Chapter I: Preface

Many excellent things have been written about the cities of the South, but little, comparatively speaking, about the cities of the North. True, indeed, they have not moulded kingdoms and shaped the culture of a continent, but England, like Scandinavia, is not a country city-built; she was formed by the dwellers on the land. Yet the less prominent part that they have played does not make our cities less noteworthy than those of the South.

Few and peculiarly interesting are the cities of the North. And, with the exception, perhaps, of St. Petersburg, those spoken of in this book have all the charm that comes because they were built by country-loving folk, to whom deep woods and open fields were lovelier than monumental streets and squares.

I shall not have written in vain if the perusal of this small book leads any one to study larger works on the Northlands, and particularly the matchless sagas, many of them so skilfully Englished by the joint labour of an Englishman and an Icelander, William Morris and Eirîkr Magnússon. In them we may read of all these ten towns, save that Copenhagen and St. Petersburg have risen in Saga Lands after the sagas were penned.

After accuracy I have striven hard, but if any reader should detect any error I should be grateful to have it pointed out for correction in a later edition.

I. C. H.

FERNROYD,
FOREST ROW.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. THORSHAVN, CAPITAL OF THE FAROE
ISLANDS 11

II. REYKJAVIK, CAPITAL OF ICELAND 28

III. TRONDHJEM, OLD CAPITAL OF NORWAY 66

IV. CHRISTIANIA, CAPITAL OF NORWAY 93

V. ROSKILDE, OLD CAPITAL OF DENMARK 111

VI. COPENHAGEN, CAPITAL OF DENMARK 127

VII. VISBY, CAPITAL OF GOTHLAND 150

VIII. UPSALA, OLD CAPITAL OF SWEDEN 176

IX. STOCKHOLM, CAPITAL OF SWEDEN 199

X. ST. PETERSBURG, CAPITAL OF RUSSIA 226

INDEX 261

ILLUSTRATIONS

GOL STAVEKIRKE _Title Page_

TRONDHJEM CATHEDRAL (EXTERIOR) _Frontispiece_

PAGE

THORSHAVN 11

REYKJAVIK HARBOUR 28

BOATS AT TRONDHJEM 66

STABBUR AT BYGDÖ, CHRISTIANIA 93

MARKET PLACE AT ROSKILDE 111

CANAL AT COPENHAGEN 127

EAST WELLS AT VISBY 150

CASTLE AND CATHEDRAL, UPSALA 176

HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, STOCKHOLM 199

CATHEDRAL OF ST. ISAAC, ST. PETERSBURG 226

FACE PAGE

THORSHAVN FISHERMEN 22

HOT SPRINGS NEAR REYKJAVIK 60

CORONA OF TRONDHJEM CATHEDRAL (INTERIOR) 86

GAMLA UPSALA, CHURCH AND RUNIC STONE
(PLAN) 99

GREENSTED CHURCH 108

ROSKILDE CATHEDRAL (PLAN) 118

ROSKILDE CATHEDRAL 122

HOJBROPLADS, COPENHAGEN 134

TOWN OF VISBY, WITH DRAWING OF A SADDLE
TOWER (PLAN) 158

INTERIOR OF ST. LARS, VISBY 166

CHURCHES OF VISBY (PLAN) 172

GAMLA UPSALA 180

GENERAL VIEW OF STOCKHOLM 206

TRONDHJEM CATHEDRAL (PLAN) 246

ST. ISAAC'S CATHEDRAL, ST. PETERSBURG (PLAN) 246

CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION, ST. PETERSBURG 254