Stockholm in Millennium thrillers’ footsteps
Are you a fan of Stieg Larsson’s fiction trilogy about journalist Mikael Blomkvist and computer hacker Lisbeth Salander? Experience Stockholm from the charcters' perspective – with a little imagination, it will feel like you are part of the suspenseful mystery as the plot unfolds. Guided tours are available, but you are welcome to explore the settings on your own.
Larsson’s trilogy has become a huge success. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been made into feature films. Since then, masses of Stieg Larsson fans have been making their way to Stockholm to see the settings where the stories take place.
There is more than one way to experience the city from a Millennium Trilogy perspective. One is to go on the Stockholm City Museum’s popular and award-winning Stieg Larsson Millennium Tour. The walking tour (not available during the winter months) is spiced with factual information and intriguing stories that tie the real Stockholm with its fictional counterpart.
Another possibility, which costs a little less, is to buy a Millennium Map at the City Museum and visit the addresses on your own. There is more information about the the map below.
Are you in a hurry and have time to visit only a couple of addresses? Here are a few suggestions:
Fiskargatan 9 – It is here at this upscale address with a view over Djurgården and Old Town that Lisbeth Salander buys a 21-room apartment. But she lives in only three of the rooms. The name on the door is “V. Kulla,” in a nod to the children’s book character Pippi Longstocking’s house “Villa Villerkulla.”
Bellmansgatan 1 – Mikael Blomkvist’s home address. The apartment is located on the hills of the historic Söder district – one of the most desirable neighbourhoods in Stockholm. Several key scenes are set here, including the incident in the third book when several people, including ice-cold secret service agent Monica Figuerola, spy on Blomkvist.
The corner of Götgatan and Hökens gata – In the midst of the crowded city street of Götgatan you will find Mikael’s Blomkvist’s workplace, the offices of the fictional Millennium magazine. In the books, it is located above the Greenpeace office.
Mellqvists Kaffebar, Hornsgatan 78 – Mikael Blomkvist’s regular café - and Stieg Larsson’s in real life – is on Södermalm. This is where Stieg Larsson used to hang out when Expo, the magazine he worked for, had its offices on the floor above. Perhaps it was right here that he sat and came up with the plots of the novels?