Tip #17- Religious Worship, Part 2

Last week I talked about Catholic services in Stockholm, this week it will be about Jewish services.

The largest synagogue is the Great Synagogue of Stockholm (Masorti), which is also recognized as a National Historic Building. It is located on a side street (Wahrendorffsgatan 3b) right off of Kungsträdsgården park. Here you will also find the Jewish Library as well as the Holocaust Memorial which lists 8,500 victims who were realtives of Jews residing in Sweden. More information can be found on their tourist info page. If you are planning on visiting a Shabbat service, you should send in your name to info@jfst.se no later than Friday at 11am.
There are two Orthodox Synagogues in Stockholm... one which is right around the corner from the Rival Hotel. The Adjat Israel, known as Söder Shul, is located on St Paulsgatan a 5 minute walk from us. Adat Jeschurun is located in the Jewish School building in the downtown area. The interior furniture in this synagogue was rescued from the Hamburg Synagogue that survived Kristalnacht.

While we are on the subject, I can recommend the Jewish Museum (Judiska Museet)in here in Stockholm. Located in the Vasastan neighborhood, this museums focuses on the history of the Swedish Jews and their adaption to Swedish society. Open every day but Saturday, entrance costs 60 SEK, 40 for seniors and 20 for students. Free entrance with the Stockholm Card.

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New Fall Exhibition at the National Museum

I stopped by the National Museum today to see their new exhibition "Staging Power". Being the history buff that I am... I thoroughly enjoyed it! That being said, there is a lot there for art lovers as well. The exhibition looks at "the art of ruling through art" in the Napoleonic Era. It concentrates on three very similar (at the same time different) rulers of the era... Napoleon, Czar Alexander I of Russia and Carl-Johan of Sweden. Besides the grand portraits of the rulers and their families, the exhibition contains many great artifacts from the rulers: uniforms, clothes, jewellery, letters, furniture, weapons, etc; You get to see how the ruling elite used art to convey power and how constant war formed this ideal. Some artifacts were especially interesting to see... Napoleon's uniform with famous bicorne hat for example, as well as one of the gold bay leaves from his coronation wreath.

This exhibition was formed through cooperation between the National Museum and the Hermitage in St Petersburg, Russia (where the exhibition will be next year). So many of the objects are from the Hermitage as well as on loan from museums all over Europe including France, Sweden, the UK and Poland. Sweden's king has also graciously loaned the exhibition many artifacts from his personal collection.

The exhibtion is on display until the 23rd of January. The museum is closed on Mondays, otherwise it opens at 11am and closes at 5pm, except on Tues & Thurs when it closes at 8pm. Entrance costs 120 SEK, 100 SEK for students and seniors. Youths under 19 get in for free as well as people with the Stockholm Card. To find out about other exhibitions at the National Museum, check their website (linked above) or read my last blog entry about the museum. The museum is located on Blasieholmen - within walking distance from the Rival Hotel, otherwise the closest subway station is Kungstädgården (blue line).

Click here for information about other art exhibitions going on in Stockholm this autumn, and here for info about other museums in the city.

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Moderna- The Modern Art Museum

Art outside as well!

I'm finally getting around to writing about one of my favorite Stockholm museums... the Modern Art Museum (Moderna Museet). I was there last week to see their new exhibition for this fall: The Moderna Exhibition 2013. This show highlights the work of 54 contemporary Swedish artists, all who have made an impact in the Swedish art scene. Now, to be honest, I found some of the pieces to be a little out there for me... and I love modern art. But all in all it was a nice exhibition with a lot of interesting pieces and I'm all for the age old question: "What exactly is art?". Besides the temporary exhibitions, Moderna has a great permanent collection featuring all of the greats within the modern art genre... Dali, Picasso, Warhol, Matisse, Lichtenstein, Pollack, etc; The collection is, of course, not as extensive as at the larger modern art museums in NYC, Paris or London, though it is thorough and well presented.

The gift shop...

It is not only the art which makes this one of my favorite museums, it is the whole experience. I love the building itself, light and airy with skylights letting in lots of natural light. They have a great espresso bar which is perfect for a light snack, otherwise they have a nice cafeteria with great views over the harbour and Strandvägen. Their gift shop is the best museum gift shop in Stockholm with plenty of gizmos and gadgets as well as books on art, fashion and photography. They also have a good selection of prints and posters. The museum is located on the island of Skeppsholmen. The closest subway station is Kungsträdgården (blue line), otherwise it is a pleasant 25 minute walk from the Rival Hotel through the Old Town. One can catch a ferry from Slussen, via Djurgården, as well. Entrance is 100 SEK, 80 for seniors and free for children under 19. It is, of course, free with the Stockholm Card. Be advised that the museum is closed on Mondays.

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Stockholm Trivia

This is the week when the Swedish Academy starts announcing the winners for the 2013 Nobel Prizes. First out are the Medicine, Physics, Chemistry and Literature Prizes... on Friday the Peace Prize winner will be announced followed by the Economics Prize on Monday.

Alfred Nobel, a Stockholm native, was a chemist, engineer and inventor. He had 355 different patents, but his most famous invention was undoubtably dynamite. It was his invention of dynamite, and the destruction is wreaked, that caused Nobel to be concerned about his legacy. So in his will he put aside the bulk of his estate (about $250 million) to create the Nobel Prizes. The nominations are kept secret and the winners are announced in the beginning of October. The award ceremony is held on December 10th (the anniversary of Nobel's death) in Stockholm, except for the Peace Prize which is awarded in Oslo (at the time of Nobel's death, Norway was in a personal union with Sweden). Besides the Nobel prize medal and the honor of being a Nobel Laureate, the winners are awarded 10 million SEK.

If you are interested in Alfred Nobel and the Nobel Prizes, then I would recommend a visit to the Nobel Museum. It's located in the Old Town, right on the main square (Stortorget). The closest subway station is Gamla Stan (red and green lines), though it is an easy 10-15 minute walk from the Rival Hotel. Closed on Mondays, the entrance costs 70 SEK, 50 for students and seniors, free for children under 19. Free entrance, of course, with the Stockholm Card.

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Fashion Photography Exhibition



Photo by Herb Ritts



I have blogged earlier about the new photography museum in Stockholm called Fotografiska. They had a great success this summer with the Annie Leibowitz exhibition and now it is time for their new major showing... Fashion! A look at fashion photography from the 1920's until today. I love fashion photography and I think that it is a comprehensive and well thought out exhibition. All the greats through the past century are represented... Man Ray, Horst, Avedon, Penn, Newton, Ritts, Lindbergh, Jansson and Meisel, plus many more. I was smart and visited the museum on a quiet Monday afternoon, avoiding the weekend and evening crowds. The exhibition runs through January 2nd.

Other current exhibitions at the museum include pictures of Stockholm by Dutch photographer Pieter ten Hoopen and the tableau vivant photography of Sandy Skoglund. The museum is located along the water at Stadsgårdskajen... it's just a short walk from Slussen, along the water, past the Birka cruise terminal. It is open everyday between 10am and 9pm. Entrance costs 95 SEK, 70 SEK for students and seniors and free entrance for children under 12. Free entrance also with the Stockholm Card.

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Click here for more tips regarding museums.
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The Vasa Museum

This weekend I played tour guide to a friend visiting from Wales. As it was her first time in Stockholm, I had to take her to the Vasa Museum. There is a good reason why this is the top tourist draw in the city... not only is the ship impressive to see, the museum built around the ship is manificent as well.

The Vasa was a Swedish warship built at a time when Sweden, under Gustav II Adolf, was growing in power and taking her place on the world stage. Sweden was at war with Poland and was on the brink of being dragged into the Thirty Years War. A strong navy was important and the grand and ornate Vasa was to be its centerpiece. Unfortunately, she was too grand and ornate... top-heavy and unstable she sank minutes after setting sail in 1628 on her maiden voyage. She was found again in Stockholm harbour in the 1950's. The cold brackish water of the Baltic meant that shipworm hadn't destroyed her and she was nearly perfectly preserved. The ship was raised and the museum built around her, opening for the public in 1990 and quickly becoming the most visited museum in Scandinavia.

I really think that they have done a remarkable job with the museum. It is made up of several floors, all looking on to the immense ship. On each floor you learn about how the sailors lived on board, how the ship was constructed, what the ornamation meant symbolically, how the ship was found and raised, and more. There are loads of artifacts found with the ship on display as well. Whenever a guest tells me that they have one day in Stockholm and ask what they shouldn't miss... I always say the Vasa Museum.

The museum is located on the island of Djurgården and is a quick ferry ride from Slussen, or else you can take bus 47 from Norrmalmstorg. Entrance costs 110 SEK, 80 for students and free for children under 19. Entrance is free with the Stockholm Card. During the summer the museum is open daily from 8:30am to 6pm, otherwise it is open daily from 10am to 5pm (until 8pm on Wednesdays).

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Changing of the Guard

The changing of the guards at the Royal Palace, located in the Old Town (Gamla Stan), happens daily during the summer and is a popular event to watch. The guards actually march, accompanied by a military band, from the Army Museum or Calvary Barracks(when mounted) through the city before arriving at the Palace. At the Palace the ceremony takes approximately 40 minutes. The parade itself takes about half an hour and the ceremony at the Palace starts at 12:15 Monday through Saturday and 1:15 on Sundays and holidays. During the rest of the year the changing of the guards happens on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

After watching the changing of the guards, take advantage of being at the Palace and visit one of the many museums located there. Besides visiting the Royal Apartments, you can also visit The Treasury, Gustav III's Museum of Antiquities, and (my favorite) the Royal Armoury. Check the individual websites (linked here) for opening hours and entrance fees. The Stockholm Card gets you in all Palace museums for free.

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Millesgården

Millesgården is a museum and sculpture park created by artist Carl Milles (probably Sweden's most famous sculptor) and includes the artist's home. I took a trip there yesterday... perfect place to spend a afternoon in this gorgeous weather. It is located on the island of Lindingö in the northeast corner of Stockholm. The sculpture garden is very reminiscent of Italy with terraces, fountains and statues and fantastic views over Stockholm harbour. Milles' home is within the garden and fascinating to visit... mosaic floors, his studio and even his art collection. Nice outdoor cafeteria/restaurant to round off your visit at.

Millesgården is open daily from 11am to 5pm during the summer. Entrance to the park and museum is 90 SEK for adults, 65 SEK for seniors and student while children under 20 yrs get in for free. Free entrance with the Stockholm Card.

To get there: subway to Ropsten (red line) and then either bus over the bridge to Torsvik or the Lindingöbanan(train) to Torsvik. From there it is about a 300 meter walk, just follow the signs.

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