Visit to Iceland and the Scandinavian NorthPfeiffer, Ida
History
Visit to Iceland and the Scandinavian North
Pfeiffer, Ida
Iceland -- Description and travel; Old Norse poetry -- History and criticism; Scandinavia -- Description and travel
On descending from this hill the traveller should not fail to go to
Sodermalm, and to inspect the immense iron-stores, where iron is heaped
up in countless bars. The corn-market of Stockholm is insignificant.
The principal buildings besides those already enumerated are, the bank,
the mint, the guard-house, the palace of the crown-prince, the theatre,
&c. The latter is interesting, partly because Gustavus III. was shot in
it. He fell on the stage, while a grand masquerade was taking place, for
which the theatre had been changed into a ball-room. The king was shot
by a mask, and died in a few hours.
There is not a representation in the theatre every night; and on the one
evening of performance during my visit a festival was to be celebrated in
the hall of antiquities. The esteemed artist Vogelberg, a native of
Sweden, had beautifully sculptured the three heathen gods, Thor, Balder,
and Odin, in colossal size, and brought them over from Rome. The statues
had only been lately placed, and a large company had been invited to meet
in the illuminated saloon, and do honour to the artist. Solemn hymns
were to be sung at the uncovering of the statues, beside other
festivities. I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to this
festival, which was to commence a little past seven. Before that I went
to the theatre, which, I was told, would open at half-past six. I
intended to remain there half an hour, and then drive to the palace,
where my friends would meet me to accompany me to the festival. I went
to the theatre at six, and anxiously waited half an hour for the
commencement of the overture; it was after half-past six, and no signs of
the commencement. I looked again at the bill, and saw, to my annoyance,
that the opera did not begin till seven. But as I would not leave until
I had seen the stage, I spent the time in looking at the theatre itself.
It is tolerably large, and has five tiers of boxes, but is neither
tastefully nor richly decorated. I was most surprised at the exorbitant
price and the variety of seats. I counted twenty-six different kinds; it
seems that every row has a different price, else I don't understand how
they could make such a variety.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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