Route: From Kungsgatan to Gustav II Adolfs torg
Start: Intersection of Kungsgatan and Drottninggatan
- A good start: Literary stroll along Drottninggatan part 1. From Norrtullsgatan to Kungsgatan. Elin Wägner, Strindberg and more
- Stop 1. Gamla Brogatan intersection. PUB, the rebels Lenin and Anckarström
- Stop 2. The mouth of Gamla Brogatan. Mordens gata.
- Stop 3. Drottninggatan 59. Ugglan Pharmacy.
- Stop 4. Bryggargatan mouth. Terrorists, Zorn and Dan Andersson.
- Stop 5. Mäster Samuelsgatan / Sergels torg. A gutter and a snobbery gutter then, a gutter for common people now.
- Stop 6. Drottningatan / Brunkebergsgatan down towards Klarakvarteren.
- Stop 7. Around Klara Church.
- Stop 8. Karduansmakargatan intersection. Palace oasis in the stone desert.
- Stop 9. Fredsgatan from Rosenbad to Gustav Adolfs torg
- Stop 10. Fredsgatan towards Gustv Adolfs torg.
- Stop 11. Fredsgatan 5, back side UD / Hereditary Prince’s Palace.
- Stop 12. Gustaf Adolfs torg Kastenhov/Rydberg
- Stop 13. Gustav Adolf
Stop 1: Gamla Brogatan intersection
- Former PUB department store (founded by Paul Bergström)
- Lenin’s suit purchase story in 1917
- Greta Garbo’s early modeling appearances
- Olof Palme’s shoe shopping anecdote
Stop 2: Mouth of Gamla Brogatan
- Formerly Kungsholmsbrogatan, where Bellman lived
- Anckarström’s residence nearby — involved in King Gustav III’s assassination plot
Stop 3: Drottninggatan 59, Ugglan Pharmacy
- August Blanche suffered a fatal stroke here in 1868
- Blanche’s involvement in student protests and unveiling of Charles XII statue
Stop 4: Bryggargatan mouth
- 2016 terrorist truck attack site
- 2009 suicide bombing nearby
- Historic gathering spot for artists including Anders Zorn and Dan Andersson
- Dan Andersson’s stay and death at Hellman Hotel
Stop 5: Mäster Samuelsgatan / Sergels torg
- 2017 terrorist attack site (Rakhmat Akilov)
- Emilie Flygare Carlén’s novel setting
- Queen Christina’s coronation at the nearby Beridarebanan (horse arena)
- Lenin’s 1917 Stockholm stop at Hotel Regina
Stop 6: Drottninggatan / Brunkebergsgatan
- Location of former Linderoth watch factory
- Reflections on the loss of Klara district’s old shops and homes
Stop 7: Around Klara Church
- Bellman’s grave and statue of poet Nils Ferlin
- Historic newspapers and Lenin’s 1917 march through the area
- Stalin’s residence nearby in early 1900s
- Tennstopet café cultural hub for journalists and bohemians
Stop 8: Karduansmakargatan intersection
- 19th-century upscale area with bakeries and shops
- Government Offices now in former bank building with Dance Museum inside
- Adelcrantzka Palace (1759) — rare survivor of Norrmalm demolition
- Historic fires and demolitions reshaping the area
Stop 9: Fredsgatan from Rosenbad to Gustav Adolfs torg
- Bellman’s ancestral wine cellar (Kejsrkronan)
- Competing Swiss bakeries of immigrant entrepreneurs
- First upscale hotel (Hotel Garni) opened here in 1830s
- Hallbergs Guld goldsmith business founded in 1860
Stop 10: Fredsgatan towards Gustav Adolfs torg
- Sundsvallsbanken building with Archbishop Söderblom sculpture
- Mediterranean Museum located in former Hornska Palace
- Henriks Palme (bank founder) bust above entrance; family ties to PM Olof Palme
- 1873 Hornska Palace fire tragedy
Stop 11: Fredsgatan 5 / Hereditary Prince’s Palace
- Arvfurstens Palace, seat of Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Renaissance façade from 1640, linked to peace after Thirty Years’ War
Stop 12: Gustav Adolfs torg (Kastenhov/Rydberg)
- Historic inn under Queen Christina’s cupbearer’s portrait
- Hotel Rydberg: cultural elite meeting spot, demolished in 1914
- Artists like Anders Zorn and Carl Larsson were regulars
Stop 13: Gustav Adolfs torg with opera and soap opera
- Fredrica Löv, actress and royal mistress, resided here
- Sculptor Tobias Sergel’s works and Johan Henrik Kellgren’s memorial
- Madame de Staël, exiled French author, rented a house here in 1812
- Connections to Adolph Ribbing and political intrigues around Gustav III
