The Modern City and World City

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Now we become modern. Join us among department stores, youth clubs and the new trash chutes found in apartment buildings.

The Modern City 1921–1950, floor 2

Stockholm begins to take on the character of a true metropolis, with a business district, tower blocks, neon signs and a vibrant nightlife. You shop in large department stores bringing the promises of modern life and new consumer dreams within reach.

Here we metropolitanize; meet jazz musicians and jitter buggers, department store clerks and norm-breakers. Photo: Mattias Ek.

Your latest jazzy dance crazes shock older generations. Women cut their hair short, almost as short as their skirts, or wear long trousers. OMG. The new masculine ideal is the fashionable dandy, with eye makeup and slender silhouettes.

We meet popular Swedish entertainers like Karl Gerhard, a celebrated singer and songwriter, and Tutta Rolf, a popular actress and singer. Learn about the city's nightlife through the writings of notary public Fritiof Englund and not to forget all the beautiful men.

World City 1950 to present, floor 3

Now you can enjoy years of significant improvements in living standards. This includes suburbs suburbs connected by the Metro as well as the convenience of trash chutes in residential buildings.

If you’re young you hang out at newly built youth clubs and drink Zingo soda. Or perhaps gather on Kungsgatan for coffee.

We move into the suburbs of public housing. We have our lives measured, counted and standardized for best function and social efficiency. Photo: Mattias Ek.

Activists with long hair sit in the trees of Kungsträdgården park. They are protesting against building demolitions and increasing car ownership. In the late 1970s, you dye your hair green in protest against the monotony of life in the concrete suburbs. You start playing in bands called Grisen skriker (“The Squealing Pig”) and Ebba Grön.

We finish our historical tour by looking at works of art from the 17th century onwards that reflect the city’s changing history. You can also see models of the 1950s Klara district, 17th-century Norrmalm and the Katarina Lift at Slussen.

Historical Insight: The Vision of “The People's Home”, 1930s—1960s

To understand Stockholm’s suburbs, you first need to understand the idea of Folkhemmet (The People's Home). This was a distinctive socio-political vision in which the state used social engineering to provide high-quality, affordable housing for everyone.

When you visit the Modern City section of the exhibition, you are seeing more than urban planning. You are witnessing the Swedish welfare state taking shape, designed to provide “light, air and space” for the working class.

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