Sveavägen — Uncover Palme's Assassins

Your investigation begins at Hötorget, a central square in Norrmalm developed in the 1950s during post-war urban reconstruction. This approximately 3-hectare area, bordered by the PUB department store built in 1886, was the scene of massive student protests in May 1968 against the Vietnam War. Here you collect your first information, tracing the thread of political tensions that ran through Stockholm, directly connected to Sergels torg via escalators installed in 1960.

Continue towards Sergels torg, the square inaugurated in 1967, designed by architect Peter Celsing as a modern center of Stockholm. The Kristallvertikal fountain, with its 1966 sculpture by Edvin Öhrström and 24-meter diameter, has been an emblematic site for Swedish political demonstrations since the 1970s. Just 300 meters from Sveavägen and visible from Hötorget, this location allows you to visualize the epicenter of civic movements and debates that animated Sweden during Olof Palme's era.

Sveavägen avenue, laid out in the 1880s during Stockholm's urbanization, is a main thoroughfare of Norrmalm. 2.5 km long, it connects Hötorget to the north of the city. It was here, at the intersection with Tunnelgatan, that Prime Minister Olof Palme was assassinated on February 28, 1986. The investigation, officially closed in 2020 without a definitive resolution, still leaves doubts. You are at the exact scene of the crime, where every detail matters to reconstruct the facts of that fateful night.

Enter Tunnelgatan, the narrow street connecting Sveavägen to Malmskillnadsgatan, the presumed escape route of Palme's assassin in 1986. The steep 90-step stairs, named after the nearby metro tunnels built in the 1950s, were a key site for the ballistic investigation. Just 100 meters from the assassination point on Sveavägen, this alley immerses you in the heart of the manhunt, where investigators searched for the slightest clue after the fatal shot.

Your route also takes you towards the Riksdagen, the Swedish Parliament building, constructed between 1897 and 1905 by Viktor Lund. With its 40,000 m² surface and capacity for 349 deputies, it was here that Olof Palme delivered his last speech on February 28, 1986, just hours before his death. 1 km south of Hötorget via Sveavägen, this site offers a perspective on Palme's political legacy. To understand the man, you will also pass by Norra Latins gymnasium, the high school where he studied from 1941 to 1944. This walk through Stockholm's modern heritage and the emblematic sites of the Olof Palme 1986 assassination in the historic Norrmalm district allows you to piece together this historical puzzle.