Explore SoFo, a creative hub inspired by New York’s SoHo, home to developers, designers, and artists. Once a poor working-class district, now a vibrant cultural zone filled with stories of famous Swedes and urban transformation.
- Stop 1. Folkungagatan 147, Shipbuilder’s Residence, a remnant of Stockholm’s largest shipyard.
- Stop 2. Lotsgatan 6. A worthwhile idyll in the sky
- Stop 3. Åsögatan 209. The house where the Fogelström family saga begins
- Stop 4. Åsögatan 197-201. Gloomy Carl Larsson’s front page
- Stop 5. Åsögatan 195 where Kolingen quartered
- Soup 6. Stig Claesson’s park (Åsögatan 175-181).
- Stop 7. Åsögatan 168. The stone house where Fogelströms Emelie rented a room with a kitchen
- Stop 8. Åsögatan 157. The house where Stig Dagerman became a southerner
- Interlude: Dagerman and Stieg Larsson’s life story ends in Södermalm.
- Stop 9. Åsögatan 140. The four-room incubator for the world’s third most successful computer game
- Stop 10. Götgatan 55, Göta Lejon. The hanging place with a sup for those who haven’t been hung yet
- Stop 11. Medborgarplatsen Götgatan 54-56. The swamp that became a train terminal and community center
- Stop 12. Björn’s Garden Götgatan / Tjärhovsgatan 4. Green refuge for both the downtrodden and the green scarf people
Stop 1: Folkungagatan 147 – Shipbuilder’s House
A rare remnant of Stockholm’s biggest shipyard (1697–1910). Now an art school, it reflects the area’s roots in shipbuilding and crafts. <more> <map> <photo>
Stop 2: Lotsgatan 6 – Hidden Idyll
A scenic walk past quaint cottages and Carl Larsson’s winter scenes painted outdoors on Åsögatan, before he moved to Gothenburg. <more> <map> <photo> <sound>
Stop 3: Åsögatan 209 – Fogelström’s Fiction Begins
Henning and Lotten from City of My Dreams settle here, echoing the tough yet hopeful lives in 1860s Södermalm. <more> <map> <photo>
Stop 4: Åsögatan 197–201 – Carl Larsson’s Struggles
Not all was idyllic. Depression and poverty haunted the artist, but apple trees behind the house inspired beloved paintings. <more> <map> <photo>
Stop 5: Åsögatan 195 – Kolingen’s Cramped Quarters
Albert Engström’s cartoon character Kolingen once ”lived” here, amidst real-life sailors and timber workers. <more> <map> <photo>
Stop 6: Åsögatan 175–181 – Stig Claesson Park
Named after “Slas,” a beloved author and illustrator raised nearby. Rest here and spot Sofia Church on the horizon. <more> <map> <photo>
Stop 7: Åsögatan 168 – Emelie’s Overcrowded Apartment
In Fogelström’s Minns du den stad / Remember the City, Emelie and her siblings live packed in 40 square meters. The 1883 building still stands. <more> <map> <photo>
Stop 8: Åsögatan 157 – Stig Dagerman’s Boyhood Home
The acclaimed author moved here at age 11. He wrote beside a moonshine still in the kitchen, shaped by hardship and brilliance. <more> <map> <photo>
Stop 9: Åsögatan 140 – Birthplace of Minecraft
In a cramped four-room flat, young developers created what became the world’s best-selling video game. Mojang began here before selling to Microsoft in 2014. <more> <map> <photo>
Stop 10: Götgatan 55 – Göta Lejon Theatre
Now a musical venue, this was once Stockholm’s grandest cinema. The nearby Hamburg Tavern gave condemned prisoners their final drink. <more> <map> <photo>
Stop 11: Medborgarplatsen – From Swamp to Social Hub
Once a lake called Fatburen, now a public square with libraries, pools, and a lingering name from the past. <more> <map> <photo>
Stop 12: Björns Trädgård – Grit and Greenery
A 1600s garden turned urban hangout. Today, it’s both a gathering spot and a literary landmark in Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy. <more> <map> <photo>
/ By Ingemar Lindmark