

Even in winter, the presence of water offers many

possibilities for the Stockholmers. Indeed, when the

waters are iced, they can do many sports, like Ice

skating and cross country skiing. Even hiking, on the

ice, is done quite often by those who like field sports.

NB : These sports on natural ice are very dangerous and

require specific knowledge and equipment. If you want to

practise them, you have to rent special equipment and

follow an experimented guide. You can practise in the

center or in one of the stages of the city, and to book a

guide, you can call the organism of Kungsträdgården at

+4686220431.

Alice, a Stockholm teenager

met in Gamla Stan, also told

that once, she went to school

just walking on the ice of the

lake that separated her house

from her school !

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The presence of water offers to Stockholmvery beautiful landscapes, which attract all thenature lovers. For this reason, Stockholm is avery touristic city, with 7 million tourists eachyear. It’s also a true source of inspiration forthe photographers and painters.

.In another way, the presence of water makesthe Stockholmer buy summerhouses inStockholm, in small islands far from the center.They buy houses to pass their holidays nearbeaches, in a peaceful suburb. For this reason,we can say again that the water plays a majorrole in the economy of Stockholm.

THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS

Summerhouse in Vaxholm

Did you know it?The watercourses in

Stockholm used to be

used as refuse dumps

and latrines, which caused

the epidemic of

cholera and many

other diseases. In 1860,

things started to

change, and the water

was purified with special

plants. Today, the access to

fresh water in Stockholm

is excellent.

- In your everyday life, what is the place of

water ?

E: I cross bridges every day to get to school,

and I live near a lake.

-Do you take the bus-boat often ?

L : -Yes,often in the holidays, and sometimes

during the year.

E : -No I don’t use it very often because I

live in the center so I don’t need to.

- Do you do something special on ice

waters ?

L : I sometimes walk on the ice, and my

parents go skiing on the ice every week-end

in winter.

- And in summer, what do you do ?

E : -We love to go to beaches with friends

and swim ! Our favorite is Reimersholme.

Interview of Lisa and Elisabeth,

two young Stockolmers

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