A tale of two cities in Stockholm's Ostermalm and Sodermalm districts

By Frank Rumpf Jul 20, 2010, 9:45 GMT

Stockholm - Sweden's capital Stockholm is a tale of two worlds, each of which lays claim to being the true heart of the city.

One is the smart district Ostermalm in the Stureplan area. This is where Princess Madeleine goes shopping and dancing, while on weekends the scions of wealthy families spread the wealth, spending their parents' money in elegant clubs and restaurants.

The other Stockholm faces it at an angle and across the water is the island of Sodermalm. The former working-class district has in the meantime been dubbed 'Sweden's Prenzlauer Berg' - the reference is to a formerly drab eastern Berlin district that has become the 'in' scene of the German capital.

The comparison is not quite apt, but in fact 'Soder' has developed into an alternate-scene residential and entertainment area for artists and students, and one which is attracting increasing numbers of tourists.

No small part in the rising popularity of Sodermalm has been played by the bestselling crime stories of Stieg Larsson which take place on the area's narrow streets. In the northern part of the district, on the Gotgatan, is where the 'Millennium' editorial office of Larsson's fictional hero Michael Blomkvist is located. And Lisbeth Salandar, the secret star of the series, lived at the address of Fiskargartan 9.

In contrast to eastern Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg area, Sodermalm is still a largely young, rough-edged district. Drab block-shaped buildings dominate the setting, so the contrast with the attractive old city centre of Gamla Stan or Blasieholmen, where each year the Nobel prize recipients reside in the Grand Hotel, could scarcely be greater.

But for all that, in Soderholm you can quickly make contact with the locals in the cafes and boutiques such as the 'Ten Swedish Designers' at Gotgatan 25. And scarcely anywhere else is the charm of Stockholm residents more tangible - a mixture of Scandinavian directness and almost Mediterranean-style relaxation.

The Gotgatan is the main artery of the neighbourhood. It is easily reachable from the underground station of Slussen, the same way that virtually everything in Sodermalm can be explored by foot. On weekends, the action goes on almost round-the-clock on the steeply-rising street. On sunny Saturday mornings locals, many of them young fathers pushing prams, take a shopping stroll on Gotgatan.

At Medborgarplatsen Square rock bands perform open-air concerts, while nearby, people relax in streetside cafes or - at cheap prices - at the bar of the large market hall.

In the evening, people head off to visit friends or attend a small party. Often enough, they are pushing a pram, because who can still afford a babysitter in view of the rapidly-rising rents in Sodermalm?

'SoFo' - for 'South of Folkungagatan' in the south-eastern part of the district - has profited from the upswing in recent years. Those who want to study the latest trends in Sweden should stop by such clothing shops as Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair at Bondegatan 46b and, a block further on, the Urban Deli at Nytorget 4.

Very attractive is the area around the Mariatorget Square. It is here that Abba member Benny Andersson opened the hotel Rival with its own in-house cinema. A bit of greenery amongst the houses is supplied by the churches with their pretty gardens, such as the Maria Magdalena Kyrka in which Lisbeth Salander took refuge. Another church is the yellow-coloured Katarina Kyrka.

Just a few steps away is Sodermalm's best view of the waterfront, of islands and ships. Whoever looks off into the distance from here can see the 'other' Stockholm - the upmarket Ostermalm. But who wants to go there?