Stockholm harbour tour

Destinations

1 M/S Patricia, Söder Mälarstrand. Launched in 1938 as a British representation ship, in service both for the 1940 Dunkirk evacuation and the 1944 landing in Normandy (see D-Day beaches). One of Stockholm's oldest gay nightclubs, still having gay Sunday nights (onto Monday mornings) with a more mainstream crowd on Fridays and Saturdays. 1 Kogghamn (Medieval Stockholm harbour). By the 13th century, the land had risen between Södermalm and Gamla stan, transforming Mälaren to a freshwater lake. A canal was dug from the lake to the sea; but as the lake was a few decimeters above sea level, the boats had to be pulled up by ropes. Stockholm had two harbours: Kornhamn (corn/grain harbor) was for the small boats of Mälaren, and Kogghamn for the cogs (merchant ships) of the Baltic Sea, which was near today's street level. Many of the cogs belonged to the Hanseatic League (Hansa), which dominated trade on the Baltic Sea during the Middle Ages. As the coastline retracted, the quays expanded outwards into the sea. The 1790 customs house (Tullhuset) was built at the earlier docks. The customs houses on the waterfront were built in 1939, and host restaurants and cafés today. 2 Victoriaslussen. Slussen ("the sluice") is a lock opened in 1642, to allow seagoing ships into Mälaren. Over the centuries, four different locks have succeeded each other, with new bridges for trains, bicycles and public transport. A 1935 concrete structure sank down the mud. Due to expected global warming and need to regulate lake Mälaren, Stockholm has built the fifth lock, named in honour to Crown Princess Victoria. 1 HMS af Chapman. A full-rigged ship launched in 1888 under the name Dunboyne, later G.D. Kennedy. She ran freight between Gothenburg and Australia. From 1915 to 1934 she was a training ship, and since 1949 she is used as a hostel. 2 Kastellet. A citadel from the 17th century, which flies the naval flag, and is used for gun salutes. The building exploded in 1845 and was rebuilt in 1848. 3 Vasa shipyard. The Swedish Empire reached the height of its power in the 17th century, nearly encircling the Baltic Sea, creating the need for a strong navy, not least since King Gustav II Adolf (al