SERGELS TORG

Sergels Torg or Sergel’s Square is one of the most, if not the most famous and iconic landmark in Sweden. It is what Piccadilly Circus and Times Square and is to London and New York.

Almost everyone in Sweden and also foreign tourists who has visited Stockholm has either been there or passed it by in one way or another.

Sergels Torg is a public square in Stockholm next to the Bank of Sweden and the Culture House. At the end of the square stands an obelisk and a fountain as a roundabout. The Obelisk Kristall, (Crystal) is a 37 meter tall glass obelisk which is made from glass and steel.

Since its completion in 1967 Sergels Torg has been and still is today the most popular space in Stockholm for meeting friends. It’s also used for a wide range of events such as political demonstrations and to celebrate major victories by various Swedish sport teams. Also political parties use it as a platform before Prime Minister elections, and graduating students used to bathe in the roundabout fountain.

The planning of the square took a staggering 32 years and then an additional 7 years to build.

It was constructed in the 1960´s and named after 18th-century sculptor Johan Tobias Sergel, whose workshop was once located north of the square.

The name of the square was originally supposed to be named Sveaplatsen, but it could easily be confused with Sveaplan another place in Stockholm. The famous Swedish poet and troubadour Evert Taube put forward the name Sergels Torg instead to be the official name in homage to Johan Tobias Sergel. His name suggestion was successfully accepted.