Stockholm Court House

Stockholm Court House, Kungsholmen, Stockholm
Frankie Fouganthin, CC BY-SA 4.0

Westman’s court house on Kungsholmen looks like a mixture of Vadstena Castle and a medieval fortress. It has a tall tower, pale render and steep roofs. Inside there is a wealth of detail in stone and wood.

Stockholm needed a new building for its courts, and Carl Westman won the competition. The building was erected in 1909–1915 on Kungsholmen. At the same time Westman was designing the Röhsska Museum in Gothenburg, and he was one of the leading architects of National Romanticism. He wanted the court house to connect with the architecture of Sweden’s Vasa era, with Vadstena Castle as a clear model.

The building is large, with wings around courtyards and a tall tower marking the main entrance. The façades are rendered in a pale colour and have stone details. The steep roofs and the tower give the building a silhouette reminiscent of a castle. Inside are courtrooms with wooden furnishings. Westman took great care over the craftsmanship, and many details were made by artists and craftsmen.

The court house is still used by the Stockholm District Court. Together with the City Hall it is one of the masterpieces of Stockholm National Romanticism and shows how the style sought models in Swedish history.