Stupid Stockholm

Read this in — Svenska

A Stockholm walking tour unlike any other

Glenn the ghost is annoyed. A poorly fastened mooring on a Gothenburg dock was all it took to end his life on earth. As if that wasn’t bad enough, his soul now seems to be trapped in stupid Stockholm of all places. Glenn was a very proud west coast native, so why is he stuck haunting the Swedish capitol? Does it have anything to do with a mysterious box left there by his mother?

Go on a Stockholm walking tour unlike any other and join Glenn on a mission in a city he despises. Learn more about Stockholm history in an entertaining and gamified way!

Stupid Stockholm and all its failures

You bump into Glenn in an Old town alley, and he convinces you to come with him. He needs your human hands to pick up the box, and some help figuring out how to set his soul free. Glenn shares anecdotes about historic Stockholm failures as you walk. The murder of King Gustav III? Very clumsily planned. The Vasa ship? Any deckhand from Gothenburg would have done a better construction job, considering that it sank on its maiden voyage. And don’t even get him started on the events of the Stockholm bloodbath…

Listen to Glenn’s story as you walk. In each location you help Glenn unpack items and clues to his past from the box. The further you walk, the closer you get to finding the truth of why Glenn is haunting a city he dislikes so much.

The StoryTourist app will show you the way

To walk this tour, you’ll download the user-friendly StoryTourist app. The app is equipped with a map, GPS, a narrator and digital guide which makes sure you walk in the right direction. Once you have purchased the tour it is yours to keep. You can use it at any time and as many times as you wish.

Through the StoryTourist app you’ll learn everything (Glenn thinks) you need to know about Stockholm history. The only thing you need to be able to explore Stockholm in a brand-new way is a smartphone with headphones. You can find more practical information under the instructions tab.

This StoryTour is written by Patrik Jutterström.

Read this in — Svenska

How this tour works:

Your smartphone is your guide on this tour! Once you have purchased a tour, this is what you do:

Download the StoryTourist app from Apple App Store or Google Play, while connected to Wi-Fi.
Log into the app using the same email address you filled in when purchasing the tour. You will create your password the first time you log into the app. The tour you have purchased will be ready to download in the tour library once you have logged in. Make sure you are still connected to Wi-Fi while downloading the tour.
Go to the starting point of the tour, open the app, put your headphones on and head out on your StoryTour adventure!

Important information:

This is a location based experience. You have to be at the tour starting point in Triewaldsgränd in Stockholm, Sweden, to start this walking tour.
Once the tour is downloaded to your phone, you can use it offline.
There is a map, GPS and a digital guide in the app, making sure that you’ll walk the right way.
This tour is available in English and Swedish.
Once you have purchased the tour, it is your to keep. You can use it whenever you want and as many times as you would like. You can start, pause and end the tour whenever you would like.
This tour is pet friendly – feel free to bring your dog on this walk!
Public transport is available close to both the tour start point and end point.
This tour is not accessible to wheelchair users due to stairs.
We recommend participants to be at least 7 years old or over, due to the theme of the tour.

What to bring:

Your smartphone, with the StoryTourist app and the tour you purchased already downloaded.
Headphones, for the best possible listening experience
Make sure that your smartphone battery is fully charged. If you know that your phone has poor battery capacity, it can be a good idea to bring a powerbank as well.

Engelen pub

The tour starting point. You meet Glenn outside the Engelen pub. The pub opened in 1969 and was named after the Engelen (angel) pharmacy that was located here from the 1600’s until the 1960’s.

Mårten Trotzig's alley

The most narrow alley in Stockholm measures 90 cm and is believed to have been constructed in medieval times. It’s named after merchant Mårten Trotzig.

Stortorget

This is where the Stockholm bloodbath took place in 1520. Around 100 people from the Swedish aristocracy were executed for heresy, based on an accusation by archbishop Gustav Trolle.

Runstone of Old town

Runestone U53 has been dated to the year 1070-1100. Leaned against it is an old cannon tube. Translated, the runes say: Torsten and Frögunn had (erected) this stone for… their son.

Branting square

This tucked-away square is named after former prime minister Hjalmar Branting. Ivar Johnsson’s sculpture “Morning” from 1962 can be found in the middle of the square.

Tage Erlander's toilet

This public toilet is called Tage Erlander’s toilet by locals, since it has been placed right next to a sign honoring former prime minister Tage Erlander.

The Royal Opera

King Gustav III built the first opera in this location in 1782. He was then shot inside the building in 1792. The opera was torn down in 1892 and rebuilt into the opera house you see today.

Elm trees at King's Garden park

The police had a violent clash with protestors underneath these elm trees in 1971. The protestors wanted to stop the elm trees from being cut down to make way for a new subway entrance.

Statue of King Gustav III

This statue depicts when Gustav III stepped ashore in this spot after the end of the Swedish-Russian war in 1790. The statue has an olive branch, for peace, in its hand.

The Royal Armoury Museum

This is a government-owned historic museum, with a large collection of clothes, weapons and armor from the various royal dynasties throughout Swedish history.

The Tessinska palace

The royal police chamber started under the reign of King Gustav III and was moved into the Tessinska palace in the 1770s. This is where the murder of Gustav III was investigated in 1792.

Järnpojke statue

Final stop of the tour. The statue Järnpojke (Iron boy) is also called “Boy looking at the moon”. It is Sweden’s smallest public statue, measuring 15 centimeters. It was sculpted by Liss Eriksson in 1967.