History in Sweden

Discover 28 places to experience unusual history in Sweden.

Stockholm, Sweden

Galgbacken (Gallow Hill)

The site of Stockholm's last public execution.

Homografiska Museet

Dalsland, Sweden

Homografiska Museet

This small museum explores questions of representation, diversity, and identity.

Sigtuna, Sweden

Sigtuna Rådhus (City Hall)

A tiny town hall—in Sweden's one-time capital—might be the smallest in Europe.

Björn Järnsidas Hög

Ekerö V, Sweden

Björn Järnsidas Hög (Björn Ironsides Mound)

The suspected burial mound of legendary Viking Björn Ironside.

Stortorget Cannonball

Stockholm, Sweden

Stortorget Cannonball

Several cannonballs of mysterious origins decorate two buildings in Stortoget's main square.

Uppsala, Sweden

Anders Celsius's Thermometer

The first thermometer made with the almost-universal temperature scale is backwards.

Saint Erik's spring.

Uppsala, Sweden

Saint Erik's Spring

Legend has it this spring formed at the spot where a medieval Swedish king was killed.

Stockholm, Sweden

Mårten Trotzigs Gränd

Stockholm's narrowest alley is barely over two feet wide.

The memorial stone.

Kramfors N, Sweden

Bålberget Memorial

This serene wooded hilltop has a dark history as the climactic point of the Swedish witch trials.

Stockholm, Sweden

Percys Trappa

A wooden street sign is the last remnant of this 400-year-old alleyway.

"Tjelvar's Grave" stone ship burial site.

Tjelvar's Grave

A Bronze Age stone ship said to be the grave of the mythical founder of Gotland.

The facade of the house.

Stockholm, Sweden

Last Home of Descartes

A plaque marks the house in Stockholm where the French philosopher René Descartes lived up until his death.

Stockholm, Sweden

Berzelius Park

This statue and park honor the Swedish chemist Jacob Berzelius, one of the founders of modern chemistry.

Stockholm, Sweden

1/4 Milestone of Stockholm

This stone obelisk is a relic of the 17th-century Swedish mile markers.

The Maiden's Tower

Known locally as the Jungfrutornet, this Medieval tower hides a dark legend.

Guilloché machine from Kosta around 1905.

Bergdala, Sweden

Bergdala Glastekniska Museum

The machines behind the famous handblown glass from Sweden's "Kingdom of Crystal."