Södermalm

18th century housing facing Riddarfjärden
Geography
Södermalm (Sweden)
Location	Baltic Sea
Coordinates	59°19′N 18°04′E / 59.317°N 18.067°E / 59.317; 18.067
Area	5,71 km²
Country
Sweden
Borough	Södermalm borough
Municipality	Stockholm Municipality
Demographics
Population	99 685 (as of 31/12 2008)

Brännkyrkagatan on Södermalm.

Ryssgården square at the Slussen area, Södermalm.

Wooden house at Åsögatan 213, built 1730.

Söder Torn, an 86-meter-tall building near Medborgarplatsen. Built in 1997 after drawings from the Danish architect Henning Larsen.

Södra Teatern at Mosebacke Square, Södermalm.

Södermalm, often shortened to "Söder", is a district in central Stockholm. It covers the large island formerly called "Åsön". With a population of 99 685, it is one of the most densely populated districts of Scandinavia. Though Södermalm usually is considered an island, water to its south does not flow freely but passes through a sluice.

Södermalm is connected to its surrounding areas by a number of bridges. It connects to Gamla Stan to the north by Slussen, a grid of road and rail and a lock that separates the lake Mälaren from the Baltic Sea, to Långholmen and Kungsholmen to the northwest by one of the city's larger bridges, Västerbron, to the islet Reimersholme to the west, to Liljeholmen to the southwest by the bridge Liljeholmsbron, to Årsta by Årstabron and Skanstullsbron in the south, and, finally, to Södra Hammarbyhamnen to the east by Danvikstull Bridge.

Administratively, Södermalm is part of Stockholm Municipality. It constitutes, together with Gamla stan and some other districts, from 2007 the administrative district Södermalms stadsdelsområde, often translated as Södermalm borough.

[edit] History

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2008)

The name Södermalm ("suthraemalm") is first mentioned in 1288 in a letter from Bishop Anund of Strängnäs. Until the early 17th century Södermalm was mainly a rural, agricultural area. Its first urban areas were planned and built in the mid 17th century, comprising a mixture of working class housing, such as the little red cottages that can still to be seen in northeastern Södermalm, and the summer houses and pavilions of wealthier families, such as Emanuel Swedenborg's pavilion, which is to be seen in the outdoor museum Skansen. During this time, it was also the location of perhaps the first theatre in Scandinavia, Björngårdsteatern. Södermalm is often poetically named "Söders höjder", which reflects its topography of sheer cliffs and rocky hills. Indeed the hills of Södermalm provide remarkable views of Stockholm's skyline.

In the 18th century, the working-class cottages that clung to Mariaberget, the steep cliffs facing Riddarfjärden, were replaced by the large buildings that are still present today. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that urbanisation grasped the entire width of Södermalm, and even today parts of Södermalm have a rural feeling to them, as for instance the landscape of tiny allotments that climb the slopes of Eriksdal.

For a long time Södermalm was known as a working-class area, renowned for its poverty and regarded as a slum. While there has been a romantic air about Södermalm for many decades, its slow ascendancy toward a better reputation began as late as in the 1970s or '80s. Today the area is considered a fashionable place to live or visit, and boasts prominent shopping districts and a wide range of cafés, restaurants and bars.

Also, rather than being known as a slum, Södermalm is now known as home of bohemian, alternative culture and a broad range of cultural amenities. Meanwhile, the growing demand of housing, as well as an increasing gentrification of Stockholm's central parts, makes apartments in Södermalm more and more difficult or expensive to come by. Thus what was once a working-class district is now somewhat a district of the privileged.^[1]

[edit] Geography

[edit] Neighbourhoods and parishes

Södermalm is roughly divided into the following neighbourhoods (from west to east):

• Högalid (western area):
  • Bergsund
  • Drakenberg
  • Heleneborg
  • Tantolunden
  • Zinkensdamm
• Maria Magdalena (mid-northern area):
  • Mariaberget
  • Mariatorget
  • Slussen
  • Södra stationsområdet
• Åsö (mid-southern area):
  • Eriksdal
  • Helgalund
  • Medborgarplatsen
  • Rosenlund
  • Skanstull
• Katarina-Sofia (north-eastern area):
  • Blecktornsområdet
  • Danvikstull
  • Ersta
  • Norra Hammarbyhamnen
  • Nytorget
  • Mosebacke

[edit] Main sights

• Folksamhuset
• Göta Lejon
• Högalid Church
• Karl Johanslussen
• Katarina Elevator
• Katarina Church
• Maria Magdalena Church
• Medborgarhuset
• Stockholm Mosque
• Saint Eric's Cathedral
• Skatteskrapan
• Slussen
• Södra teatern
• Sofia kyrka
• Stockholms södra
• Söder Torn

[edit] Culture

[edit] In poetry and fiction

• The songs and poems of the popular 18th century poet and songwriter Carl Michael Bellman, born and raised on Södermalm, are filled with recurring references to names of places, primarily bars and meadhalls, on Södermalm.
• The celebrated first paragraph of August Strindberg's satirical novel The Red Room (Röda rummet) describes Stockholm as seen from Mosebacke on Södermalm, where much of the story takes place.
• City of My Dreams (Mina drömmars stad), the first in a series of books by Per Anders Fogelström telling the story of several generations of Stockholmers, follows the young worker Henning's life on Södermalm.

[edit] Transport

[edit] References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Södermalm

Coordinates: 59°19′N 18°04′E / 59.317°N 18.067°E / 59.317; 18.067