The obelisk on Slottsbacken, the sloping square beside the Royal Palace in Gamla stan, is Stockholm's thank-you note in granite. King Gustav III promised it to the city's burghers for guarding the capital while he was away fighting Russia in 1788–1790, and it was unveiled in 1800. What you see today is not the original, though: the old obelisk was taken down in 2017 and replaced with a new one of solid stone, finished in 2020.
The obelisk at a glance
- Where: on Slottsbacken, the open slope on the east side of the Royal Palace, between the palace and Storkyrkan.
- Built: 1798–1800, unveiled on 3 October 1800; rebuilt with new stone in 2020.
- By: designed by the French-born artist Louis Jean Desprez and raised by the engineer and inventor Jonas Lidströmer.
- What it is today: a state-owned monument almost 30 metres tall, including a 5-metre pedestal, made of grey Bohus granite from the west coast of Sweden.
- Time needed: 10 minutes, or longer if you combine it with the palace and the changing of the guard.
From a royal promise to a brand-new copy
On 30 August 1790, in a speech to the burghers and magistrates of Stockholm, Gustav III announced that he would give them a memorial for their loyalty: the citizens' militia had kept watch over the city during the Russo-Swedish War. He spoke of 'a statue or obelisk' made of Swedish stone by Swedish hands. The king was assassinated in 1792, so it was his son, Gustav IV Adolf, who laid the foundations in 1798, rode up to the finished obelisk on 3 October 1800 and handed it over to the city. The same day in 1790, the burghers had offered the king a statue of himself, which now stands on Skeppsbron: two gifts that answer each other.
The original was built from 17 granite drums held together with iron clamps, about 150 tonnes in all. Over two centuries moisture got in, the iron rusted and the stone cracked. The area was fenced off in 2012 because of the risk of falling stone, and in June 2017 the obelisk was dismantled. The old stone could not be saved, so a copy was made of solid sections of grey Bohus granite around a stainless steel core. The new obelisk weighs about 280 tonnes, nearly twice the original; its top piece was set in place on 17 June 2020, and later that year it won Sweden's annual stone industry prize.
What to look for
- The two inscriptions: Latin on the west side and Swedish on the east side, dedicating the monument to the burghers of Stockholm.
- Gustav IV Adolf's name: after he was deposed in 1809 his name was removed from public monuments, but it was left on the obelisk.
- The pyramid at the top: a pointed capstone in the Egyptian manner, with steep sides of about 60 degrees.
- The new stone: the even grey granite is noticeably fresher than the palace walls behind it.
- The palace façade: the obelisk stands right in front of the east wing of the Royal Palace, rebuilt after the Tre Kronor castle burned in 1697.
The wooden twin
Before the stone obelisk went up, a full-scale wooden model was built and later moved to a rock by Villa Frescati on the east shore of Brunnsviken, so that Gustav III could see its slender shape from the palace he planned at Haga. The wood has rotted away, and only the grey stone foundation is left. Stockholmers also say that the city's street numbers start from the end of each street nearest this spot; take it as a rule of thumb, as there are exceptions.
Tips for your visit
- Stand at the bottom of Slottsbacken and look up: the obelisk, the palace and the tower of Storkyrkan line up in one view.
- Combine your visit with the changing of the guard in the palace's outer courtyard, on the other side of the palace; check the day's schedule first.
- Morning light falls on the palace's east façade, which makes the best background for photos.
Nearby
- The Royal Palace: one of the largest palaces in Europe still used by a monarch, with the Royal Apartments, the Treasury and the Tre Kronor Museum.
- Storkyrkan: Stockholm Cathedral at the top of the slope, home of the late-Gothic sculpture of St George and the Dragon.
- Gustav III's statue on Skeppsbron: the burghers' gift to the king, facing the water a few minutes' walk away.
- Stortorget: Gamla stan's oldest square, with its colourful gabled houses and the Nobel Prize Museum.
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 three hours, with about 40 minutes of walking. It includes Gamla stan, Riddarholmen Church, the Nobel Prize Museum and City Hall. You can play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish or Dutch.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Stockholm.
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Facts checked in October 2026.