Östermalm District, Stockholm

Along the waterfront in Stockholm's Östermalm district, between Nybroplan and the Djurgård, runs one of Stockholm's finest streets, Strandvägen. Along it are a series of palatial buildings, most of them occupied by foreign embassies.

To the north of Strandvägen in Stockholm, in Riddargatan, is the Royal Army Museum (Armémuseet), with a collection of uniforms and weapons illustrating Sweden's military history.

North of the Army Museum in Stockholm, in the Humlegård Park, is the Royal Library, Sweden's National Library (built 1870-77, with later extensions). Among its treasures is the Codex Aureus, an eighth century Latin translation of the four Gospels.

To the east of Stockholm's Humlegård Park, at Sturegatan 14 is the Nobel Foundation, established in 1900 by the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel. The Foundation annually awards six prizes for outstanding achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, economics, literature and the cause of peace.(The Peace Prize is presented in Oslo).

In Stockholm's Karlavägen is the Engelbrektskyrka (by Lars Israel Wahlman, 1914), built of granite and red brick. East of this, in Valhallavägen, can be seen the Stadium built for the 1912 Olympic Games. To the north is the College of Technology.

In the southern part of Stockholm's Östermalm district is the National Historical Museum (Historiska Museet), which offers an excellent survey of the early historical period, the Viking age and the Middle Ages in Sweden; of particular interest are the inscribed stones from Gotland. In the same building is the Royal Coin Cabinet. Nearby are the headquarters of Swedish Radio and Television and, in Borgvägen, the Swedish Film Institute.

In Djurgårdsbrunnsvägen, the continuation of Stockholm's Strandvägen to the east, are the National Maritime Museum (Sjöhistoriska Museet), the Museum of Science and Technology (Tekniska Museet) and the Museum of Ethnography (Etnografiska Museet; peoples and cultures of the Third World, with material brought back by travelers of the 18th-20th centuries).

To the northeast of the museums in Djurgårdsbrunnsvägen, outside the center of Stockholm, rises the Kaknäs Tower, built in the 1960s as a radio and television tower. 155m/510ft high, it was once the tallest structure in Scandinavia. At a height of 128m/420ft there is an open viewing platform, and there is also a glazed viewing platform, with restaurants, offering panoramic views. The view of the city is particularly impressive in the evening, when the lights are being lit. The tower is open to the public only in summer.

Immediately beyond the Djurgården bridge in Stockholm, to the right, is the Nordic Museum (Nordiska Museet), a massive building in Renaissance style which gives a survey of life and work in Sweden over the last 500 years. On the ground floor is the Royal Armory, with material illustrating the life of the privileged classes, and there are other sections devoted to peasant life in the various provinces of Sweden and to the culture of the Sami (Lapps).

The Vasa Museum illustrates Sweden's long history of shipbuilding, merchant shipping and ocean liners. Visitors will see full scale reproductions of ship's forecastles and helms, 100 large (1:200 scale) ship models, photographs and, artifacts. Temporary historical exhibitions and a childrens' museum can also be seen.