# Scandinavian towns and cities



## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

The following is intended as a snapshot of the various places in Scandinavia Ive had the fortune to visit over the last ten years.

Starting off in the Danish capital of Copenhagen:

It received a charter as a city in 1254 and has been pre-eminent in the kingdom of Denmark since the 15th century. 

In terms of architectural style, the oldest buildings date from the first half of the 17th century and much of the old town is from around 1800. This is largely due to devastating fires in 1728 and 1795. Some medieval bricks were probably reused in the rebuilding of churches, but these are about the only traces from the middle ages.

It was in the 17th century the city really began to grow, going from around 12,000 at the start of the century to 60,000 by its end. Ambitious plans to expand and embellish Copenhagen were begun during the reign of Christian IV and some of the buildings from this period have survived. 










Amagertorv, which was part of the medieval town, didn't escape the fires of the 18th century. As part of the commercial centre, there has also been a fair bit of rebuilding here, but the renaissance house at Amagertorv 6 has weathered all these storms. It was built for Mayor Mathias Hansen in 1616 and, apart from the insertion of shop windows in 1898, is still representative of the Dutch-inspired renaissance style of the period.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

Surviving examples of the merchant houses of the early 17th century can be found on the other side of the inner harbour, in Christianshavn. This was originally founded as a separate town and only became part of Copenhagen in 1674. Original houses exist on Strandgade, including numbers 28, 30 and 32. They are dated to 1620-24.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Please post more photos from Scandinavian towns; these photos are very nice


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

Christian IV built a royal retreat outside the old city walls in 1606-15. It was originally a two-storey mansion, but several building campaigns followed, until the building reached its fullest extent in 1634. The final design has been attributed to Hans van Steenwinckel the younger or Bertel Lange. It is similar in style to the larger Frederiksborg, which the same monarch built 40km outside of Copenhagen in 1599-1620.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

One of the best preserved streets in Copenhagen is Magstraede, which was mostly untouched by the fire of 1795. Some houses also survived the fire of 1728, including two gabled houses at the end of the street, which have been dated to around 1640.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

The exchange (right) was originally a relatively plain structure built on reclaimed land in 1619-23 to a design by Lorenz Steenwinckel, who died in the first year of construction, and his brother Hans van Steenwinckel the younger. The spire was added in 1625 by Ludvig Heideritter and the work to embellish the building continued until about 1640, when the last touches were made to the east front. The facade was in yellow brick until 1878, when it was replaced with an imitation of red brick instead. The building on the left is much more recent and was built for Privatbanken in 1901-04 by architect Axel Berg.










The renaissance portal on the church of the Holy Ghost on Amagertorv was added in 1640 but was probably intended for the exchange when it was first commissioned. Only the outer walls remained of the church after the fire of 1728 but the portal survived and was restored. There has been a church at this location since at least 1449. It was rebuilt by architect Johan Cornelius Krieger and reconsecrated in 1732.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

The church of Holmen was originally an anchor forge designed by Peter de Dunker. It first became church in 1617-20, and was expanded and rebuilt in 1641-43 by architect Leonhard Blasius. New transepts were added and the tower was subsumed as the church was built taller. A gateway was taken from the cathedral in Roskilde and added in 1872.










The 1673 royal library and cabinet of curiosities, which now houses the National Archives, was built to a design by the architect Albert Mathisen and was completed after his death by Thomas Rasmussen Walgensteen. Compared to the royal works of the first half of the century, the Dutch influence is less apparent and the ornament has been stripped down to a more Italianate style.










Charlottenborg was the first mansion on Kongens Nytorv, a square established to the east of the old town as part of Christian IVs plan to expand the city. The east gate in the city walls was demolished in 1647 and the ramparts were replaced with new fortifications further north. The mansion was built in 1672-83 for Ulrik Frederik Gyldenlove and was only named Charlottenborg after 1700 when the mansion was sold to the Queen Mother, Charlotte Amalie. The architect was probably Ewert Janssen to a design inspired by a proposal for the Amsterdam city hall. The rear wing was added by Lambert van Haven and is of a later date.










The earliest building on Kongens Nytorv was actually built as early as 1606, before the city expanded beyond its old city walls. The top storey and mansard dates from 1782-90, however. It is still more in style with the merchant houses of Nyhavn (right) than the aristocratic mansions of Kongens Nytorv. The canal of Nyhavn was created in 1671-73, while the oldest surviving building there dates from 1681.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates about Skandinavian towns


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

After selling his residence on Kongens Nytorv, Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve built a second mansion in 1700-02, which became known as his little mansion. It was built on the site of a previous house from the 1680s, but was one of the first aristocratic mansions in what has since been known as Frederiksstaden, a new area of the city north of Kongens Nytorv. The original architect was Ernst Brandenburger, though the sandstone ornamentation around the windows was only added in 1716-23 by Johan Cornelius Krieger. A extension was made to the building in 1878-80, by architect Theodor Zeltner, which can be seen in the lighter colour of brick on the far left. It is now known as Moltke's mansion after a 19th century owner. 










The Marble bridge and pavilions were designed by Nicolai Eigtved and completed in 1744, as part of the first Christiansborg project. The overall design for the palace was by Elias David Hausser and mostly built in 1731-45. However, Hausser retired in 1742 and it was left to Eigtved to complete the works. The total cost of construction is said to have been about half of the state's annual income. Yet, the palace only lasted until 1794 when it was destroyed in a fire. The only remaining parts of the palace are the pavilions and riding ground complex. The north wing of the complex was built before Eigtved took over in 1642, while the remainder is his work. The first Christiansborg palace replaced a previous medieval-renaissance structure known as Copenhagen Castle. The current Christiansborg (1907-18) is clad in granite in contrast to the sandstone used for the riding ground complex and pavilions.










The church of Our Saviour was built in 1682-95 as a replacement for the temporary structure inaugurated in 1639. It was to serve as the main church of Christianshavn, a town founded by Christian IV and initially independent from Copenhagen. The architect was Lambert van Haven. The famous spire was only added in 1749-52 and was designed by Lauritz de Thurah.










These houses in Christianshavn are fairly typical of the mid-18th century. They mostly date to 1730-50, though both houses in blue were originally built in the 17th century while the yellow facade is from around 1802.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

Bernstorff's mansion was built in 1752-56 to a design by Johan Gottfried Rosenberg, who also designed the twin building across the street, known as the Dehn mansion. Some alterations were made to the house in 1892 by the architect Jørgen Hansen Koch.










Stanley's mansion was built in Christianshavn in 1755-56 for the sculptor and professor Simon Carl Stanley. Originally, only the central section had two floors but the side-wings were added to in 1783. Stanley was presumably himself the architect. 










The Odd Fellows mansion was built in 1751-57 for Christian August von Berckentin by the architect Johan Gottfried Rosenberg. Two new pavilions fronting Bredgade were built in 1880's and a concert hall was added to the back of the building, but the latter was destroyed by fire in 1992. Odd Fellows bought the mansion in 1901.

Christian's Church was built in in 1754-59 as a church for the German community in Christianshavn, an area founded specifically for merchants and which had attracted many German traders and craftsmen. The architect was Nicolai Eigtved, who died shortly after he submitted his designs, and the building was financed by lottery. It was originally called Frederik's German church but it was decided in 1901 to change the name to avoid confusion with Frederik's church in Frederiksstaden, after the German congregation was dissolved in 1886.










Amalienborg Palace was built as four separate mansions in 1750-60. The mansions were designed by Nicolai Eigtved, and completed by Lauritz de Thurah after Eigtved's death in 1754. The plots were originally given to aristocrats for free on the condition that they followed the overall design and built within a certain period of time. The royal family bought the mansions after the destruction of Christiansborg Palace in 1794. A colonnade was built between two of the mansions in 1794-95 by Caspar Frederik Harsdorff.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

The Thott mansion was originally built in 1683-86 as the residence of the naval officer, Niels Juel, to a design by Lambert von Haven. It was the second house to be built on Kongens Nytorv. However, the current look stems from a redesign by the architect Nicolas-Henri Jardin in 1763-64. The mansion now houses the French embassy. The building on the left was completed in 1896 for the insurance company Standard by the architect Christian Arntzen.










Harsdorff's mansion is actually three different houses built by the architect Caspar Frederik Harsdorff in 1779-80. The last of the three houses stands diagonally to the other two, breaking the symmetry, apparently due to the location of a former service building to Charlottenborg.










Højbro Plads was created after the fire in 1795 and opened up the space between Amagertorv and Slotsholmen. Most of the houses in the new square was built in the period 1796-99. St Nicholas church, originally constructed in the 13th century and rebuilt around 1500, was mostly destroyed in 1795 but the tower, which was added in 1582-91, survived. It lost the spire from 1611, but a reconstructed version was added in 1909. The main body of the building, also a reconstruction, was completed in 1912. However, the building hasn't been used for church services since 1805.










The buildings in Ved Stranden were mostly built after the fire in 1795. The building on the left was probably designed by J. H. Rawert, the fourth floor being added in 1886, and used to be the location of Hotel Royal. The building with the columns is known as the Gustmeyer House and was designed by Johan Martin Quist in 1797.










Erichsen's mansion was built in 1797-1801 by architect Caspar Frederik Harsdorff, who died before it was completed. It was restored and rebuilt in 1888-92 and again in 1928-30. It is one of the first houses in Denmark where classical columns were used for the residence of a commoner.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

^^ Great, very nice updates; well done :cheers:


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

Gammeltorv, meaning Old Square, was at the heart of the medieval town and may have been a marketplace even before the area became urbanised. Older buildings were all destroyed in the fire of 1795, some of which had been built after the fire of 1728. Some of the post-fire buildings still stand. They date from 1796 to 1801.










The construction of a second Christiansborg palace started in 1803 to replace the building destroyed in 1794. Only fragments remain as this structure also succumbed to flames in 1884. The remains can be seen on the ground floor of the north front facing Prince George's Yard. An entrance portal was also reused and now serves as the main entrance to the Supreme Court. The architect for the second Christiansborg palace was Christian Frederik Hansen and works were completed in 1828. On the right can be seen Thorvaldsen Museum, completed in a Greek-Egyptian inspired style by Micheael Gottlieb Bindesbøll in 1838-48.










The courthouse building was completed in 1816 by architect Christian Frederik Hansen and served as the city hall until 1905. It replaced the previous city hall, which burned in the fire of 1795. Whereas the old building had stood at the junction between the squares of Gammeltorv and Nytorv, the new one was moved to the west corner of Nytorv. This was done to prevent the spread of fire and thus opened up the space between the two squares. The site of the new city hall was found on the spot where Vajsenhuset had previously stood.










The Palace Chapel was built in 1813-26 to a design by Christian Frederik Hansen. It replaced a previous chapel designed by Nicolai Eigtved, which was destroyed in the the palace fire of 1794. The rebuilt palace suffered another devastating fire in 1884 but the chapel survived. Fire damaged the chapel in 1992 but it was rebuilt faithfully to Hansen's original designs.










Grønnegade 27 is typical of the timber-framed houses that were built in the 17th and 18th centuries. It was actually built as two two-storey houses some time around 1695. The third storey was only added in 1834. 










The buildings on Søtorvet were constructed in 1873-75 by the Copenhagen Building Company to designs by architects Ferdinand Vilhelm Jensen and Vilhelm Petersen. The area used to be part of the city's fortifications but came available for development after the decommissioning in 1868. The Queen Louise Bridge was built in the 1880s connecting the inner city with the district of Nørrebro.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

The Royal Danish Theatre was built in 1872-74 to designs by architects Vilhelm Dahlerup and Ove Petersen, after they had won a competition in 1871. It replaced a previous theatre-building by Caspar Frederik Harsdorff from 1774, which in turn replaced a theatre by Nicolai Eigtved from 1748. The dome on the right belongs to the department store Magasin du Nord, completed in 1893 by architect Albert Jensen, on the site of the previous Hotel du Nord.










The Marble Church or Frederik's Church, as its officially known, was built in 1877-94 by the architect Ferdinand Meldahl. The original project for a church on this location was begun in 1750 when Nicolai Eigtved made the first designs. The task was later given to Nicolas-Henri Jardin who submitted new plans, but construction slowed and came to a complete halt in 1770. Many architects submitted ideas for the completion of the church in the coming decades but things didn't start to move until the site was sold into private hands in 1874. The condition of the sale was for the new owner to complete the church but this was delayed by the need to demolish the existing half-structure. Meldahl was originally assistant to Christian Zwingmann but took over after the latter retired due to poor health in the mid-1870s. The buildings surrounding the church were designed by Meldahl and completed in 1886. However, the financier behind the project, Carl Frederik Tietgen, was unable to purchase the necessary plots in the southwest corner to complete the full lay-out.










The former DFDS headquarters in Sankt Annæ Plads was built in 1891 by the architect Albert Jensen. DFDS was founded in 1866 by Carl Frederik Tietgen.










Grønnegade 33 was built in 1894 to a design by architect Emil Blichfeldt, who was also responsible for the entrance to Tivoli. It was built for De Forenede Malermestres Farvemølle. The yellow facade on its left is from 1754.

The National Gallery of Denmark (Statens Museum for Kunst) was built in 1889-1896 by architects Vilhelm Dahlerup and Georg Møller on a site that was previously part of the city's fortification ring. The royal collection of paintings was originally housed in Christiansborg Palace but a new venue was needed after the palace fire in 1884. A modern extension of the museum was completed in 1998.


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## Gratteciel (May 4, 2008)

Wonderful thread!
Thank you very much for the interesting explanations.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

In between the late 18th century houses on Højbro Plads, number 5 does convincing job of looking like it's from the 17th century, when in fact it was built in 1896-97 by architect Martin Borch. The facade is mostly intact with the exception of the ground floor. On the left, Højbrohus (Østergade 61) was built in 1896 by architect Richard Bergmann.










Ny Carlsberg Glypotek was completed in 1897 by the architect Vilhelm Dahlerup to house the personal sculpture collection of Carl Jacobsen. The collection had opened to the public in 1882 in a private building, but was moved to a new publicly financed museum after Jacobsen donated his collection in 1888. The original building was significantly enlarged in 1906 by the architect Hack Kampmann, and a third building was added in 1996. The building on the left was built for the Royal Danish Academy of Music in 1906 by architect Christian Laurits Thuren.










Copenhagen city hall was built in 1892-1905 to a design by Martin Nyrop. The location just to the west of the old city became available when the ring of fortifications at its perimeter was decommissioned in the second half of the 19th century. This picture is taken from Vester Voldgade, which used to be a narrow road between the city and the ramparts. Helmerhus (right), also known as the Utrecht building, was built on top of the removed ramparts in 1892-93 by architects Knud Arne Petersen and Henrik Hagemann. The location of the city hall also encouraged the modernisation of buildings on the existing city side, including many new hotels. The two white buildings on the left were opened as Hotel Hafnia (1899) and Hotel Kong Frederik (1898) respectively, by architects Phillip Smidth and Rogert Møller. Smidth also designed Politikens Hus in 1904-07 on the corner of Vestergade, which like most of the other buildings on this side of Rådhuspladsen is brick-faced and takes inspiration from the city hall. The space in between Hotel Kong Frederik and Politikens Hus was only modernised in 1934-37 by architects Emanuel Monberg and Axel Maar.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

Kultorvet was created after the fire in 1728. The large building on the right was built in 1908 by the architect Christian Hansen , while the corner building on the other side of Købmagergade is from 1906-07 by the architect Vilhelm Fischer.










The third Christiansborg Palace was constructed in 1907-18 to designs by architect Thorvald Jørgensen. Unlike the previous two palaces, the current building is faced with granite instead of sandstone, with the exception of the ground floor of one of the lateral courtyards where remnants of the second Christiansborg (1828-84) was reused. The building houses the Danish parliament, Supreme Court, the Prime Minister's Office and royal reception rooms.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

The extension to the Royal Danish Library, known as the black diamond, was built in 1995-99 by the architectural firm Schmidt Hammer Lassen. It was the first in a series of new cultural buildings on the city's waterfront. There are also two museums in the building as well an auditorium.










The Copenhagen Opera House was built in 2001-04 to a design by the architect Henning Larsen. The house was donated to the state by the A.P. Møller and Chastine Mc-Kinney Møller foundation. At its location on Holmen island, it completes the Amalienborg-axis.

The Royal Danish Playhouse was completed in 2007, after a competition was won by architects Lundgaard and Tranberg in 2002. The new theatre includes three separate stages and supplements the existing venue of the Royal Theatre on Kongens Nytorv.


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

I think I can see where my city, Liverpool, got its inspiration from for the Mann Island development......The 'Black Diamond' library.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

VM houses is a housing complex completed in 2005. The two apartment buildings were designed by JDS Architects and Bjarke Ingels Group.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

Moving on to Stockholm










Riddarholmskyrkan was originally consecrated in 1300 as part of the Greyfriars cloister and could be considered Stockholm's oldest building, although much of the fabric has changed through successive restorations. It is the burial church of Sweden's monarchs, and as such several burial chapels have been added over the years, most of them in a 17th century renaissance style, with the exception of the Carolean chapel, which is in a baroque style, begun in 1671 but only completed in 1743. Restorations took place in 1811-17, 1841-46 and 1914-22. The spire and much of the tower also had to be replaced after lightening struck and caused a fire in 1835.










This renaissance portal belongs to von der Lindeska huset, also known as Scharenbergska huset. It was built in 1633 by Lord High Treasurer Erik Larsson, who was given the title von der Linde in 1631. The facade on Kornhamnstorg was altered in 1763 and 1908 but has the oldest bay window in Stockholm.










The construction of Sankt Jakobs kyrka started in 1588 but was only completed in 1643, due to a pause that lasted from 1592 to 1633. The original architect was Willem Boy, while most of the renaissance details were completed by master mason Hans Förster and sculptor Henrik Blom. The renaissance south portal is attributed to Markus or Hans Hebel and dates to 1644. Tower, roof and gables were replaced after a fire in 1723. The new tower was designed by Goran Adelcrantz and Carl Hårleman and was completed in 1739. Sankt Jakobs replaced a previous church from the 1430s and there had been a chapel on the site since the 14th century.










Most of the facades on Stortorget are from the 17th and 18th centuries. The best preserved example is Schantzska huset from 1650, with its ornate gable intact, while the facades on either side mostly reflect changes made in the 18th century.










The facade of Grillska huset is originally from 1649, but alterations were made in 1718 and 1750, including the pilaster strips and the shape of the gable. The well on the left was erected in conjunction with the new stock exchange building in the 18th century and was designed by Erik Palmstedt. It was removed after 1856 to Brunkebergstorg but returned to Stortorget in the 1950s.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

Axel Oxenstiernas palats is considered the first Italianate palace in Stockholm. It was designed by Jean de la Vallée and was built in 1653 though it was never completed. Depictions from the 17th century show a steeper roof and crowing pediments, illustrating clearer how the completed section would have fit in as end pavilion to palatial front corresponding roughly to the length of the royal palace. De la Vallée presented his plans for a rebuilding of the royal palace in 1654. The image is taken from a short street called Trångsund, consisting mainly of 17th century houses, some built on top of medieval basements.










Petersenska huset, also known as Piperska paletset, was built in 1645-59 to a design by German architect Christian Julius Doteber as one of the new buildings that emerged on the southwest of Stadsholmen to a new street grid after the fire of 1625. The low courtyard wing was rebuilt to full height in the 1870s with a corner turret by architect Johan Erik Soderlund.










Riddarhuset was built in 1641-74 as the seat of the Swedish nobility. The first plans were originally by the French-born architect Simon de la Vallée but the final result has been attributed to his successors, particularly the Dutch architect Justus Vingboons. The work was completed by the son of the original architect and it was Jean de la Vallée who designed the unusual sloped roof. The two pavilions on the north side were added in 1870 by architect Adolf Edelsvard.










Bondeska Palatset was built in 1662-73 as a private residence for Lord High Treasurer Gustaf Bonde to a design by Nicodemus Tessin the elder and Jean de la Vallée. The building originally had a pitched copper-clad roof with pavilion-like domes, similar to the ones that have been preserved at the end of the two north-facing wings. This and the original segmental pediment was lost in a fire in 1710. Bondeska Palatset served as city hall from 1731 to 1915 and has been the seat of the supreme court since the 1940s.










Stenbockska palatset is the best preserved of the palaces of the nobility on Riddarholmen. It was originally built for Fredrik Gutsavsson Stenbock around 1640 and the anchor plates are from this period, although Stenbock's son had Nicodemus Tessin the Elder redesign the palace in the 1670s and the plaster finish is actually from the 18th century. The building has housed the National Archives since 1865.


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## skymantle (Jul 17, 2010)

Thanks for info...very insightful and interesting. :cheers:


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## Adde (May 8, 2011)

joamox said:


> Axel Oxenstiernas palats is considered the first Italianate palace in Stockholm. It was designed by Jean de la Vallée and was built in 1653 though it was never completed. Depictions from the 17th century show a steeper roof and crowing pediments, illustrating clearer how the completed section would have fit in as end pavilion to palatial front corresponding roughly to the length of the royal palace. De la Vallée presented his plans for a rebuilding of the royal palace in 1654. *The image is taken from a short street called Trångsund, consisting mainly of 17th century houses, some built on top of medieval basements.*


Great post! Just a small correction: the houses along Trångsund is mostly medieval. The idea that Gamla Stan is mostly made up of 17th and 18th century buildings standing on medieval cellars are a very common misconception. Actual surveys of the building stock has revealed that hundreds of houses are partly or even mostly medieval above ground as well. 

The block in the picture is named "Hippomenes". The house closest to the camera is Hippomenes 2. The first two floors plus the cellar is medieval. The house is first mentioned in written sources in 1584. In 1660 the house got two additional floors. A fifth floor was added in 1811.

The next house (the red one) is Hippomenes 3. The whole building is late medieval, except the facade of the 4th floor which was modernized together with the roof in the 1700's. Construction began in 1477 and finished before 1489.

The house closest to Axel Oxenstiernas palace is called Hippomenes 4. It was originally two medieval buildings that were combined into one in 1681. The sources mention some amount of demolition in conjuncture with the 1681 remodel, but how much of the medieval buildings that survive isn't known. The arched window at the corner is from a 1907 remodel.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

That's really interesting, thanks. 

Do you mind telling me your source, as information on the internet doesn't contain that level of detail.

I should also added that I'm primarily interested in the evolution of architectural style, rather than the age of the structures as such, and the sequence of photos will reflect that. There is a limit to how systematic I will be though,


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

Södra Bankohuset on Järntorget is the oldest national bank building in the world. The facade was designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Elder in 1675-85 and remains relatively unaltered although the bank has been enlarged several times. Norra Bankohuset was later built to the north in 1772 by architect Carl Johan Cronstedt. This second building has also been extended since and the two structures are connected via a bridge. Järntorget is the second oldest square in Stockholm and dates back to 1300.










Katarina kyrka in Sodermalm was built in 1656-96 to a design by Jean de la Vallée as the first centrally planned church in Sweden. Construction was halted on several occasions and therefore lasted almost half a century. The church was rebuilt with a taller tower after a fire in 1723 to a design by the architect Göran Adelcrantz. The facade was originally painted red but has been yellow since 1874. It burned again in 1990 and was subsequently rebuilt.










The royal palace in Stockholm was designed by the architect Nicodemus the Younger in 1698, after the previous renaissance castle Tre Kronor had burnt to the ground the year before. The northern wing predates the final design and was completed in 1692-96 and survived the fire. Construction came to a halt in 1709 and only resumed in 1728. The palace was ready for habitation in 1754 when the royal family moved in, but it was not finally completed until 1771.










The facades of Stockholm cathedral are mostly from 1736-42 when the medieval church was given a baroque makeover under the direction of architect Johan Eberhard Carlberg. The interior retains the original brick gothic, most of which dates to the 15th century while the oldest fragments date back to the 13th century. The building on the left was completed in 1912 to a design by architect Erik Josephson. It is occupied by the Royal Household.










Adolf Fredriks kyrka was built in 1768-74 to a design by Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz, replacing a wooden chapel erected there in 1674. The image is taken from Olofsgatan, a short street from Hotorget and up to the church. Some buildings from the late 19th century are preserved on the left hand side while the buildings on the right were built between 1919 and 1929.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

The yellow gabled house is an annex to a mansion Simon de la Vallée designed for Admiral Erik Rygning in 1640-44. The mansion is visible from Riddarhustorget but the annex is from 1774 by master mason Alexander Högman. The facade on the corner of Stora Gråmunkegrand is from 1861 by Johan Fredrik Åbom.










Börshuset was originally built as the city's exchange in 1773-78 to a design by Erik Palmstedt, and was also used by the Swedish academy and as administration building for the bourgeoisie. It is located on the north side of Stortorget and replaced a series of buildings that previously housed the city hall. The city's administration had already relocated to Bondeska Palatset in 1732. The exchange has moved to Frihamnen since 1998.










Arvfurstens palats was originally built as Torstensonska palatset, completed in 1651 as a renaissance palace. It was purchased by princess Sofia Albertina in 1783 who hired the architect Erik Palmstedt to create a new facade. The new facade is a copy of the opera house then located across the square, but which was demolished in 1892. A fragment of the original Torstensonska palatset can still be seen from Fredsgatan.










Wrangel Palace was official royal residence from 1697 to 1754 during construction of the royal palace. Originally built around 1630 for county governor Lars Sparre, it was rebuilt and expanded in 1652-70 by Nicodemus Tessin the Elder and again after a fire in 1693. The palace was given a new a much simpler redesign after the fire on Riddarholmen in 1802, by architect Carl Christopher Gjörwell, but some of the 17th century details have returned in successive restorations. The southern tower originates from defensive fortifications built in the 1530s.










The National Museum was built in 1844-66 to a design by the German architect Friedrich August Stüler. The collection had previously been housed in the royal palace and the first suggestion to create a purpose-built structure emerged in 1814. The question was dismissed in parliament when it was raised in 1828, but it passed in 1840 and a parliamentary grant was secured in 1844-45. The young architect Fredrik Wilhelm Scholander was tasked with designing the new building, but his proposal came under heavy criticism and was significantly reworked when it was sent to Stüler in Berlin. The interior solutions are attributed to Scholander but the exterior mostly to Stüler. The museum opened in time for the Stockholm exhibition in 1866. On the right can be seen Skeppsholmskyrkan, built in 1823-49 to a design by architect Fredrik Blom, which replaced a minor wooden church that burned down in 1822.


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## Adde (May 8, 2011)

joamox said:


> That's really interesting, thanks.
> 
> Do you mind telling me your source, as information on the internet doesn't contain that level of detail.
> 
> I should also added that I'm primarily interested in the evolution of architectural style, rather than the age of the structures as such, and the sequence of photos will reflect that. There is a limit to how systematic I will be though,


You're right, you mostly have to go to printed sources for that kind of detail, although if you speak Swedish most of the Stockholm City Museum's reports are available online through Digitala Stadsmuseet. There you can find architectural surveys of most older houses in Stockholm, as well as archaeological reports and so on.

The information I posted about the houses in quarter Hippomenes came from "Gamla Stan - Hus för hus" which is monograph publication of a research project where all known information, both historic, archaeological and architectural was collected for every house in a number of blocks in the old town.

And I wasn't trying to correct the purpose of your posts as such, it's just such a common misconception that the Old Town isn't really medieval but mostly 17th and 18th century.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

kay: cool, thanks 

Any other comments and criticisms are welcome by the way,


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

The old Parliament building was given its present appearance after the reform of 1866, which had introduced a bicameral system. The architect Johan Fredrik Åbom redesigned what had been the House of the Estates since 1834. The building ceased to function as parliament in 1905 and has since housed various government offices.










Hedvig Eleonora kyrka was completed in 1737 by architect Göran Adelcrantz, though the original project and design was by Jean de la Vallée and was initiated already in 1664. Construction soon halted due to a lack of funds and a temporary wooden structure was built instead. Work was only resumed in 1725 when the task was given to Adelcrantz. The drum and cupola was added in 1866-68 to a design by Fredrik Wilhem Scholander.










The building on the corner of Slottsbacken and Skeppsbron was built in 1868-70 for Stockholms telegrafstation to a design by architect Ludvig Hawerman. It replaced a warehouse called Saltkompaniets hus. The telegraph expanded to the adjacent Flemingska palatset in 1889 and remained in the premises until 1993. Flemingska was originally built in the 1650s to a design attributed to Nicodemus Tessin the Elder or Jean de la Vallée. Alterations were made in 1783 and 1863. Further up the slope can be seen the royal coin cabinet, a 17th century building redesigned in 1909; Tessinska palatset, built in 1694-1701; and the Finnish church, housed in Lilla Bollhuset from 1648-53.










Douglaska palatset, on the corner of Blasieholmstorg and Arsenalsgatan, was originally built in the 1670s to a design by Nicodemus Tessin the Elder, but the current facade is due to a redesign by Johan Fredrik Åbom from 1874. Åbom also designed the building on the right for a gentlemen's club in 1874. It contain a copy of a banquet hall, which Åbom had designed for the previous premises at Hotel Rydberg on Gustav Adolfs torg. Arsenalsgatan 8 on the left was built in 1907-09 by Thor Thorén.










Storkyrkobrinken 7 (right) was built in 1873-76 as the headquarters of Skandinaviska Kreditaktiebolaget by architect Ernst Jacobsson. The banking hall is on the second floor with a ceiling supported by cast iron columns. The bank moved to new headquarters at Gustav Adolfs torg in 1914 and the building was used by ministries until 1970. It is now the premises of the parliamentary library.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

The National Library of Sweden was built in Humlegården in 1877-78 to a design by Gustaf Dahl. Two new wings were added in 1926-27. 










The steeple and spire of the German church was built in 1878 to a design by Berlin-based architect Julius Carl Raschdorff, after the previous tower had been destroyed in fire. The church was originally begun as a chapel in the 1580s on the site of the German guild of St Gertrude and was enlarged to a two-nave church in 1638-42. Some of the architects involved were Wilhelm Boy, Hubert de Besche and Hans Jakob Kristler.










Strandvägen 23-27 was the first complex of mansion blocks to be built on Strandvägen. It was completed in 1880 to a design by architect Oskar Erikson. The complex was originally symmetrical but number 23 was demolished in the 1950s and replaced with a building designed by Nils Tesch. The plan was to maintain the symmetry by also rebuilding number 27, but this never happened.










The present Klara church stems from a restoration carried out in 1884-86 to a design by Helgo Zettervall but the origins of the church are much older. The St Clara nunnery was founded on the site as early as 1280 and the present church was originally built in the 16th century. The dutch mason Hendrik van Huwen was hired for the job and royal architect Willem Boy was probably also involved. Various additions were made over the subsequent centuries.










Strandvägen 29-33 was built in 1886-88 to a design by Isak Gustaf Clason, with Anders Gustaf Forsberg responsible for the interior. The patron Fredrik Bünsow had asked for a design inspired by German and Italian renaissance but Clason instead looked to French renaissance castles for inspiration. As with most of the buildings on Strandvägen, there are three separate mansions blocks behind the facade. The choice of materials was a conscious reaction against plaster and stucco decoration.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

Laurinska huset on the top of Mariaberget in Södermalm was built in 1891 by the architect Valfrid Karlson. The neo-gothic building at the bottom of the hill is Mariahissen, built in 1885 by architect Gustaf Dahl. The lift was closed down at the end of the 1930s.










The current facade of the Academy of Arts is from 1893-96 to a design by Erik Lallerstedt. The structure has been in the hands of the Academy since 1755, after a fire in 1751 had destroyed the previous 17th-century building. The Academy had it rebuilt to a design by Fredrik Blom in 1842-46. To its left is Centralpalatset, originally built in 1896-98 by architect Ernst Stenhammar with additions made in 1929-31. It is the former site of Keyserska huset. Next to Rosenbad on the right is a building originally built in 1894-97 for Stockholms Stads Sparbank by architect Aron Johansson. It was given an additional storey and new roof in 1958 and most of the old bank hall was removed.










Strandvägen 43-47 was built in 1891-96 and consists of three mansion blocks, two of which were designed by J.O. Nordström, acting as both builder and architect. The central block, on the other hand, was designed by architects Fritz Ullrich and Eduard Hallquisth. The Djurgården Bridge was built for the 1897 Stockholm World Fair to a design by Carl Fraenell.










The little island of Strömsborg has only a single building, completed in 1897 to a design by Claes Grundström. The house was subsequently redesigned in 1929-30 by Ragnar Östberg. The earliest construction on the island was built for Berge Olofsen Ström, who bought it in 1740. Various small buildings followed and the island became a site for restaurants and public baths. The first bridge came in 1874 and linked the island to the mainland via a railway bridge from 1871. This bridge was removed in 1954 and a new one was built on the opposite side of the island, connecting it to Vasa Bridge. This too has been replaced and the current bridge is from 1992-93. On the right can be seen the Norstedt building on Riddarholmen, built in 1882-89 by architect Magnus Isæus.










The Royal Swedish Opera was built in 1892-98 to a design by architect Axel Johan Anderberg. It replaced a previous opera house from 1775-82 by architect Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz, where King Gustav III was assassinated in 1792. The facade of the palace on the opposite side of Gustaf Adolfs Torg is a copy of the former opera. Other nearby buildings from the same period include Stockholms Handelsbank, built in 1894-96 by Agi and Gustaf Lindgren, and Danmarks Hus on Jakobs Torg, originally built as a mixed residential and office unit in 1886-88 to a design by architects Magnus Isæus, Carl Sandahl and Gustaf Wickman. An additional floor was added to the latter in 1926-28.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice new photos, joamox


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

The two former bank palaces on the corner of Drottningsgatan and Fredsgatan were both designed by the architect Gustaf Wickman. Fredsgatan 7 was built for Skånes Ensilkda Bank in 1897-1900 and was clad in red sandstone from Skåne. The building on the opposite corner was built for Sydsvenska Kreditaktiebolaget in 1905-09. Wickman also designed Fredsgatan 4 for Sundsvalls Enskilda Bank in 1900-02.










The Norrmalm waterfront is dominated by buildings from the turn of the 19th century, which replaced earlier buildings mostly from 18th century. First out was Adelswärdska huset on the right of Drottningsgatan, built in 1890 by architect Isak Gustaf Clason. The original design was in Venetian gothic but the proposal was rejected because city authorities refused to give dispensation for its height. The adjacent house had only two storeys and the owner was therefore encouraged to rebuild, something which had been done as recently as 1883. A new French-inspired facade designed by Gustaf Lindgren was completed in 1901. It remained a private mansion until 1988 and has been the prime minister's official residence since 1995. On the left, Rosenbad has been converted to government offices but was originally a mixed-use commercial building financed by Nordiska Kreditbanken as the primary stakeholder. The design is by architect Ferdinand Boberg and was completed in 1902. It replaced a former 18th century palace known as Bondetska Palatset, not to be confused with the palace of the same name on Stadsholmen.










Gustaf Vasa kyrka is the largest church in Stockholm and was built on Odenplan in 1901-06. The architect was Agi Lindegren. Expansion of the Odenplan metro station will make it one of the largest traffic hubs in the city.










The gabled buildings on Kornhamnstorg are the result of developments in the early 20th century. Kornhamnstorg 49 was built in 1906 to a design by architect Edward Ohlson, joining the new building to an existing house on Vasterlånggatan. The address contains a shopping gallery and had the only cinema in Gamla Stan between 1908 to 1927. The gabled house on the right is Funckska huset, originally built in the 1640s but rebuilt by Ferdinand Boberg in 1908. Two additional storeys were added but the gable facing the square was recreated. The house in between is von der Lindeska huset from 1633, it has the oldest bay window in Stockholm.










Nordiska Muséet was completed in 1907 after a design by Isak Clason for a new museum had been chosen back in 1891. Only the northern section was completed by the exhibition of 1897. The building was originally conceived as a four-winged renaissance palace, four times the size of the completed building.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

The Royal Dramatic Theatre was built in 1902-08 to an art nouveau design by the architect Fredrik Liljekvist, who had been inspired by buildings he had seen in Vienna in 1903. The project was financed by lottery at the instigation of a consortium. The history of the Royal Dramatic Theatre goes back to 1788 when it was established in a 17th century building on Slottsbacken, which had been used for theatrical performances since 1699. This building was demolished in 1793 and the theatre was moved to De la Gardieska palatset by Kungsträdgården. When this palace burned to the ground in 1825, the theatre had to share premises with the opera on Gustav Adolfs torg until 1863. It subsequently moved back to Kungsträdgården to its first purpose-built premises, though this had been erected for a different company in 1842, with a facade that had been redesigned by architect Johan Fredrik Abom in 1860. The old theatre was demolished in 1910 and replaced with the main offices of Enskilda Bank. In the back can be seen Birger Jarlsgatan 4, built in 1894-95 by architects Peterson and Stenberg; Hamngatan 2, built in 1892-93 by architects Ullrich and Hallqvist; and Birger Jarlsgatan 5, built in 1898-1900 by architects Peterson and Lallerstedt.










Strandvägen 1-5 was built in 1902-04 to a design by architects Georg Hagström and Fritiof Ekman. It consists of three separate mansion blocks composed to a single exterior design, a concept that has been used for almost all of Strandvägen. Work on the street began in the 1860s in a former slum area and the first new buildings are from around 1880.










The subject of a new parliament building was raised already in 1872, but it wasn't before 1888 that a site was chosen on Helgeandsholmen. A project by architect Valfrid Karlson was picked as winner in a contest held in 1889 but the jury wasn't fully convinced and it was a joint project by Helgo Zettervall and Aron Johansson presented in 1890 that carried the day. The project was met with heavy criticism and Zettervall resigned in 1892, while Johansson continued to redevelop the project. Construction was completed in 1905.










The building at the southern end of Riddarholmen is an extension of the Old Parliament building and was completed after parliament moved to Helgeandsholmen in 1905. The extension was built to house government offices and opened in 1911, by architect Aron Johansson.










Strandvägen 7 was built in 1907-11 to a design by Georg Hagström and Fritiof Ekman. The complex consists of three mansion blocks and now houses several hotels including Hotel Diplomat and Hotel Esplanade. The adjacent house, Strandvägen 9, was built in 1897-1900 by architect Lars Johan Laurentz.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates; well done :cheers:


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

Two bank palaces dominate the northern side of Gustav Adolfs Torg: Skandinaviska Banken from 1914 by architect Erik Josephson and Sveriges Privata Sentralbank from 1912-14 by architect Isak Gustaf Clason.










Stockholm city hall was built in 1911-23 to a design by Ragnar Østberg. The decision to build a new city hall was taken in 1907 and a design was chosen in an architectural contest where the runner-up, Carl Westman, was asked to design Stockholm Court House. Østberg redeveloped his design several times during the course of construction.










Kungstornen were completed in 1924-25 and realised a vision presented by architect Sven Wallander in 1915. Wallander went on a study trip to New York in 1920 and the northern tower and the building adjacent to the east were designed by him. The southern tower was completed one year later and was designed by Ivar Callmander. The towers are a focal point of Kungsgatan, which was inaugurated in 1911 after the six years it took to blast through a former ridge called Brunkebergsåsen. 










Grand Hotel on Blasieholmen was originally built in 1872-74 by the architect Axel Kumlien but the facade has been through two redesigns, first in 1899 by Ludvig Peterson and Ture Stenberg and again in 1926 by Ivar Tengbom. The adjacent building is Bolinderska Palatset, built in 1874-77 by Helgo Zettervall and acquired by the hotel in 1889. Burmanska Palatset, on the right, was built as a mansion block in 1911 by architects Hagstrøm and Ekman and was acquired by the hotel as recently as 2004. Lydmar Hotel is also owned by the Grand but is run as a separate establishment in a building redesigned in 1881-82 by Axel Kumlien. 
The buildings on the left belong to Handelsbanken. Palmeska huset, on the corner of Kungstradgården was built in 1884-86 by Helgo Zettervall, Alex Kumlien and Ludvig Peterson. Zetterval was also involved in the design of the adjacent Fersenska palatset during the same period, which replaced a 17th century baroque mansion redesigned by Carl Hårleman in the middle of the 18th century. The modern annex between this and the hotel was added in 1974-76 by architect Carl Nyrén.










The chancellery is a relatively new building, designed by Gustaf Clason and Wolter Gahn in 1922-36. The portico was preserved from a previous building from the 1790s by Olof Tempelman and Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz. The latter also designed the facade of Brandkontoret across the street. This was done in 1764 to a mansion originally built in 1679 by Nicodemus Tessin the Elder. It was acquired by a fire insurance company in 1806, given it its present name. The building on the left was built for the insurance company Skandia in 1887-88 by architects Magnus Isæus and Carl Sandahl.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

Sergels Torg took shape in the 1960s and 1970s, originating with a plan for a new square in Norrmalm proposed in 1928. The final proposal was presented in 1960 and a design for the central monument was won by Edvin Öhrström in 1962. On the left can be seen a department store/office building by architects Ancker, Gate and Lindgren from 1960-62 and the last of the five high-rises built between Hötorget and Sergels Torg in 1955-66. The towers were designed by different architects and are therefore subtly different in the curtain wall facades. Behind the monument stands a building designed by architect Kjell Ödeen in 1962-70 as the headquarters for Skandinaviska Banken. A section on the south corner was added in the 1990s and the terrace was enclosed in glass. On the right is the culture house, built in 1971-74 by architect Peter Celsing.










Kungsträdgården was originally a royal park, which was gradually opened to the public in the 18th century. At the northern end stands PK-huset, built in 1971-74 as the headquarters for Sveriges Kreditbank, later merged with Postbanken to become Post- och Kreditbanken. The architects were Backström and Reinius. The architects had proposed to preserve some of the existing facades known as Sagerska husen but this was opposed by the municipality.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

The next destination is the second largest city of Norway










Originally founded in the 11th century, Bergen became home to the Norwegian monarch in the early 13th century. It remained the largest city in Norway until the 1830s. The population reached just under 20,000 in the late 1700s, which was double that of Christiania (Oslo) at that time.










St Mary's is the oldest remaining church in Bergen, its date of construction is estimated to 1140-1180, though the gothic influences of the extended choir and the taller towers of west front is from after a fire in 1248. The church was used by the German community of Bergen from 1408 and though it became a normal parish church in 1874, sermons were still held in German as late as after WWI. It is the only survivor of the twelve churches and three monasteries built in Bergen by the end of the 12th century.










Håkonshallen was built as a royal residence in the 13th century and was at the latest completed by 1261, when it was recorded as the location of a royal wedding. After centuries of neglect, its restoration began in 1873 and was completed in 1895. A large explosion in 1944 devastated several buildings in the area and a second restoration campaign was completed in 1955-61.










The old town hall was originally a private residence built for the feudal lord Christopher Valkendorf in 1558. It became a public building in 1568, served a Bergen town hall until 1974 and is still used for meetings by the city's representatives. It has been damaged in several fires and various changes and additions to the facade have altered its appearance over time, in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.










Rosenkrantz Tower was built in the 1560s on the remains of a previous keep from the 1270s. It is named after Erik Rosenkrantz, who was the feudal lord of Bergenhus Len during the period of construction. It was built as a residence and as part of a military complex, but has in its history been involved in just a single military campaign, on the side of the Dutch in a naval battle against the English in 1665. The building on the left is one of a series of building added to the fortress in the early 18th century.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Once again great, very nice updates :cheers:


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

Erik Rosenkrantz also built a private residence on the opposite side of the bay, on Nordnes, partly by using stone from ruins of the cloister Munkeliv. The building has been damaged by several fires and the original gables were replaced with a hipped roof in 1702. 










The short side street named Forstandersmauet is thought to be the location of the oldest preserved wooden house in Bergen. At least the ground floor of the house in question is from the 16th century.










There has been a church on the site of Bergen cathedral since at least 1181, though the original church has been reduced to ruins on multiple occasions and the current west front, or at least its upper part, is from a rebuilding in the 1640s. Restoration was also undertaken after the fire of 1702. The church belonged to a Franciscan cloister in the 13th century and became the city's cathedral in 1537 after Christ church was demolished in 1531. 










The water front of Bryggen is from 1702, when the previous medieval buildings were rebuilt after the most devastating fire in the city's history. The buildings at the far end were replaced with modern brick buildings in 1902-1908 by architect Jens Zetlitz Monrad Kielland, with the exception of the very far end, where the owner resisted modernisation. The latter has an annex from 1874-76 by architect Conrad Fredrik von der Lippe. There is also a modern hotel and museum inside the Bryggen area, built about 30 years after a fire in 1955 destroyed several older buildings. 










The Bergen Customs House was built in 1759-61 by architect Johan Joachim Reichborn, after the previous customs house was destroyed in a fire in 1756. Most of the water front of Nordnes was lost in this fire and it also resulted in the creation of the 15-metre wide street Tollbodallmenningen. The pediment is decorated with an unfinished relief decoration in marble, which was supposed to depict Mercuria, Justitia and the crown.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

Nykirken, the new church, was built in 1756-63 by Johan Joachim Reichborn, replacing a previous church from 1622 on the site of the old archbishop's residence. The church was rebuilt after a fire in 1801 and the explosion of 1944, after which Reichborn's design for the spire was finally realised. Most of the surrounding buildings are modern due to the explosion. 










The wooden houses on Sliberget are dated to the late 1700s and the street is first mentioned on a map from 1746. The houses have been protected since 1927 but three of them have been removed to Gamle Bergen Museum, an open-area museum featuring several reassembled wooden houses, most of which had been threatened with demolition. 










Klosteret is the name of a square on the ridge of Nordnes in Central Bergen. It is named after a Benedictine abbey founded about 1110, which became the seat of the bishop of Bergen after the reformation and the church was designated Bergen's cathedral. The entire complex burnt to the ground in 1536 and was not rebuilt. Some of these houses are said to have medieval basements.










The area along the southern slope of Nordnes, known as Nøstet, include a number of narrow alleys and tightly packed wooden houses. Most of the buildings are from the 18th and 19th centuries and the first effort to modernise the street grid only began in 1880. A plan was adopted to completely modernise the area in 1948 but this was never carried out. The name Strangehagen refers to Strange Jørgensen who founded a charitable institution in 1609 to provide accommodation for poor women. The original building disappeared in the fire of 1702 but a later building from 1751 still stands in nearby Klostergaten. 










The building (in yellow) that housed the Bergen branch of the Norwegian Bank was built in 1845 to a design by the architect Ole Peter Riis Høegh. An extension was considered in 1926 but was rejected in favour of preserving the existing building.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

The street Marken refers to an area, which in the middle ages belonged to Nonneseter cloister, and was named accordingly in 1856. The old street grid was long threatened with urban renewal, particularly after the new central train station was opened in 1913. A plan was adopted in 1908 and several of the properties had been acquired by the municipality already in the 19th century but the plan was never carried out. A decision to completely rebuild the area was adopted as late as 1964 but was abandoned in 1974.










The main body of the University Museum was built in 1863-65 to a design by the architect Johan Henrik Nebelong. The original proposals were by Christian Christie and Franz Schiertz but opinions from other architects were sought, a process which ended with Nebelong submitting his own plans. The lateral wings were added in 1896-98 by Hans Jacob Sparre. Founded as Bergen Museum in 1826, the institution became part of Bergen University when the university was created in 1946. 










Known as the town's bazar when it opened in 1877, the market building on Vetrlidsallmenningen was designed by architect Conrad Fredrik von der Lippe, who also designed the buildings on the corner of Finnegårdsgaten (left) and Kong Oscars gate (right). In the back can be seen a mansion block from 1904 by architect Egill Reimers. 










The former headquarters of Bergen Kreditbank was originally built in 1876 by the architect Herman Schirmer, but was extended twice by later architects without breaking with the original style. The first extension was in 1897 by Adolf Fischer and the second in 1918 by Schak Bull. The bank was merged with Bergens Privatbank to create Bergen Bank in 1975, which later merged in 1990 to become Den norske Bank (DnB).










C.G. Sundts house on Muséplassen was built in 1881 by architect Edvard Madsen. It has been the property of the university of Bergen since 1968.


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## skymantle (Jul 17, 2010)

Beautiful buildings and verdant backdrop, fascinating commentary. :cheers:


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## Benonie (Dec 21, 2005)

We once stayed at one of those pretty wooden houses, with great views over both sides of the harbor. Nice pics, thanks for sharing!


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

Thanks for your comments, here is some more Bergen:










The ambition for Sydneskvartalet was for it to become Bergen's Victoria Terrasse (a building complex in Oslo), and it was originally intended to have a single facade by Schak Bull when construction began in 1890. However, the project stalled and was only finished in 1915, resulting in various changes in style and cost-saving measures.










The plan for Haugeveien was adopted in 1891 and features a number of buildings from that period, though construction was not fully realised due to opposition from one of the local property owners. The case was only settled by a supreme court ruling in 1916. 










The Bergen exchange building was originally built in 1860-61 by Franz Wilhem Schiertz but was given a new facade by Lars Solberg in 1893. It is one of only two buildings in the area to survive the fire of 1916 and is now mainly used as a restaurant.










This building at the tip of the Nordnes peninsula was built in 1896 by the architect Schak Bull for a charitable institution providing accommodation for poor and retired mariners. The institution was originally created in 1571 and previous buildings were located in the vicinity of the old town hall. 










Skansen fire station was built in 1902-03 as a response to the fire in 1901. Architect Peter Andreas Blix originally intended to build a brick building in neo-gothic style, but a cheaper alternative was chosen, resulting in this wooden building by Paul Thedor Bjørnstad. It served as a fire station until 1969.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

^^ Great, very nice updates; well done :cheers:


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

The wooden houses clambering up hillsides is typical for Bergen but particularly for the area above Bryggen. The name of this street, Søndre Blekeveien, refers to an estate which was first known as Bleken in 1744. The manor house from 1772 was demolished in 1900 to make way for the new fire station. 










Den National Scene was built in 1906-09 after the architect Einar Oscar Schou won a competition in 1904. The theatre was founded in 1875, succeeding previous institutions from 1850 and 1794. The theatre building that had been in use since 1794 was destroyed in a bombing raid in 1944. 










Along with the stock exchange building, the headquarters of Bergens Privatbank survived the fire of 1916 and had been completed only three years before, in 1913. The architects were Fredrik Arnesen and Arthur Darre Kaarbø.










The cluster of buildings between Bryggen and Bergenhus are mostly modern due to the explosion in 1944, with the exception of this office building from 1919-20. It was originally built for the shipping company Det Nordenfjeldske Dampskibselskab by architect Eystein Michalsen. It was sold to Bergen port authorities in 1979 and has since been turned into a hotel. 










The first building to be completed after the fire of 1916 was built for Svaneapoteket, a pharmacy that was created in 1595 and is considered the country's oldest company still in existence. The architects behind the new building, completed in 1821, are Fredrik Arnesen and Arthur Darre Kaarbø. The previous pharmacy was probably built after the fire of 1756 with alterations to the facade dated to 1848.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

Last series from Bergen










The rebuilding of Torgallmenningen is mostly to a uniform design concept by architect Finn Berner, who won a competition in 1923. The central avenue was originally created in 1582 and was first named Torgallmenningen after 1702. The buildings that were lost in the fire of 1916 were mainly from the late 19th century. 










The Telegraph Building was completed in 1927 to a design by architects Finn Berner and Anton Kielland. The open competition was won by Finn Berner alone in 1923 but the telegraph company had already selected Kielland to take part in the project. The style has been described as neo-Georgian and differs from the neo-classical buildings, which dominate in the rest of the area rebuilt after the fire of 1916. 










Blaauwgården was built in 1936 by architect Leif Grung as a combined warehouse and office building. The facades are separated into two sections to indicate the space allocated to each function, though the building is now used purely for offices. The street C. Sundts gate was created after a fire in 1901 and consists mainly of art nouveau buildings from that period.










Gamle Bergen Museum was opened in 1949 and features a number of houses from the 18th and 19th centuries that have been relocated for the purpose of preservation. It is an open-air museum built on the grounds of a summer residence called Elsero.










A few modern buildings can be seen east of the old town, including a high-rise by architects Solheim and Jacobsen from 2008. The buildings in the foreground are Bergen Library from 1917 and Lysverket from 1935-38.


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## Riffian90 (Apr 8, 2017)

I love Bergen. a beautiful city, great work man.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

Moving on to Gothenburg now, the second largest city in Sweden. 










At the heart of Gothenburg, dividing the old town into the former districts of Inom Vallgraven (left) and Nordstaden (right), runs Ostra Hamnkanalen. The canal was created in 1620-22, at the time when the new city was being founded in 1621. An earlier settlement in the vicinity had been named Gothenburg in 1603 but had been destroyed by Danish troops in 1611. The first bridge was completed in 1624, though the current (Fontanbron) was only opened for traffic in 1913. The central square was known as Stora torget before it was renamed Gustaf Adolfs torg in 1854. The city hall (right) was first completed in 1670-72 to a design by architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder, though the current facade is from 1814-17. It was completed by Jonas Hagberg on the basis of a design begun by Carl Wilhelm Carlberg. The tower at the back belongs to the German Church.










Kronhuset is one of the oldest buildings in Gothenburg and was built in 1643-54 as a storage and artillery building. The original design was probably by architect Simon de la Vallée, though construction was stopped already in the first year due to a lack of funds. It was only a single-storey building until work resumed in 1648. The Swedish Parliament met here in 1660. 










The German church of Gothenburg was originally a wooden building that had been moved from the previous settlement of Nya Lodose, which was first established in 1473. A new church in Dutch brick was completed in 1648, with a decorative spire that was added about 20 years later. This church was destroyed in a fire already in 1669. A new one was inaugurated in 1672 though the tower was only completed in 1698. A second fire struck in 1746, though some of the walls could this time be reused. The new tower was finally completed in 1783 to a design by Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz. The building on the left was completed in 1753 and was designed to harmonise with the neighbouring Swedish East India Company by the same architect, Bengt Wilhelm Carlberg.










The main church of Gothenburg was also originally in wood and was first built in 1621. A more permanent structure was built in 1633 and was designated Gothenburg cathedral in the 1680s. It was rebuilt after a fire in 1721 but burned to the ground again in 1802. The current cathedral was built in 1804-15 to a design by architect Carl Wilhelm Carlberg, though the tower was only in completed in 1827.










Several of the buildings near the cathedral were originally built in the early 19th century, including the house on the right, which has been dated to 1813. The black roof with dormer windows were apparently added during a rebuilding in 1914. The white building on the corner of Västra hamngatan was originally a two-storey house from 1810, with third storey and new facade dating to 1869. The red stone facade on the left is a later addition to the area. it was built by architect Isak Gustaf Claeson for Skånes Enskilda Bank in 1907.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

The exchange was built in 1840-44 to a design by architect Pehr Johan Ekman The first trade guild in Sweden had been established in Gothenburg in 1661 and a new organisation for the city's merchants was established in 1781. They initially met in the town hall before the purpose-built house was completed, replacing an aristocratic residence, known as Kaulbarska huset. The municipal building on the left was originally completed in 1759 after previous buildings burned in 1746 and 1758. The design was probably by Bengt Wilhelm Carlberg, though the top-storey was added during a rebuilding in 1823. Further left stands Wenngrenska huset, built as a residence in 1760, again by Bengt Wilhelm Carlberg, with a second storey added in 1820.










The city began to demolish its 17th-century bastions and walls in 1807 and new buildings were completed within the moat in the 1850s. Many of the new houses on Stora Nygatan were by German-born architect August Kruger, including the synagogue from 1855. The street passes the square Bastionplatsen, which was named after one of the former bastions, Gustavus Magnus from 1686-93. Its most prominent building was completed in 1905-08 by architect Hans Hedlund. 










A green belt named Kungsparken was established on the opposite side of the moat, where a theatre was built in 1856-59 by architect Bror Carl Malmberg. Two previous theatres had been created in 1814-16 and 1819, but both went out of business fairly quickly. A listed company was created in 1855 to finance the new theatre and the site in Kungsparken was offered by the municipality for free. The building on the left is from 1883 (or 1890), by architect Hans Hedlund, for Sweden's shipowner's association.










A competition was held in 1861 to arrive at a master plan to expand the city beyond the moat. Two proposals were chosen to form the basis of a plan that was finalised in 1866. Central in this plan was the boulevard Kungsportavenyn, which stretches for about 1,000 metres from the moat to Gotaplatsen, where most of the buildings were completed in the 1920s and 1930s. Engelska kvarteret, or the English quarter, were the first buildings of Kungsportavenyn. These were terrace houses designed in 1872 by architects Johan August Westerberg and August Kruger.










The fish hall, generally known as the fish church due to its resemblance to a gothic cathedral, was completed in 1874 to a design by architect Victor von Gegerfelt. The idea to build a hall for the fish market, which had been moved from Gustaf Adolf Torg to Rosenlundkanalen in 1849, was first proposed in 1870. The building on its left is Rosenlundshuset from 1968-70. On the other side of the canal is the district Haga, which was established already in 1660. It became a working class district consisting mainly of wooden houses in the 19th century but was heavily rebuilt in the 20th century. The church is from 1856-59 by Adolf Edelsvard and the district also includes the 16th century fort Skansen Kronan.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

Handelsinstitutet was built in 1881-82 to a design by architect Adrian Crispin Peterson. The school had been founded in 1826 as the first business college in Sweden. It moved to a new building in 1915 and the building is now in use by Gustaviskolan, an elementary school.










The triangular square Vasaplatsen is one of the main features of the 1866 masterplan. A few wooden houses were first cleared, the square was named in 1882, the fountain was completed in 1897 and mansion blocks sprung up around it in the period 1890-1905. Some of the names associated with the area are architects Johan August Westerberg, Hjalmar Cornilsen, Hans Hedlund, Adrian Crispin Peterson, and his son Carl Crispin. To the south stands the main building of Gothenburg University, which was completed in Vasaparken in 1907 by architects Ernst Torulf and Erik Hahr.










The building on the corner of Sodra Larmgatan and Magasinsgatan was built in 1902-04 to a design by architect Isak Gustaf Clason, though the plan is signed Ernst Kruger. It was built for wine merchant C. G. Platin. The two lower stories were for storage, shops and offices, while the upper stories were originally flats. On the left are the old artillery stables from 1835, where Goteborgs Hyrverksaktiebolag, which served the city with horse-drawn taxis, built an iron shed in 1898. The building on the right is from 1935, by architect T. Svanberg, reclad in 1966.










A number of banks were built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries on Sodra Hamngatan, after the Swedish central bank built its Gothenburg branch here in 1886, to a design by architect Viktor Adler. The building on the left was built for Goteborgs Kopmansbank in 1891 by architect K Johnson, the pedimented facade is by Ernst Kruger and was built for Goteborgs handelsbank in 1904-05, while the building in between was added for Nordiska Handelsbank in 1921, by architects Arvid Fuhre and Conny Nyquist. Furthest to the right can also be seen the spire of Skandiahuset from 1909-11, built for the insurance company Skandia, by architect Gustav Wickman. The modern facade is from 1980 and is by White arkitekter, replacing five merchant houses from the early 19th century. The house under renovation is Chalmerska huset from 1807.










Esperantoplatsen was named in 1954 and consists mainly of old warehouses and former industrial buildings. The square also features remains of the old fortifications of Gothenburg, which were begun in 1624 and mostly demolished in 1807-17. The surviving section was part of the Carolus Rex bastion, one of the 13 polygonal bastions that surrounded the city. Most of the buildings in this western section of the old town are from the early 20th century due to the hilly topography, which delayed urbanisation here. The narrow stretch between the hills Otterhallan and Kungshojd is now part of Kungsgatan and was one of the entrances to the city, via the now-demolished city gate Karlsporten.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

The 1866 masterplan essentially covered the districts of Vasastaden and Lorensberg, which were mostly built up between 1870 and 1920. Vasastaden was given its own parish when the Vasa church was completed in 1905-09, to a design by architect Yngve Rasmussen. A new plan for the completion of Kungsportavenyn and the villa area of Lorensberg was finalised in 1910 and realised by 1934.










The general post office was built in 1917-25 to a design by architect Ernst Torulf, and was considered the most expensive building in Sweden at the time. It was turned into a hotel and conference facility, with the addition of a modern tower, in 2012. The architects behind the conversion were Semrén and Månsson. 










Lilla Bomman is an 86-metre tower built in 1986-89 to a design by architect Ralph Erskine, in collaboration with White Arkitekter. It was originally built as the head office in Gothenburg for the construction company Skanska but is now owned by Vasakronan AB. The tower is often known by its nickname, the lipstick.










Gothia Towers are three high-rises built between 1984 and 2014. The original tower was 63 metres tall and was increased to 82 metres in 2012-2013. The second tower was completed in 2001 at a height of 77 metres, while the construction of the third tower began in 2012. It reaches 100 metres and is currently the city's tallest habitable building. The design of the latest development of the complex was by White arkitekter. A fourth tower is also being planned. 










The Gothenburg Opera was built in 1991-94 to a design by architect Jan Izikowitz, of architects Lund & Valentin. A number of different sites had been debated since the 1960s and a decision had been made in 1985 to build at Gamla Ullevi. A design by architect Carl Nyrén was recommended in 1986 and was supposedly quite similar to the opera that was finally built by Izikowitz.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

The next destination is the Norwegian city of Fredrikstad, which I visited very briefly last summer. 

It has a well-preserved old town, which unfortunately I had no time to visit and only got a photo from the opposite side of the river. The new town suffers from some extensive post-WWII development, but it has its moments. At the mouth of Norway's longest river, it was an important hub for the timber trade, which was the country's most import export business for centuries. It is now a city of about 80,000 inhabitants. 










The old town of Fredrikstad was founded in 1567 after the previous settlement of Borg had been burned to the ground by Swedish forces during the Northern Seven Years' War. The new location was chosen to make it easier to defend, though the Swedes succeeded in burning down the fledgling town in the 1570s. The construction of the fortifications, including a moat and ramparts, began in the 1660s. The fortified town began to lose influence to new settlements on the opposite side of the river already in the 18th century, and the city administration and cathedral was finally moved at the end of the following century. Apart from some military buildings, The oldest houses are from after the fire of 1764 while several parts of town were also rebuilt after a fire in 1830. Some minor fires and rebuilding later in the century also added some later houses, though the town otherwise became frozen in time.










The borough on the opposite side of the river to the old town is named Cicignon after a fort built in the late 17th century. Demolition of the fort began in 1903 and the villas at the end of J.N. Jacobsens gate have been dated to the same year. One of the brick mansions later became the residence of the bishop of the diocese of Borg.










The villa of Lykkeberg was built in 1873-75 by architect Paul Due, possibly in collaboration with Bernhard Steckmest. The architects had a similar villa built in Oslo during the same period (Onsumslottet), but this was demolished in 1905. The property has been known as Lykkeberg since 1780.










The main church of Fredrikstad was built in 1879-80 to a design by master mason Waldemar Ferdinand Luhr. It was previously called Vestre Fredrikstad kirke to distinguish it from the church in the old town. It has been a cathedral since 1969, when the diocese of Borg was created.










This villa was originally built in 1889 and has just been restored as a private house, with an interior design inspired by the period, after many years as an office building. The building on the left was designed by architect Herman Backer, indicating that it was built around the same period.


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## Benonie (Dec 21, 2005)

Nice to see good old Gothenburg here. Beautiful city and pictures!


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

The Cicignon area has several houses in wood with corner turrets, built in imitation of the brick buildings of the late 19th century. This particular example, on the corner of Ridehusgata and Bjarne Aas gate, was built in 1898 by Nils Brynhildsen, who ran a timberware company. It was threatened with demolition in the 1980s.










Storgaten 15, at the end of the main square, was built in 1909 to a design by architect Ole Sverre. The previous building had been destroyed in a fire in 1908 that destroyed 23 houses in the area. It had housed a pharmacy since 1883, and this continued when the new building was completed. 










Glemmen New Church was inaugurated in 1949 to a design by architect Arnstein Arneberg. The previous church was originally built in 1853 and was extended in 1887-88, but was destroyed in a fire in 1944. Glemmen was a separate municipality until 1964, when it was merged with Fredrikstad. Glemmen Old church is considered the oldest building in the city and is dated to 1182. 










The modern complex at one end of Dampskipsbrygga consists of a housing unit from 2005-06 and a riverside commercial unit from 2013. The latter was completed to a design by architect Christian Cleve Broch. The yellow brick building on the right was originally built in 1872, though the current facade is from 1901, by Gustav Gulbrandsen. 











Litteraturhuset was completed in 2013 to a design by architect Griff Arkitektur. The building houses a bookshop, book café and an institute of journalism. On the right can be seen a commercial building from 1903-04, originally built for Fredrikstad og Omegn sparebank, by architect Gustav Lorentz Gulbrandsen.


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## joamox (Aug 5, 2006)

The first written record of Borgund Stave Church is from 1342, but the actual building has been dated to the period 1150-1200. The timber was felled during the winter of 1180-81, according to tree-ring dating. It is one of the country's best preserved stave churches and has been used as model for the restoration of other churches of the same type. It was still in use as a church until 1868.










The new Borgund church was inaugurated in 1868, to a design by Christian Christie, who also built the nearby Hauge Church. The motivation to build a new church was in the interest of preservation but also because the old church had become too small.










The visitor centre was finished in 2005, by architects Askim Lantto. Other works by them include the Gurisenteret Outdoor stage and Visitor Centre on Edøy, which is close to a stone church dated to around 1190.


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