Page 111 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Sweden

M ALM ARNA & FUR THER AFIELD  109

guided city-walks organized by Vallée (1620–96).
the museum. There are also tours King Karl X Gustaf
that take in the locations men- was also deeply
tioned in writer Stieg Larsson’s involved in the
popular Millennium trilogy. project, and
specified that the
church should
c Katarinahissen have a central nave
with the altar and
Stadsgården. Map 3 C5.  Slussen.
@ 2, 3, 53, 55, 59. Closed to the pulpit positioned
public. 0 J right in the middle.
Construction began
Katarinahissen is the oldest in 1656 and the
of Stockholm’s “high-rise” church was finally
attractions. The 38 m (125 ft) completed in
high lift was opened to the 1695. In 1723
public in March 1883 and is it was badly
still a prominent silhouette damaged by
on the Söder skyline. The first fire, along with
Swedish neon sign was erected large parts of the
here in 1909 – a legendary Katarina Kyrka (1695) after its extensive restoration due to a surrounding area,
advertisement for Stomatol devastating fire in 1990 but it was restored
toothpaste. Since the 1930s, over the next couple
the sign has been placed on v Katarina Kyrka of decades. The architect Göran
a nearby rooftop. Högbergsgatan 13. Tel 08-743 68 00. Josua Adelcranz designed a
The original lift was driven  Slussen, Medborgarplatsen. larger, octagonal tower.
by steam, but it switched to @ 2, 3, 53. Open 11am–5pm Mon, Major restoration was carried
electricity in 1915. In the 1930s Tue & Thu–Sat, 10am–7pm Wed & out in the 20th century, and a
it was replaced by a new lift. Sun. 8 by appointment. new copper roof was added in
In its first year of operation, 5 11am Sun. - = 7 1988. Then two years later, on
the lift was used by more than ∑ svenskakyrkan.se the night of 16 May 1990, there
a million passengers, but its was another fire and the interior
record year was 1945, when The buildings surrounding the and virtually all its fittings were
it carried a total of 1.8 million hilltop on Katarinaberget date destroyed. Only the outer
people between Slussen and partly from the 18th century, walls survived.
Mosebacke Torg. although there have been The architectural practice of
Although the original lift is no churches on the site since the Ove Hidemark was commis-
longer in use, there is another late 14th century. The most sioned to design a new church
less iconic lift that takes diners impressive of all the buildings is which, as far as possible, was
up to a gourmet restaurant, the 17th-century Katarina Kyrka, to be a faithful reconstruction
Gondolen (see p295). The views designed by one of the era’s of the original.
from here are spectacular. greatest architects, Jean de la In order to carry out such a
detailed reconstruction, the
architects resorted to the use
of 17th-century building
techniques. Experts and
craftsmen skilfully joined heavy
timbering on to the central
dome in the traditional way,
and the church’s central arch
was rebuilt with bricks specially
made in 17th-century style.
In 1995, Katarina Kyrka was
reconsecrated and, in the eyes
of many people, looked more
beautiful than ever. The altar
was sited exactly where it was
originally planned.
The reconstruction cost
270 million kronor, of which
145 million kronor was
covered by insurance. The
remainder was raised through
Katarinahissen with Stockholms Stadsmuseum in the background public donations.

108-109_EW_Sweden.indd 109 11/07/16 11:48 am