{"id":16490,"date":"2015-12-29T08:00:30","date_gmt":"2015-12-29T13:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.toeuropeandbeyond.com\/?p=16490"},"modified":"2022-06-22T11:30:50","modified_gmt":"2022-06-22T15:30:50","slug":"inside-the-stockholm-metro-the-longest-art-gallery-in-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.toeuropeandbeyond.com\/inside-the-stockholm-metro-the-longest-art-gallery-in-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the Stockholm Metro – the longest art gallery in the world"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Although Stockholm has no shortage of things to do on the ground level, it does have an underestimated masterpiece hidden deep beneath the 14 islands that make up the famous archipelago. Only the Swedes could make an otherwise rather dull public transit system so riveting; indeed the Stockholm metro has been deemed the world’s longest art gallery numerous times, at 100 kilometres long and stretching over 90 stations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stadion, which services the Olympic Stadium and represents the Olympic rings<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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T-Centralen, the first station in the network and where it all began. The pattern is supposed to create a soothing experience for commuters.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The artist who designed T-Centralen wanted to honour the workers who built the station; instead of simply engraving their names on a plaque that no one would notice, he opted to paint each profession on the ceilings. If you look closely, you can see carpenters, miners, welders, and even the painter himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Radhuset, which contains archeological remains from the Franciscan era<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Solna – home to a 1-kilometre long mural by Anders \u00c5berg and Karl-Olav Bjork picturing a spruce forest<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Where does all this art come from?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The presence of art inside something as ordinary as a metro network goes to show just how equalitarian Swedes fundamentally are. Stations were enhanced as part of an animated social debate back in the 1950s about how art should be accessible to everyone, not just the arguably scarce elite who could afford steep admission fee of Stockholm’s galleries and museums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was, at the time, quite unusual to launch such extensive and frivolous works in Europe in the aftermath of World War II, after which most construction works were only completed out of sheer necessity; but if you paid attention in history class, you’ll remember that Sweden was neutral in the conflict and didn’t suffer from a major economic crisis, leaving the country with plenty of money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although most Stockholmers have become oblivious to the art they walk past on their daily commute, they are definitely part of the fun for out-of-towners. Sculptures, paintings, engravings, mosaics; creativity knows no bounds in this vast underground gallery. 150 artists were selected to bring 90 of the 100 Stockholm metro stations to life through various mediums, topics, and tones – every station is different and sends a different message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Touring the Stockholm Metro – the best stations to visit<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Visit Stockholm has a pretty complete list of stations<\/a> that should definitely be on your subterranean itinerary. I didn’t have enough time to do ALL of them, but my favourites were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n