Stockholm City Hall (Stadshuset) is the red-brick palace with the tall tower on the eastern tip of Kungsholmen, standing right on the water of Lake Mälaren. Designed by Ragnar Östberg and completed in 1923, it is where the city council meets and where the Nobel Prize banquet is held every December. Inside, the walls of the Golden Hall are covered with more than 18 million pieces of glass and gold mosaic.
Stockholm City Hall at a glance
- Where: Hantverkargatan 1, on the eastern tip of the island of Kungsholmen, facing Riddarfjärden and the old town across the water.
- Built: 1911–1923; inaugurated on 23 June 1923, exactly 400 years after Gustav Vasa entered Stockholm.
- By: the architect Ragnar Östberg, a leading figure of Swedish National Romanticism.
- What it is today: the seat of Stockholm's city council and the venue of the Nobel banquet. The interior can be seen only on guided tours.
- Time needed: about 30 minutes for the courtyard and the lakeside terrace; allow around an hour or more if you join a guided tour or climb the tower.
A town hall built like a palace
Östberg won the commission after a competition with Carl Westman, who was given the city's new court house instead. Work started in 1911 and took twelve years. The building mixes Swedish brick traditions with loggias and a waterside setting that many visitors compare with the palaces of Venice, typical of the National Romantic style. Nearly eight million dark-red bricks, a hand-made type known in Swedish as munktegel ('monk brick'), came from a brickworks near Södertälje.
The 106-metre tower is crowned by the Three Crowns, Sweden's national symbol. At its foot, on the lake side, a gilded cenotaph honours Birger Jarl, the 13th-century statesman traditionally regarded as the founder of Stockholm. Every 10 December, after the Nobel Prize award ceremony at the Stockholm Concert Hall, the laureates and their guests dine in the Blue Hall and then move upstairs to dance in the Golden Hall.
What to look for
- The tower and the Three Crowns: in summer the tower is open to climb, with 365 steps and views over Gamla Stan, Riddarholmen and the lake.
- The Blue Hall, which is not blue: Östberg planned to give the walls a blue finish, but liked the bare red brick so much that he left it. The name stuck. Its organ has 10,270 pipes, the largest in Scandinavia.
- The Golden Hall: more than 18 million mosaic pieces by the artist Einar Forseth, telling scenes from Swedish history in a Byzantine style. The seated figure on the end wall is the Queen of Lake Mälaren.
- Birger Jarl's gilded cenotaph at the foot of the tower, on the side facing the water.
- The lakeside terrace and its statues: Carl Eldh's figures Dansen (The Dance) and Sången (The Song) stand by the steps down to the lake.
- The Prince's Gallery, seen on the guided tour: a long hall above the lakeside colonnade with a fresco by Prince Eugen, the painter prince.
Tips for your visit
- The halls are open only on guided tours in Swedish and English, which can be cancelled at short notice for official events. In summer, book ahead.
- The open courtyard and the lakeside terrace can be visited without a tour. Come in the late afternoon, when the light falls on Riddarholmen across the water.
- For the classic photo of the whole building, walk to Monteliusvägen, a clifftop path on Södermalm with a view of City Hall across Riddarfjärden.
- The tower is open only in the summer months, with a limited number of people allowed up at a time, so go early in the day.
Nearby
- Riddarholmen Church: the burial church of Swedish monarchs, with its open cast-iron spire, just across the bridge from Kungsholmen.
- Gamla Stan: Stockholm's old town of narrow lanes and ochre houses, a short walk away via Riddarholmen.
- Nobel Prize Museum: on Stortorget in Gamla Stan, telling the story of the prizes and their laureates, a good pair with the banquet halls you have just seen.
- Monteliusvägen: the path along the cliffs of Södermalm, with one of the best views of City Hall and the old town.
See Stockholm with World City Trail
Our Stockholm scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 3 hours, with about 40 minutes of walking. City Hall is one of the stops, along with Riddarholmen Church, the Nobel Prize Museum and Gamla Stan. You can play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Stockholm.
Play the Stockholm scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Stockholm →
Play the outdoor escape game in Stockholm →
Facts checked in October 2026.