Stockholm metro art

We mainly used the metro for getting from one place to another. But one cool thing I learned in my trip research is that almost every one of the Stockholm metro stations is painted or decorated with artwork. Each one has a different theme, like nature, math, archeology, etc.

I was really excited to see some of the stations. But since there about 90 stations that have artwork, there was no way to see them all. We did manage to fit in an after-dinner marathon metro ride to see a few! We spent an hour or two riding the metro, jumping off at a stop, checking to see when the next train came, and then doing a speed walk around the platform to check out the art. In some stations, there was art on other platforms or on the concourse, so we missed out on the full experience with this strategy. But we got a quick glance at several stations, all with very different art in them, so it worked for us!

Solna Centrum

This station was one of our favorites. It had a landscape theme, and the scenes were either really peaceful ones, like people fishing in streams, or ones about pollution or deforestation. It was painted in the 1970s, so it reflects the hot topics of the day.

Tekniska högskolan

This is the station for the Royal Institute of Techology, so the station art is themed with science and mathematic symbols. Michelle was especially excited about this one. =)

Stadion

This station basically screamed "rainbow!" It was actually designed to commemorate the 1912 Olympics, but it seemed to be all about rainbows to me.

Gärdet

This station was a bit weird, to be completely honest. It wasn't painted like most of the others we saw. Instead, there were glass cases along the walls that "fantasy beetles" were mounted in. I haven't been able to find any more of an explanation as to what or why with regard to the beetles. But it was unique and some of them were pretty cool.

Rådhuset

Rådhuset might have been the most dramatic of the stations we saw. It was painted an earthy red color, faux columns have been built into the walls, and there were other elements (like sculptured work boots) that are attached to the walls and ceiling. The walls are supposed to depict a fictional archeological find from the history of the Kungsholmen island.

T-Centralen

Central Station was one of the prettiest stations in my opinion - and how often can you say that about a central station?!

Different parts of the station had different art, but we saw blue and white patterned walls, as well as walls that are designed to be an homage to the workers of the city.

Kungsträdgården

The theme of Kungsträdgården is the "King's Garden." This might have been my favorite station of them all.

As fun and easy as riding the metro is, it did get old after a while. So we didn't to get to see as many stations as I would have liked. But that just leaves some unseen for my next time in Stockholm!

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