Running City Stockholm 2016

Stage 1

15 Tegelviksgatan 22  

59.311759, 18.098516 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Model of a bus in the hall

Route number

Historical background

The Museum of Public Transport (literally “tram museum”) was founded in the early 20th century. Originally it was a closed museum of a tram company. In the mid 20th century it was opened for general public and in 1990 the museum moved to a new building. The museum exhibits take a floor area of 120х150 m (partly sharing it with the toy museum) and cover over a century of transport development – from horse trams and tram cars to modern subway cars.

25 Danviksbron  

59.313566, 18.103827 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Sign on the bridge elements

Clearance value for ships

11,8 m

Historical background

The question of a new water way from Malaren Lake to Stockholm Gulf came up in the early 20th century: the current gate in the structure of Nils Ericson by Slussen Square for long had been unable to cope with loads and was small for modern ships. A new canal way was laid from Lake Hammarby along the eastern part of Södermalm and a new swing bridge was built over the canal mouth.

44 Sickla Kanalgata 65

59.304358, 18.106456 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Fountain near the building

Number of birds

55 Östgötagatan 100

59.304519, 18.08061 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Bicycle parking in the form of a gearwheel segments near the building

Number of separate segments

57 Förskeppsgatan 5

59.302805, 18.092165 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Monument near the building

Number of animals

59 Ljusslingan 17

59.305577, 18.098329 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Yellow car bar with a brewery advertisement near the building

Car registration plate number

64 Lugnets Allé 7  

59.301841, 18.102036 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Figures over the ground floor

Number of briefcases

Historical background

The design for the speed tram chord that would connect Stockholm suburbs bypassing the city centre appeared in 1998. The first section Tvärbanan, which means “crossroad”, was opened in 2000 and then three more appeared. It is planned to complete construction of the remaining two sections in 2017. When creating this line, almost all possible ways of laying railroad across the city were used such as tunnels, elevated roads, dedicated and combined ways, local railways and a corridor with surface subway.

67 Henriksdalsallén 30

59.309793, 18.103892 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Artificial “trees” on a flowerbed near the building

Number of trees

69 Per Ludvig Lindgrens Terrass 2

59.310932, 18.102905 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Trees in a wooden “wave”

Number of illumination lights

20 Hammarby Slussväg 17

59.304076, 18.070128 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Carpark near the indicated address, car with a competition logo

Signature of an official

Bonus checkpoints

13 Alstaviksvägen 13  

59.321269, 18.026826 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Image in the window opening

Prisoner’s number

Bonus time 10 minutes

Historical background

In the 18th century Queen Christina donated Langholmen Island to the city and the construction of penal colonies started there immediately. From 1724 these were institutions for women who worked in spin-houses and dye-houses. That was because in medieval Sweden prisoners had to pay for their stay in prison for the designated period. In addition, they had to meet performance standards that often were far from being realistic. For this reason period of imprisonment was extended by 1.5 times against the court sentence. In 1825 women were transferred to another place and men were brought to Langholmen. They served their duty at enterprises of Lars Smith, the founder of the famous brand Absolut vodka. In the 20th century the largest Swedish prison for 620 persons was opened on the island. In 1975 it was closed, with some buildings demolished, but the former Royal prison of 1835 was preserved. Now there is a hotel and museum and Langholmen has become a popular recreation area.

47 Pedestrian bridge across Södra Länken aligned with Sickla Kanalgata

59.302203, 18.111552 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Stele on the north-eastern part of the bridge

Year on the stele

Bonus time 30 minutes

51 Swedenborgsgatan 13

59.315589, 18.064318 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Bicycle in the window of an Italian restaurant

Bicycle brand

Bonus time 20 minutes

54 Fatburs Kvarngata 19  

59.313276, 18.060515 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Sculpture near the building

Year on the plaque

Bonus time 20 minutes

Historical background

Stockholms södra (“Southern”) station was opened in 1860 and was the terminal railway station that connected Stockholm and Goteborg before the Central Station of Stockholm was built. The current station was opened in 1989. Now it is hidden under ground and a big residential complex has been built at the place of former surface structures.

63 Skinnarviksringen 6

59.319714, 18.04822 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Park to the south-east of the building, monument in the park

Maximum year on the plaque

Bonus time 10 minutes

65 Marcusplatsen 1F

59.30467, 18.12198 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Machine near the building, compressor plaque

Number of atmospheres

Bonus time 30 minutes

73 Götgatan 105  

59.306885, 18.077327 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Inscription made with white paint on the wall

Number of letters “A”

Bonus time 20 minutes

Historical background

Götgatan Street is one of the longest streets in Stockholm centre, the main street of Södermalm Island. With its existence since the 12th century, it was named in 1640s as it used to be a part of the old Göt street. The northern part of the street going down the steep hill is for pedestrians. Recently it has become very popular.

Stage 2

16 Timmermansgatan 2A

59.320322, 18.0589 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Images in the ground floor windows

Number of cats

18 Tantogatan 77  

59.310664, 18.044969 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Bridge pillar near the indicated address, inscription

King’s name

Historical background

Fourteen islands of Stockholm are connected by 57 bridges of different design and purpose, from pedestrian and railway to classic multispan and cable bridges. However by the end of the past century the city developed a dominant tendency in bridge construction - to build high fixed-span bridges that do not hinder maritime, vehicle, public transport or pedestrian traffic. Such bridges even allow citizens and tourists to enjoy wonderful views of the city.

22 Wooden bridge along the bay near Rackarbacken  

59.306047, 18.060365 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Boating club sign on the pier door

Year on the sign

Historical background

Country life was borrowed by the Swedes from the Germans more than 100 yeas ago. Garden plots were allotted in Skane province to poor families under privileged conditions enabling them to grow vegetables and fruit for sale. As garden plots transformed from the labour place to the recreation area, country agglomerations appeared in Sweden like in Russia. Stockholm citizens hold garden plots under lease rights. To lease a garden plot of one hundred square meters, one should have a permanent residence in the city. Any construction is prohibited on all leased plots as a lessee obtains a plot with an already built house and a small barn for garden needs. Similar one-storey cottages in country colonies have one or two rooms with garden furniture from the nearest IKEA.

31 Ansgariegatan 5

59.317617, 18.046288 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Sign to the left of the gate

Number of lanterns on the picture of the estate

32 Söder Mälarstrand 53  

59.320842, 18.054893 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Arch in the building

Clearance value

Historical background

The brewery was founded in 1857, but the modern building was built in 1893 after the former one was destroyed in fire. The German beer was brewed here for over a hundred years until 1971 and the brewery was named after the famous Bavarian city of brewers, Munich. Now this building is used for exhibitions and conferences, offering offices, concert and exhibition halls. The city hall is decorated with busts of workers who built this building. Among them is a bust of a person from Munich hall who supplied beer to builders.

43 Hjalmar Cederströms gata 13

59.308331, 18.058562 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Summer terrace of a cafe, slab at the beginning of the path leading down

Year on the slab

48 Bergsundsgatan 19

59.316331, 18.029605 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Transformer substation near the building

Number of hearts

66 Reimersholme  

59.318368, 18.015347 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Monument on the westernmost tip of the island

Number of nuts connecting the monument to its foundation

Historical background

Reimersholme Island took its current name in 1798 after the name of the hatter and magistrate Anders Reimers whose property has been preserved on the eastern shore of the island. Reimersholme became part of Stockholm in 1913. In 1860s a wool processing plant was built at which prisoners from one of prisons worked. The plant went bankrupt in 1934 and this place was bought by the housing cooperative association HSB. By the mid 1940s the association built houses in the northern and eastern part of the island. In 1980s the southern part where alcohol production was based turned into a residential area. The island may be accessed by city buses.

10 Mariatorget

59.318362, 18.062789 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Bench in the centre of the public garden

Signature of an official

Stage 3

11 Pustegränd 7

59.320106, 18.067601 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Monument near the building

Sum of digits on the plaque

14 Sven Vintappares gränd 3

59.324778, 18.068696 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Signboard on the building

Foundation year of the establishment

24 Medborgarplatsen 2  

59.314308, 18.071775 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Balcony on the first floor level

Number of human figures in the balcony grate decoration

Historical background

Medborgarplatsen (literally “Civil square”) is one of the largest squares in Stockholm. It is a common place for holding meetings, 1st May holiday or celebration of local sports clubs. A big public library is located on the square, in winter a skating rink is made and in summer it is turned into a terrace with benches. A like-named subway station is located by the square. It was opened in 1933 as the underground tram stop and in 1950 it was re-equipped as one of the first subway stations.

26 Brännkyrkagatan 20  

59.319742, 18.0642 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Doors of the building

Number of people depicted

Historical background

Brännkyrkagatan is the steepest street in Stockholm with a slope of up to 22%. In the early 20th century this feature was used to test brake systems of the first Stockholm vehicles and test skills of claimants of "Kompetensbevis för bilkörning", “driving skills certificate”, a prototype of the modern driving license.

29 Kornhamnstorg 4  

59.322774, 18.070584 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Telephone booths near the building

Number of isolators on the roof

Historical background

Telephone services in Stockholm began to be installed in 1877 as the telephone set was demonstrated to King Oscar II. Since Alexander Bell, an inventor of the telephone, did not patent his invention in Sweden, the well-known Lars Magnus Ericsson, a founder of the like-named company, started to manufacture telephone equipment in the same year. However the first public telephone network was launched in 1880 by the Stockholm telephone company of Bell and the rental fee in a 121-user network was 160-280 krones, subject to the distance to a station, which is now equivalent to 10-15 thousand krones. In 1887 there appeared a futuristic telephone tower for 4,000 telephone lines, in 1908 - for 106 thousand users, in 1923 - the first automatic system... Now corded telephones in Sweden are some sort of anachronysm, typical of big offices, let alone with street automatic telephones. These have been forced out by cheap, convenient and publicly available mobile service and the Internet.

52 Skaraborgsgatan 9

59.316802, 18.070289 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Sculpture near the building, plaque on the foundation

Second line on the plaque

30 Tage Erlanders plats

59.326951, 18.068873 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Signature of an official

Stage 4

01 Lantmäteribacken 1

59.32984, 18.070836 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Coat of arms on the plaque to the left of the entrance to the building

Number of crowns

02 Еrstagatan 1  

59.316599, 18.090899 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Cross on the territory of the building

Date on the plaque

Historical background

The Ersta church is located on the southern hills of Södermalm island. Originally religious services were held at a local hospital, but soon it became clear that the room was too small. The new church building in the Neo-Gothic style was built in 1872 upon the design of the architect Per Ulrik Stenhammar. The interior was renovated in the late 1960s. Apart from services, music concerts are now held at Ersta kyrka.

03 Skeppsbrokajen embankment to the east of the Royal Palace

59.326737, 18.074988 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Gustav III monument

Sum of the Roman digits on the pedestal

1813

06 Fjällgatan 16  

59.317349, 18.084097 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Entrance to the theatre

Number of silhouettes in the windows

Historical background

Fjällgatan street is located on a cliff, which height is 27.8 m. It offers a fantastic view of the lake and Stockholm centre. Citizens call it “Stockholm balcony”. Old wooden houses built in the 18th century are preserved on the street.

09 Österlånggatan 19

59.324925, 18.074044 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Model of a lightship in the shop window

Inscription on the ship

21 Mäster Pers gränd 6  

59.312624, 18.08709 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Plaque with the institution name on the fence

Inscription on the plaque

Historical background

Historically, dock-yard workers, dockers and common labourers lived on small rural street Mäster Pers Gränd. Most houses that are preserved here have never been renovated. There are no central water supply and sewage systems. Water is in a well and toilet in a yard. Except that electric wiring has been installed.

36 Strömsborg island  

59.327104, 18.063074 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Building on the island

Number of spherical lights on the façade facing the Stockholm city hall

Historical background

Strömsborg island is a small island in Stockholm centre. For many centuries there were just a few uninhabited cliffs surrounded by hidden pitfalls. When Queen Christina donated the island to her half-brother in 1647, indeed such gift could be regarded a deliberate offence. The island was not honored to be laid down on the map for long. In 1740 the island was bought by the merchant Berge Olofson Ström who built a stone house surrounded by linden trees. The name of island may be derived both from the owner’s surname and Swedish word Strömmen (“stream”). Gradually the island turned into an idyllic place with small houses. However the idyl was gone as there appeared a current palace (in 1895-1897) and two bridges, one in 1872-1878 and the other in the 20th century (1961-1967). The island had been the head-quarters of the Swedish Sports Confederation for long and now it has the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.

37 Kocksgatan 18

59.313845, 18.076994 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Entrance not in use on the corner of the building, painting

Paint brand

49 Renstiernas gata 49

59.310587, 18.086243 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Bench at a bus stop

Inscription on the bench

56 Katarina gångbro  

59.318521, 18.073803 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Information boards on the southern side of the bridge, board with the year 1850 on it

Stockholm’s population

Historical background

The Katarina lift is a passenger lift built in 1881 as an elevator from the Slussen transportation hub to the Södermalm district. It acquired its current appearance in 1935 during reconstruction of the junction. As subway emerged the elevator became obsolete and the lift turned into a tourist attraction and the bridge between the lift and the mountain top became an observation site. However the lift was closed in 2010 due to unreliable design. According to the recently developed renovation plan the elevator may be put into operation again in 2019.