My Field Trip to City Hall, Video Version, Part 2

This is the room where congress meets. The dais is there not because of any sense of grandeur (heaven forbid Swedes raise someone up higher than all the others and perhaps imply that he or she is better than all the others) but because of acoustics... because the room is so high.



The beams. Originally the beams were supposed to be covered, but the architect decided he liked the effect, so he left the concrete beams in, covered them with wood, and had them painted. The motifs in the "sky" are supposed to invoke the Vikings, who held their meetings under overturned boats in the winter. Apparently the Vikings made very quick decisions because nobody wanted to be out in the cold that long, and this was the architect's way of trying to tell the governing body to keep things brisk and efficient here. To one of the sides there is seating for people to watch. What's funny is often the members of the council will bring their children with them for their meetings, because most of the people who meet there have day jobs, and when they meet they want to spend time with their children, so they bring them along. Of course, Swedish children are much better behaved than many other cultures children, so it isn't that big of problem (that wasn't me saying that, that's what the tour guide said, and I have to agree with her. Swedish children ARE really well behaved.

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A glockenspiel, I think is what our tour guide called it. It shows the Swedes beating the Danes. Of course, the tower in the Stockholm City hall is just one meter taller than the Danes one, because Swedes are better than the Danes. *wink*

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The only really old things in the building which are really old. The room was designed for the tapestries, and it's where on Saturdays people can come get married for free, regardless of nationality or gender. The longer ceremony takes three minutes, and you're married by one of the council members. There's a 5 month waiting list.

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More tapestries.

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