Stortorget, Stockholm’s Most Beautiful Square?

On August 31, 2010, in Live From Stockholm, Video, by Ralph Grizzle

Gamla Stan’s largest square, Stortorget (“Stor,” means “large;” and “torget” means “square”), was once the venue for public hangings and site of the “Bloodbath of 1520,” the mass execution of Swedish nobles by a Danish king that led to revolt and Sweden’s becoming a sovereign state.

Stortorget today is stunningly beautiful and bordered by tall, narrow, colorful Amsterdam-like buildings, the Nobel Museum and one of my favorite Fika shops, the uber-charming and aforementioned Chokladkoppen. Take a seat inside or out for a hot chocolate or coffee and kanelbolle. Time for a fika.

Afterward, the Nobel Museum is worth a gander. If you can’t do the full tour, step inside the cafe and look under the chairs. It’s okay. They’re light enough to lift, but do so carefully. Nearly all are signed by Nobel Laureates who once sat in the chairs. The ice cream sundae here is delicious, by the way, down to the gold-wrapped chocolate Nobel coin.