Stockholm Subway Art Tour

For a trip to Stockholm, Sweden, I was looking for things to do and blog posts about the art in the subway (Tunnelbana or T-Bahn) caught my eye.

The Stockholm subway system is said to be the world's longest art exhibit- at 68 miles long. Several stations have elaborate art installations.

There are three lines, Red, Blue, and Green with all of them passing through a central station and spoking out from there. I wanted to see as many stations as possible and was going to take my parents along with me.

Before I  left the USA, I gathered information & plotted a route that took us on three lines. We bought a 24-hour pass (since none of us are the fastest walkers and didn't want to worry about a time constraint) & headed out from the city's central station. Even after more than a dozen stops over more than 5 hours, we didn't see everything.

Here's the route I created, so feel free to use it or parts of it on your next trip to Stockholm. Disclaimer... I didn't write or compile the comentary. I took it from other blogs and posts, so thanks to whomever did that research in the first place.

Everything starts at T-Centralen, the main train station, and heads out to the last stations on the route and then makes stops on the way back to the main station.

Blue line:

• (1) T-Centralen, platform for blue line, murals on ceiling with blue leaf pattern, escalators down to platform, Notable installations include the “Blue Line Platform” with its intricate blue and white patterns designed by Per Olof Ultvedt.
  • T-Centralen, the nexus of Stockholm’s subway system, opened up for traffic in 1957 and was the first station to feature artwork. The blue line-platform, quite literally “the blue platform” is hands down one of the public transport system’s most recognizable places. But it didn’t open until 1975 when the blue line to Hjulsta was completed.
  • Painting a platform on the subway’s blue line almost entirely in, well… blue might seem a little on the nose. Art guide Marie Andersson theorizes that the artist Per Olof Ultvedt not only chose the blue shades based on their aesthetic values but also their relaxing effect.
  • "I think Per Olof Ultvedt wanted to create a calming atmosphere because this is a station where people are in a hurry. They are changing trains to another metro line or another commuter train. I suppose the idea was that the blue color together with the simple motifs – stylized flowers and leaf creepers – gives passengers pause and a chance to clear their mind".

• (2)- Take blue line towards Kungsträdgården: underground art gallery, archeological exhibits and sculptures, blue and white pattern ceiling
  • One of Stockholm’s most stunning stations is unsurprisingly also one of its most photographed: Kungsträdgården. Located in the middle of downtown Stockholm, it’s the terminus of the blue line, or at least until its southward extension opens in 2025.
  • Kungsträdgården is one of Stockholm’s oldest public parks. The name, roughly meaning “The King’s Garden”, is derived from the area’s royal history. Between 1643 and 1825 it was the site of the majestic Makalös Palace, and a beautiful French garden. After Makalös burned down, the site was used for military exercises. Finally, in 1875, the park landed in the care of the Stockholm City Council, which in turn opened it for the public.
  • "Almost everything on the station tells the story of the site above ground", says Marie Andersson, subway art guide. "The color scheme – red, white and green – is a reference to the old French formal garden and statues around the station are actually replicas of Makalös Palace’s exterior art".
  • Another unique feature of Kungsträdgården is its fauna. The station is the only place in Northern Europe where the cave-dwelling Lessertia dentichelis-spider can be found. Presumably, the species hitched a ride on equipment and machines traveling from Southern Europe when the station was being built.
  • "Nobody knows exactly how they ended up here", continues Marie Andersson. "But they seem to be thriving. I saw one just yesterday, as a matter of fact. In 2016 scientists also discovered a previously unknown fungus on the station walls with a unique DNA-structure".

• (3) Take blue line towards T-Centralen (Akalla- because it splits) take to Hallonbergen Station (7 stops)
  • The first tenants of Hallonbergen’s typical Swedish “Millon Program”-apartment blocks moved into the suburb in 1969, but construction continued until the mid-’70s when Hallonbergen also got its own metro station.
  • With Hallonbergen's relatively young age in mind, it’s probably no coincidence that the artists Elis Eriksson and Gösta Wallmark were inspired by their own childhoods when decorating the subway station. Looking at the artwork can best be described as peeking into the vivid imagination of a child, with colorful drawings of fantastical beasts and imaginative contraptions.
  • "Eriksson and Wallmark actually used their childhood drawings and drawings made by their own children", says art guide Marie Andersson. "The station’s name itself [Hallonbergen literally means “Raspberry Mountains”] sounds almost like something plucked from a fairytale".

• (4) Take train towards T-Centralen Näckrosen (one stop). Näckrosen means water lily and the station has many stones in the walls and water lilies on the walls and ceilings. There are also many poems in tiles on the ground.

• (5) Take train towards T-Centralen to Västra Skogen (one stop). This station has one of the longest escalators in Europe and lots of colorful tile mosaics on the platforms.
  • The station’s name means Western Forest and inspired artist Sivert Lindblom to fill the station with mysteries and symbolism. The forest which was once above the station is now gone.
  • The tile borders are on the walls and stairs.
  • The barrier between the two platforms is shaped like the silhouette of a tree and many off the trees together suggest the rebirth of a forest.

• (6) Take train towards T-Centralen, Solna Centrum (two stops) (escalators look like fire on walls) depicts the country’s rural depopulation, and the destruction of the environment, forests, and nature. Many paintings with different stories, so walk around this station. Solna Centrum station features vibrant murals created by artists Anders Åberg and Karl-Olov Björk in 1975. The murals depict scenes representing the four seasons and are renowned for their bold colors and expressive style.
  • The station of Solna Centrum opened with the first arm of the blue line in 1975. The bright green and red landscape - the green being the forest and the red an evening sun setting behind the treetops - is both timeless in its beauty, but also something that few other stations artwork is; political.
  • After completing the walls artists Karl-Olov Björk and Anders Åberg felt they were lacking. So they continued adding various details and scenes to the forest.
  • "Originally the walls were supposed to be only green and red", explains art guide Marie Andersson. "So the rest of the paintings were pretty much improvised. This resulted in pictures that illustrated some of the most debated societal topics in 70’s era Sweden; the environment, deforestation, and the depopulation of rural areas".

• (7) Take train towards T-Centralen, Radhuset (3 stops)- like undergound cave, near escalators at end of platform, look up for things like shoes in ceiling, etc

• (8) Take train towards T-Centralen, (one stop) transfer to GREEN LINE

Green line:

• (9) Take the train in the direction of Hässelby strand or Åkeshov (either one) get off at Thorildsplan (3 stops), The artwork depicts various scenes and symbols related to peace, science, and nature.
  • Thorildsplan is one of only three street-level surface stations in downtown Stockholm. The station was built in 1952, but the pixelated artwork by Lars Arrhenius is a more recent addition. Arrhenius was commissioned to create new art in 2008, the caveat being that it had to be tile work. Otherwise, he had total creative freedom, but considering his background the material was a perfect fit.
  • While planning his work, he drew inspiration from Thorildplan’s surroundings. The street crossings, rondos, elevated sidewalks, elevators, and stairs reminded him of intricate video game levels. Clearly, this also resulted in a work that borrows from 8-bit aesthetics - a source of inspiration that runs through his whole body of work - with pixelated clouds, mushroom power-ups, and projectiles.

• (10) Take train to T-Centralen Odenplan, (2 stops) Citybanan, a new track for Stockholm’s commuter trains that connects T-Centralen directly with Odenplan, was completed in 2017 with new platforms and new art by 14 artists on the stations.
  • Hanging down from the ceiling of Odenplan’s western entrance hallway, “Life Line” is one of Citybanan's most eye-catching pieces. The piece by David Svensson consists of jagged white lines of fluorescent light, shining brightly in the tunnels. Obviously, the 400 meters of LED-lighting serves a practical purpose, but they’re also of a personal nature explains art guide, Marie Andersson:
  • "The shape of the lights was inspired by the heartbeats of the artist’s son, as shown on the CTG-monitor during the childbirth".
  • To get to the LED art, you have to walk through the entire commuter train platform to the other end where the lights are at the escalators.
• (11) Take train to T-Centralen (3 stops), change to RED LINE

Red line:

• (12) From T-Centralen, take the train in the direction of Morby Centrum, Morby Centrum (7 stops), pastel rainbow that changes depending where you look at it,
  • At first glance, Mörby Centrum’s station art might seem unassuming. Except for the colorful tilework embedded in the bedrock, the color scheme is light and almost subdued. But as art guide Marie Andersson explains it, the color is actually an optical illusion.
  • "The walls actually change color depending on where you stand on the platform. From one end the room appears white with a light shade of pink, and from the other white and grayish-green".
  • The effect was achieved by first lighting the wall and painting its shadows from one side, and then from the other. The artists, Gösta Wessel and Karin Ek wanted to emphasize the changing landscape on a journey, not only on the platform itself but more importantly from your starting point to your destination.

• (13) Take the train back in the opposite direction towards T-Centralen and ride 3 stops to Fun exit sign with running people, word search, educational things
  • Universitetet ("the University") is a Metro station in the Frescati area, close to Stockholm University (Stockholms universitet), and the Museum of Natural History. It was opened on 12 January 1975.[1]
  • Since the 1990s, the art on the station consists of tiles featuring Carl von Linné and the UN Declaration of Universal Human Rights. This artwork is by Belgian and Parisian artist Françoise Schein. The station includes 12 large tiles panels all dedicated to the travels of Linné around the Baltic.[2] The artist used the travels as the starting point to develop the theme of nature and the ecological problems we are all living now in the world. The work was created in Lisbon on azulejos tiles, then brought to Stockholm. It represents in its conception and its production a real European work of art.

• (14) Train towards T-Centralen, stop at Teksniska högskolan (one stop), huge light installation from ceiling. This station showcases artwork inspired by technology and science. The platform walls are adorned with colorful mosaic designs created by artist Lennart Mörk in 1973.
  • Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan (KTH Royal Institute of Technology) was founded in 1827 and has since then had famous alumni like Christer Fuglesang, Dolph Lundgren, and Anette Scheibe pass its exams. In 1973 Tekniska Högskolan finally got its own subway station, to help students and professors get to their classes.
  • Unsurprisingly, the award-winning station (with art by Lennart Mörk) is a celebration of scientific advances and discoveries. The most eye-catching are probably the five regular polyhedra located on the platform, each one representing one of Plato’s five elements: fire, water, air, earth, and ether.
  • You’ll also find representations of Copernican heliocentrism, Polhem’s mechanical alphabet, Newton’s three laws of motion, and da Vinci’s attempts at creating a flying machine, explains art guide, Marie Andersson.

• (15) Train towards T-Centralen, stop Stadion (one stop), rainbow station, rainbow signs all over the station in addition to main rainbow, Stadion station is known for its rainbow-colored platform, designed by artist Enno Hallek and unveiled in 1973. The rainbow represents peace and diversity and is a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community.
  • Each year Östermalms IP serves as the main festival area for the Stockholm Pride festival. By coincidence, the nearby subway station (Stadion) happens to have a beautiful rainbow in vivid colors painted against the bright blue of the station's cave walls to welcome festival-goers. The station is one of Stockholm’s first cave stations, a controversial subject when it was built in 1973, explains art guide Marie Andersson.
  • "There were actual fears that people would associate these cave stations with the netherworld and other nasty places. So the bright blue and the rainbow serves as a reminder that there is a sky not far above".
  • The station’s artists, Åke Pallarp and Enno Hallek, not only wanted to bring the sky underground but also remind passengers of Stadion’s significance in sports history. Close by is The Stockholm Olympic Stadium, the site for the 1912 Olympics, and each year between 1913 and 1965 the Swedish bandy finals. Today, Stadion is still one of Stockholm’s great arenas and regularly hosts sports events and concerts.
• (16) take two more stops to Gamla Stan (old town)