Sweden Guide
Stockholm
Kulturhuset
Address: Sergels Torg, at the western end of Hamngatan
Opening time: Mon– Fri 11am–7pm, Sat & Sun 11am–5pm
Website: www.kulturhuset.stockholm.se
The five seething floors of Kulturhuset comprise a cultural centre whose windows look down upon the milling concrete square. Inside are temporary art and craft exhibitions together with workshops open to anyone willing to get their hands dirty. Admission to Kulturhuset is free, but you have to pay to get into specific exhibitions or performances; check the information desk as you come in for details of the programme of poetry readings, concerts and theatre performances. The reading room (läsesalongen) and the adjoining World News Café on the second floor are stuffed with foreign newspapers, books, records and magazines, and you can also watch foreign TV news reports. Check out the StockholmsTerassen café on the top floor for delicious apple pie with custard and views of central Stockholm, an area that saw massive demolition and construction from the 1930s to the 1970s, with all the usual results. From the café terrace you'll get a bird's-eye view of the tall glass column that dominates the square, and the surrounding spewing fountain.