Stockholm's permanent defence

Today, many of Stockholm's permanent defence installations have been demolished to make way for new development, but numerous fortresses, sconces, bunkers, tank barriers, and artillery emplacements still exist.

Before the founding of Stockholm in 1252, there might have been a simple defence structure, a keep or something similar, on the northeastern part of Stadsholmen, possibly as early as the late 12th century.

[3] Fortification construction in Stockholm has been influenced by the city's unique location between Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea, giving it a strategic key position.

[4] Today, a visible remnant of the western outer city wall exists in the form of the foundation of the Lejon Tower [sv], which can be seen in the breakfast and conference room of Hotel Victory, Lilla Nygatan 5.

"[8] During Gustav I of Sweden's reign, the city's fortifications were well-maintained, and he organized a national defence strategy where the enemy would be met far outside the capital.

During the second half of the 17th century, the council of war and Field Marshal Erik Dahlbergh was the great fortification architect of the era.

Södertälje and the surrounding coastal areas were subsequently burned and ravaged by the Russians, including the destruction of all sconces and Hörningsholm Castle.

But the damage could have been even greater if the Russians had continued into Lake Mälaren, where they could have freely burned and plundered irreplaceable castles and manors and attacked Stockholm "from behind.

"[17] The era of the Great Power ended, and "lack of funds" increasingly became the reason why grand plans for fortification constructions remained on paper.

[14] After the Great Northern War and the Treaty of Nystad in 1721, Sweden found itself in a completely changed military and defence political situation.

[18] In 1786, Gustav III proposed that the Estates (Ständerna) appoint a defencecommittee tasked with examining the possibilities of establishing fortifications in the Stockholm area.

[18] After Finland and Åland were lost following the Finnish War, Stockholm suddenly found itself in a very vulnerable position on the eastern border of the realm.

[19] The immediate reason for the fortification plans was the political unrest in Europe and the Crimean War of 1853–1856, during which French and English warships sailed into the Baltic Sea to combat the Russian fleet.

[20] The cost of the entire project, including defence lines north and south of the city, was estimated at six million riksdaler.

[21] Johanneshov Sconce [sv] was also not completed, and work was already halted in 1861 due to the defence concept being considered outdated and a lack of funds.

[22] During this time, several major and costly infrastructure projects were undertaken in Stockholm, including the construction of the Western and Northern Main Lines, the building of the Sammanbindningsbanan ("Connecting Railway"), and the introduction of modern amenities such as waterworks, gasworks, and power plants.

This included the Palmqvist Foundation for Stockholm's fortification [sv], established by Captain Fredrik Georg Stiernklo-Lillienberg-Palmqvist (1801–1861) and handed over to the city according to his will on 25 June 1850.

[25] The Sausage Line was primarily intended to be manned by infantry from the Landstorm, which consisted of conscripts older than 32 years armed with standard rifles, at most about 40,000 soldiers.

[30] At the beginning of the Second World War, Stockholm was somewhat on the sidelines as a potential target compared to areas like Scania, Norrbotten, or western Sweden.

[31] It may seem surprising that Stockholm's illuminated advertisements were often lit even during the nights of the Second World War, while other major European cities turned off their lights and lowered their blinds to avoid aiding orientation during nighttime bombing raids.

There was indeed a ban on illuminated advertisements and storefront lighting during certain times, but it was not due to fear of air raids but more of a moral reminder to the Swedish people to conserve electrical power.

Many people, however, were critical of this restriction and wanted to "burn at full blast" to make life during wartime a bit more pleasant.

The fortification of Stockholm was initiated, and simple roadblocks were rapidly replaced by long rows of tank obstacles in the form of dragon's teeth.

On the southern side of the city, there was a similar line that stretched from Tantolunden's anti-aircraft position in the west to Finnboda Shipyard [sv] in the east.

According to the "Situation Map of Fortifications on Ladugårdsgärdet at the End of the World War," there were numerous foxholes and gun positions distributed across three areas on Gärdet.

In case of combat, barbed wire could be rolled out, and posts could be erected to hinder the landing of enemy troops and equipment by aircraft or parachutes.

One winter day in 1942, the position shot down a German courier plane en route from Oslo to Finland, which had deviated from the established flight corridor.

The same fate befell the dragon's teeth, large parts of which can still be found in the forests south of Stockholm University and Lake Laduviken.

To protect the population from air attacks, around 14,500 "nuclear-proof" shelters of varying sizes were built in Stockholm County until the 1990s, providing approximately 1.7 million places.

Therefore, in the late 1960s, the navy's ships and personnel were moved to the new, state-of-the-art Muskö Naval Base in the southern Stockholm archipelago.