A church bell with a story

Fifteen minutes before midnight on the 17th of May 1990 the fire alarm sounded. When the fire trucks arrived from the oldest fire station in the world, which is very close by, it was already too late. The Katarina church from 1656 was lost. The church did not have any smoke detectors. It burned down for the first time back in 1723. This is the old church bell. It weighs 4200 kilos, it fell down from the tower during the 1990 fire. It survived, the others melted. Some material from the melted bells were later used to make the new bells. The church was rebuilt and opened again in 1995. The church photo dates back a few years. I took the church bell photo on a walk last week.

Beer O'Clock

Four photos from Kägelbanan at the Mosebacke Terrace at Katarina on Södermalm. If you ever visit Stockholm this place with a great view over Stockholm is a must. It was a sunny Spring weekend and everyone seemed happy enjoying beer, cider and more.

The Frog

A sculpture at Björns Trädgård on Södermalm. Grodan. The Frog. La Grenouille. By Per Hasselberg. What can I say, the sculptor like young girls. I have photographed some of his work before and recently a relative to one of his young models left a comment on one of my photos. Bit of a sad story that. Different times.

A day at the flea market, (part two)

A second bunch of photos from the flea market at Hötorget. Always fun to look at all the different people here. The November LP is a good one. Considered the first ever "metal" album form a Swedish act. Although a modern Metal Head would probably disagree. The girls jumping off her bicycle looked very familiar. A singer, maybe. I stalked the guy wearing blue-green. The female photographer were aiming at a building on the square where today there is a hotel called Haymarket. The guy on the phone is probably calling his wife asking for permission to buy another wristwatch.

A day at the flea market, (part 1)

A few street snaps from the weekly flea market at Hötorget.

Never let the truth get in the way of a good story

I remember hearing a story about the cannonball on the wall at Stortorget, the main square in the old town. It was supposedly aimed at the Danish king Christian II. Also known as Kristian the tyrant in Swedish. This should have been a year after the Stockholm Bloodbath. So in 1521. The less exciting truth is a bit different. The cannonball was placed there by Carl Adolph Grevesmühl in 1795 when he had the building renovated.

Chasiv Yar: Fireproof

”Chasiv Yar: Fireproof” is an open-air photography exhibition created by Ukrainian soldiers from the 24th Mechanized Brigade named after King Danylo. It documents their defense of the bombarded frontline city of Chasiv Yar. The exhibition features photographs by Oleg Petrasiuk displayed on bullet-riddled fences collected directly from Chasiv Yar. The exhibition’s true power lies in the fact that it was created entirely by Ukrainian soldiers themselves – the very people who fought for the town, documented the evidence of Russia’s war of aggression, and preserved the memory of their fellow soldiers. In a sense, the installation itself is as expressive as the photographs, as it allows visitors to literally touch the reality of this war – here in Sweden. Photos by Oleg Petrasiuk, and I recommend checking out his Facebook account for more info. I took my photos at Kungsträdgården a few days ago.

Frantisim

My Flickr friend Frantisim at the weekly flea market at Hötorget. I spotted him in action, so I took a photo. A little later he noticed me and came up for a chat. He asked me if I could see the guy with the impressive moustache and after a little looking around I spotted him. Frantisim often shoots street portraits at the market and Moustache Man was his next target.

Election Year

I noticed one police office on his Segway. What looked like two security people, looking as hard as they possibly could while eyeing me. Two photographers, one seen here. One secretary looking guy, (white pants dude), and two politicians from Sverigedemokraterna being photographed down by the water at Riddarholmen. The guy with the beard is Jimmy Åkesson. Not getting my vote though for obvious reasons.

Medborgarplatsen

My bicycle path changed a little last year when the city decided to move away cyclists from a part of the very busy pedestrian street Götgatsbacken, which means that I will often find myself riding through Medborgarplatsen where there is often protests, demonstrations and other gatherings. On this day I managed to miss the International Women's Day meeting at the square, but I still stopped for a few photos. Top photo shows Alice Bah Kuhnke, a Member of the European Parliament, meeting up with Anna Ekström, former Minister for Education, and a few other people. Next two police officers at Götgatan, and lastly a cool looking dude minding his own business on the side of the ice rink.

August Strindberg

It was a cold Winter for August. So chilly that the city decided to protect him from the cold. Nice of them I think. Carl Eldh sculpture of the poet at the Stockholm City Hall Garden.

Twelve Streetlife Photos

A woman and her poodles at Nybroplan. Outdoor lunch at Grev Turegatan. Delivery guy. Two teenage girls at Biblioteksgatan with their cool shades. Lunch at Tures at Sturegallerian, a very posh mall. Cyclist and possibly also a horseback rider at Bibliotekstan. Pressbyrån at Hamngatan. Classic Swedish kiosk chain. Couple taking a breather at Smålandsgatan. Mother & Daughter is my guess at Biblioteksgatan. People at Norrmalmstorg, the square that gave us the Stockholm Syndrome. Candy shopping girls queueing at Brasserie vau de ville. We finish with a photo I took at a pedestrian crossing while walking back to my bike that was parked at the Dramatic Theatre.