Södermalm

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Södermalm (often shortened to "Söder", South), is an island that forms the southern district of central Stockholm. With a population of over 100,000 (2005), it is one of the most densely populated districts of Scandinavia.

Södermalm is connected to its surrounding areas by a number of bridges. It connects to Gamla Stan (Old Town) to the north by Slussen, a grid of road and rail and a lock that separates the lake Mälaren from the Baltic Sea, to Långholmen and Kungsholmen to the northwest by one of the city's larger bridges, Västerbron, to the islet Reimersholme to the west, to Liljeholmen to the southwest, to Årsta and Johanneshov to the south, and, finally, to Nacka to the east by Danvikstull Bridge.

Administratively, Södermalm is divided into two bouroughs, Maria-Gamla Stan in the west and Katarina-Sofia in the east. The former also includes Gamla Stan, the latter Hammarby Sjöstad.

Contents 1 Past to present day 2 Neighbourhoods 3 Railway and Stockholm Metro stations 4 Parishes 5 Södermalm in poetry and fiction

[edit] Past to present day

Until the early 17th century Södermalm was mainly a rural, agricultural area. Its first urban areas were planned and built in the mid 17th century, comprising of a mixture of working class housing, such as the little red cottages among which some are still to be seen on the northeastern side of Södermalm, and summer houses and pavilions of wealthier families, such as Emanuel Swedenborg's pavilion, which is to be seen in the outdoor museum Skansen. Södermalm is often poetically referred to as "Söders höjder", the Heights of 'Söder', which reflects its topography of sheer cliffs and rocky hills. Indeed the hills of Södermalm still provide remarkable views of Stockholm's skyline. In the 18th century, the working class cottages that clung to Mariaberget, the steep cliffs facing Riddarfjärden, were replaced by the large buildings that are there to the present day. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that urbanisation grasped the entire width of Södermalm. However, even today parts of Södermalm have rural feeling to them, as for instance the landscape of tiny allotments that climb the slopes of Eriksdal. For long Södermalm was mainly known as a working class area, renowned for its poverty and regarded as a slum. While there has been a romantic air about Södermalm for many decades, its slow ascendancy toward better reputation began as late as in the 1970s or 80s. Today it is considered a fashionable place to live or to go to, and it boasts prominent shopping districts and a wide range of cafés, restaurants and bars. Also, rather than being known as a slum, Södermalm is now known as home of bohemia, alternative culture and a broad range of cultural amenities. Meanwhile, the growing demand of housing, as well as an increasing gentrification of Stockholm's central parts, makes apartments in Södermalm more and more difficult or expensive to come by. Thus what was once a working class district is now rather a district of the privileged.

[edit] Neighbourhoods

Södermalm is roughly divided into the following neighbourhoods (from west to east):

• Högalid (western area):
  • Bergsund
  • Drakenberg
  • Heleneborg
  • Tantolunden
  • Zinkensdamm
• Maria Magdalena (mid-northern area):
  • Mariaberget
  • Mariatorget
  • Slussen
  • Södra stationsområdet
• Åsö (mid-southern area):
  • Eriksdal
  • Helgalund
  • Medborgarplatsen
  • Rosenlund
  • Skanstull
• Katarina-Sofia (north-eastern area):
  • Blecktornsområdet
  • Danvikstull
  • Ersta
  • Norra Hammarbyhamnen
  • Nytorget (”SoFo”)
  • Mosebacke

[edit] Railway and Stockholm Metro stations

• Hornstull: Metro lines 13, 14
• Mariatorget: Metro lines 13, 14
• Medborgarplatsen: Metro lines 17, 18, 19
• Skanstull: Metro lines 17, 18, 19
• Slussen: Metro lines 13, 14, 17, 18, 19 and commuter train 25
• Stockholms södra: commuter train 35, 36
• Zinkensdamm: Metro lines 13, 14

[edit] Parishes

• Högalid
• Maria Magdalena
• Katarina
• Sofia

[edit] Södermalm in poetry and fiction

• The songs and poems of the popular 18th century poet and song-writer Carl Michael Bellman, born and raised on Södermalm, are filled with recurring references to names of places, perhaps primarily bars and meadhalls, on Södermalm.
• The celebrated first paragraph of August Strindberg's satirical novel The Red Room (Röda rummet) describes Stockholm as seen from Mosebacke on Södermalm, where much of the story takes place.
• City of My Dreams (Mina drömmars stad), the first in a series of books by Per-Anders Fogelström telling the story of several generations of Stockholmers, follows the young worker Henning's life on Södermalm.

Coordinates: 59°19′N 18°04′E