The Stockholm TV-tower situated on Ladugårdsgärdet in the eastern parts of Stockholm. The construction took place between 1963 and 1967, but the superstructure was constructed in just a few months. With its 155 metres and 34 stories, it became the tallest structure in Scandinavia. Today it's the third tallest, with the bridge-pillars of Øresundsbron and Höga Kusten-bron being taller. The tower is made of concrete, which gives it a nice grey color and brings its weight to 10,600 metric tons. The tower's architects were Hans Borgström and Bengt Lindroos. It is owned and maintained by Teracom.
The Name Kaknästornet simply means 'the Kaknäs tower'. The name Kaknäs comes from an old village that was situated on the site that the tower stands on today. The name of that village consists of two parts; kak and näs. Kak comes from kaku which is an old inflection of the word kaka, meaning cake. Apparently, in old Swedish 'kaka' could also mean 'good harvest'. Näs means 'isthmus'. Together, the two words mean something like 'a very fertile place'.
The tower's primary function is to serve as a up- and downlink station for various radio and TV communications. For this the tower is equipped with various aerials and satellite dishes (the 13 metre ones sure put the 'B' in BUD). The tower can make contact with any satellite between 43 degrees west and 68.5 degrees east.
Visitors can take the lift to the observation deck on the 29th floor. (Remember to jump as it accelerates.) LEDs on a schematic of the tower indicate your position as you travel upwards at 18 km/h. From there you can see up to 60 kilometres on a clear day. This makes it an excellent place to start any vacation in Stockholm as one can check out all other places one is going to visit. Make sure you check out are the Chinese embassy below, it's got some really cool architecture. You can also take the stairs up to the terrace on the 30th floor. The terrace is fenced in, but there are a few gates in the fence for photography. A key for these can be borrowed at the entrance. There are also a couple of pay telescopes here. (I think the fee for those is 5 SEK)
The 28th floor houses a medium priced restaurant, Restaurang Kaknästornet, which serves both Swedish and international cousine. The restaurant also has a café. It seats 140 persons.
The entrance holds a tourist information centre and a gallery of (around 50 or so) holographic pictures, some of which are for sale. You can also buy souvenirs there.
How to get there:
Street address: Mörka kroken 28-30
By bus: Take bus 69 (departs from Sergels Torg) towards Blockhusudden. Get off at Kaknästornet.
By car: You don't really need directions for this, just drive towards the tallest building you can see. Seriously, get to the eastern part of Stockholm (Östermalm), find Strandvägen (hint: it's by the water), drive along it to its end (around the American embassy). Here, the street changes name to Dag Hammarskjölds Väg. (You won't even notice.) A bit further along, the street will change name again, this time to Djurgårdsbrunnsvägen. Just continue straight ahead and take a left when you reach Kaknäsvägen. Then, immediately take another left on to Mörka Kroken and you're there!
Admission:
16 years and over: 25 SEK
7-16 years: 15 SEK
6 and younger: free
Admission is also free if you have got a reservation at the restaurant.
Opening hours:
September through April: 10am - 10pm
May through August: 9am - 10pm