Den Gyldene Freden, Stockholm

Den Gyldene Freden is a restaurant whose setting has remained remarkably intact across centuries. It opened here in 1722, and Guinness World Records recognises it as the world’s second-oldest restaurant still operating in unchanged surroundings. That makes this an unusually vivid survivor of Stockholm’s eighteenth-century tavern life.

The name is commonly linked to the Peace of Nystad in 1721, when Sweden retained Finland despite Russia’s gains. Swedish historical material also records that the true origin is uncertain, since the founder inherited the name from an earlier cellar. Locally, the restaurant is simply called Freden.

Its cultural life is just as important as its age. Writers, painters, and songwriters gathered here, and Anders Zorn purchased the restaurant in 1919 when it was close to failure. He renovated it and later gave it to the Swedish Academy, which still owns the building.

Every Thursday, the Academy holds its weekly dinner here, in rooms associated with Bellman and Zorn. Listen for the names woven into Freden’s story: Carl Michael Bellman, Evert Taube, and Cornelis Vreeswijk all helped make the restaurant famous through songs and literary culture. You are looking at a working restaurant, but also a preserved meeting place for Swedish artistic life.