NE Nike Retail Manual | Page 58

STOCKHOLM The city’s subway is also known as the world’s longest art gallery, with paintings, sculptures and mosaics in most stations. SWEDEN DRINKS MORE COFFEE PER CAPITA THAN ANY OTHER COUNTRY ON EARTH. 88 STOCKHOLM The Stockholm Globe Arena is currently the largest hemispherical building in the world. Stockholm became the ‘European City of Culture’ in 1998. Stockholm’s oldest surviving building is the Riddarholmskyrkan (Riddarholm Church), which is a Franciscan monastery that was built in 1270. Stockholm is the 2nd most visited city of all the Nordic countries. In the 2008 Global Cities Index, Stockholm ranked 24th in the world, 10th in Europe, and 1st in Scandinavia. The absence of heavy industry makes Stockholm one of the world’s cleanest metropolises. FACTS The city is sometimes referred to as ‘Venice of the North’, thanks to its beautiful buildings, exquisite architecture, close proximity to open water and numerous parks. Birger Jarl fortified Stockholm as a defense outpost against Baltic pirates in 1252. The capital city hosts the Swedish Government, Parliament and is also the official residence of the Swedish Monarch. The city is ranked as one of the ten most popular congress destinations in the world. In 1710, a catastrophic plague obliterated about one third of Stockholm’s population. Swedish born, Alfred Nobel, established the Noble Prize in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Peace in 1895. While the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, all the other prizes are awarded in Stockholm. Stockholm is often known as the ‘World’s Smallest Big City’ or the ‘World’s Biggest Small Town’. Stockholm has served as the political and economic center of Sweden since the 13th century. 89 The city has a humid, continental climate. The summers are warm and pleasant, while winters are cold and freezing. FACTS