JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF STOCKHOLM

GLOBE ARENA, STOCKHOLM

Like a giant UFO, the Globe Arena looms over the southern part of Stockholm. The skyview, which brings visitors to the top of the building, is one of Stockholm's most recent attractions.

The Globe Arena (Arena Globen) is located in the district of Johanneshov, just south of Södermalm. Since 2009 the arena, commonly known as Globen, has been officially known as the Ericsson Globe.

The Globe Arena was designed by Berg Architects as the world's largest hemispherical building. With its distinctive shape, seen for miles around, it soon became a modern symbol of Stockholm. The arena, which opened in 1989, has a circumference of 690 meters (2264 ft) - those who remember their math classes will know this means the arena has a diameter of 110 meters - and a ceiling height of 85 meters.

The arena is used as a multifunctional event hall, and hosts sports competitions, cultural events and concerts. The first major competition held here was the 1989 world championship hockey.International stars such as the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and Luciano Pavarotti have performed here for audiences of up to 16.000 people.

Skyview

In 2010 a new attraction opened at the Arena Globen, the skyview. It consists of two spherical glass gondolas, attached to rails on the side of the sphere. Each gondola has room for 16 people, who can enjoy a fabulous unobstructed view over Stockholm from the top of the Globen, at a height of 130 meters above sea level.

VASA MUSEUM , STOLKHOLM

The Vasa Museum opened in 1990 to display the Vasa, an impressive warship that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. The ship was recovered in the early 1960s and is now one of the most popular attractions in Stockholm.

History of the Vasa

In 1625 King Gustav II Adolf, member of the Vasa dynasty, commissioned the construction of four new warships, of which the Vasa would be the first one. It was the largest ship ever built in Sweden and the Vasa was meant to be the pride of the marine. Construction of the galleon started the following year at the naval shipyard - now the Blasieholmen neighborhood - where about 300 men built the ship in a span of less than three years.

Already in the 17th century attempts were made to salvage the ship but only the cannons were recovered. Over time, the exact position of the disaster had fallen into oblivion.

Finally in 1956, after years of searching for the location of the shipwreck, the amateur archaeologist Anders Franzén recovered a wooden piece of the Vasa. The following year the salvage of the Vasa started and tunnels were created for hoisting cables. After years of preparatory work, the Vasa returned to the surface in 1961. Thanks to the low level of salt in the water the wooden ship was remarkably well preserved since shipworms only survive in water with a minimum level of salt. Nonetheless there was still an enormous amount of restoration work, not least because thousands of pieces that were recovered had to be identified. The reconstruction of the ship, which is still 95% authentic, continued during the 1990s when the Vasa's rig was rebuilt.

The most impressive decorations are the large lion at the ship's bow and the 19.3 meters high stern (63 ft) which is completely covered with magnificent sculptures. The lion is a reference to king Gustav II, who was known as the 'Lion of the North'. 

The ship had a full cargo when it departed on its fatal first journey and many objects that were recovered are now on display at the museum. They give visitors an idea of life on a large ship during the 17th century. Some of the interesting objects include a wooden board game, medical equipment, wooden spoons, tin kitchenware and thousands of copper coins.

Visitors are not allowed in the ship itself, but a section of the upper cannon deck has been reconstructed. There are many other exhibits in the museum that focus on different aspects of the history of the Vasa, including its construction, the disaster and the salvage of the ship wreck.



Sources  :
                        www.wikipedia.org
                        www.traveleye.com