Yesterday the City of Stockholm and the Stockholm County Council had the pleasure of my company at a reception with buffet at Stadshuset (City Hall). (this picture was attached to the invitation, so I suppose I have all the rights to post it on my commercial blog ) I suppose, that they organized this event in order to bring together all the international students and guest researchers and not because of future elections of the local mayor . Anyway it was a great honour to be invited by mayor in the same hall, where the Nobel Prize Banquet takes place. In my travel guide is stated that Stadshuset (City Hall) is one of the best examples of modern architecture in Europe. The picture above shows how beautiful the building is and how it fits into the rest of the architecture in Stockholm. What makes Stadshuset extraordinary, however, is the interior. There are two courtyards, one uncovered, called the Blue Hall, which is actually Brown and one covered, called the Golden Hall. The Blue Hall of the Stockholm City Hall was supposed to be painted blue, but the architect changed his mind when he saw the beautiful red brick walls. Although he decided to not cover the brick with blue plaster, he kept the name Blue Hall since it was found on all the plans of the building. The Blue Hall is the City Hall’s largest room, and the Nobel Prize Banquet takes place here on December 10 every year. On this occasion, around 1,300 guests enjoy the Nobel Dinner, listen to the toasts and speeches and witness the evening’s entertainment. The Blue Room also has one of Northern Europe’s largest organs with over 10,000 pipes and 138 stops. Then there is the incredible Golden Hall: a huge room with walls entirely covered with handmade mosaics (18 million pieces). Formed from gold foil pressed between two layers of glass, the Golden Hall is truly golden, and the warm glow makes the room intimate despite the vast size. The mosaic figures on the walls represent important events in Sweden and the world. to be continued…