Photo: Ankur Gulati

Now, if you know Swedes at all, you can appreciate that nationalistic isn’t exactly the first word to come to mind when you think of them. Don’t get me wrong, Swedes are proud of being Swedes, and deep down they think they’re pretty great—but they wouldn’t ever tell you that to your face. Displays of national pride make them very uncomfortable. I remember when I applied for my residence visa at the Swedish Consulate in New York, there was a pamphlet in the waiting room that read, “Sweden is almost as wonderful as your own country.” Until only a few years ago, June 6th (National Day) wasn’t even a day off from work, and it can be pretty entertaining to watch Swedes’ tentative, awkward celebrations each year.

But this wasn’t always the case: starting at around the turn of the 20th century and peaking in the 1910s, the National Romantic style of architecture was all the rage in this city, and there are plenty of landmarks around to prove it. Just as in many countries in Europe at this time, this movement was a conscious attempt to create—and celebrate!—a uniquely Swedish aesthetic. So what did they do? By melding together brick, copper, fantasies of Viking empires, occasional asymmetry, and a phobia of natural daylighting, the solution was, well, imposing architecture.

Stadshuset (Stockholm City Hall)

Photo: Mrlins

Any tour of Stockholm starts here, never mind a National Romantic one. Smack in the middle of the city, this towering structure recalls harsh Viking life, military prowess, and exactly the kind of place you’d lock up a princess in. But it was built only as far back as 1923 by Ragnar Östberg, perhaps the most known practitioners of the National Romantic architectural style. City employees occupy the structure, presumably spinning hay into gold, throwing down their hair from the windows, or perhaps simply avoiding prickly spinning wheels.

Nordiska Museet

Photo: Freddie Boy

Another central Stockholm landmark, this huge building in Djurgården was built as a temple to all things Scandinavian. To think, it’s only a quarter of the size of what Isak Clason had originally designed! Make sure to peek inside to see the Great Hall, featuring a massive Buddha-like statue of Gustav Vasa by Carl Milles. You may also want to check out the odd permanent exhibits of the nation’s stuff, including its shoes, dollhouses, and table settings. (?!) 

Engelbrektskyrkan

Photo: Zeraien

This wacky-looking church also cuts an impressive figure, no? Its dramatic, stepped-up landscaping only adds to the vertigo sensation passers-by get from looking up at it. It’s a puzzling structure, in that its chunky-brick-and-copper materials are clearly referencing historical styles, but the space-age-looking discs and doodads in the tower gives it a surprisingly modern feel. It looms over the small neighborhood of Lärkstaden, also designed in the National Romantic spirit.

Rådhuset

This gargantuan courthouse takes its architectural cues from 16th century Swedish castles, but it was built relatively recently, between 1909 and 1915. Its M.O. is clearly gravitas, and it achieves it with aplomb. (Note to self: during nuclear holocaust, try to be inside this building.)

Stadion

Nothing says Swedish architecture like…crenellated parapets. Designed by Torben Grut and originally built for the 1912 Olympics, this pastiche of a medieval fortress hosts all kinds of sporting events today (and the occasional Dolly Parton concert). I’d joke and say it looks perfect for Robin Hood to shoot arrows from, but you actually can come and shoot arrows nearby. Literally—an archery club meets in this area, and they encourage new people to come and, well, give it a shot.

Östra Real Gymnasieskolan

This high school is honestly the most frightening school I’ve ever seen. I mean, would you want to go here?! High school is bad enough, and this building is totally saying, “HELLO, LITTLE TWELVE-YEAR-OLD. I WILL EAT YOU.” A 1901 Ragnar Östberg creation, this structure doesn’t consume all the kids: alumni like former prime minister Carl Bildt and filmmaker Ingmar Bergman managed to get out alive (although presumably with renewed appreciation for daylight).

Lärkstaden

Okay, so not all National Romantic architecture in the city tries to intimidate you into cowering, trembling submission. Lärkstaden, for example, is a fabulous, tiny little neighborhood laid out by Olof Hallmann just behind Engelbrektskyrkan, roughly between Odengatan, Valhallavägen, and Danderydsgatan. The charming brick buildings, with their quirky attic spaces and story-book courtyards make this area well worth a lazy afternoon stroll.

Diplomatstaden

If you aren’t easily fazed by omnipresent security cameras and suited bodyguards, I’d also recommend taking a stroll down Nobelgatan in Diplomatstaden, the area across the water from Djurgården that is home to a dozen or more stately ambassadors’ residences. At Nobelgatan 13 you’ll find Villa Bonnier, another National Romantic Ragnar Östberg creation—but this time, his style has been ratcheted down to a pleasing, residential scale.