Stockholm Photo Gallery - Skeppsholmen

Skeppsholmen and Kastellholmen are small islands among many in Stockholm. It's an easy and rewarding seaside walk with views of Gamla Stan, Östermalm, Djurgården, and Södermalm. A large collection of historic boats is parked on the east side.

From the mainland, the only way to reach the islands on foot is to use the Skeppsholmsbron bridge. Skeppsholmen was a naval base during the mid-17th century with many of its old barracks and stores now revitalized into museums and more.

AF Chapman was built in 1888 as a freight vessel, arriving in Sweden in 1915 to be a training ship. The city bought it after World War II and it has been a youth hostel since 1949.

Skeppsholmen Church is just a short walk uphill and dates from the early 19th century.

Hotel Skeppsholmen occupies military buildings built between 1699-1702 to house the marines. Sweden wasn't a wealthy country at the time, so the materials used were recycled from other ruined buildings. As many soldiers were not able to return home from war, they were under-utilized and the city decided to house poor people infected with the plague here, after which the buildings became naval offices, stores, and housing.

A bridge from 1880 brings me to Kastellholmen, home to a medieval-looking castle from the 1840s where cannons would fire welcoming salutes to visiting naval vessels.

After enjoying the wide water views, I returned back to Skeppsholmen to explore its eastern shores, where many historic boats are moored.