Long before he was considered the progenitor of the modern Swedish novel, August Strindberg was a struggling artist who paid his café bills with his paintings.
The author of The Red Room, a scathing satire on Stockholm society and the follies of the artist, Strindberg took up residence at Berns where he wrote in a “red room” overlooking the gilded dining room and massive chandeliers of Stockholm’s grandest café. Founded by renowned pastry chef and entrepreneur Robert Berns, Berns served coffee, liquor, ice cream, and pastries while patrons enjoyed the music of Stockholm’s most popular orchestra.
©MRNY
Notable for its iconic clock atop the neo-Renaissance façade, the café and concert hall in central Stockholm has been a fixture on Berzelii Park for more than 150 years with the slogan “Bringing the world to Stockholm since 1863.”
Night owls, as well as bibliophiles, will appreciate Berns Hotel, which is connected to Berns Stora Salongen, the fabled venue that has hosted entertainers such as Edith Piaf, Josephine Baker, Diana Ross and the Supremes, and Rihanna—as well as numerous LGBTQ parties in its Moulin Rouge-like nightclub. A contemporary boutique hotel, Berns offers a wide range of stylish rooms—several of which served as dressing rooms for the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Marlene Dietrich. Hotel guests receive VIP access to several of Stockholm’s best nightclubs.
©MRNY
Rooms at Berns are furnished with contemporary décor in jewel tones—and many feature French balconies with a city view. A generous breakfast buffet is served in the glorious dining room upon which Strindberg feasted in creating his depiction of Stockholm society.
Adjacent to Berzelii Park, Berns Bistro & Bar offers French bistro cuisine served on the patio throughout summer. Inside the historic structure, the 500-seat Asian restaurant Berns Asiatiska honors the room’s history as the home of the first Chinese restaurant in Sweden, which opened in 1940.
©MRNY
For a continuation of Stockholm’s modern art history, consider the Stockholm subway art tour. More than 90 of the city’s 100 subway stations are enhanced by public artworks that include sculptures, mosaics, installations and engravings by over 150 artists—as well as an homage to Strindberg.
For those seeking more of the best of LGBTQ Stockholm, Visit Stockholm hosts a blog called Gay & Lesbian Stockholm.
