Prehistory and origin of Stockholm
According to the Chronicle of Eric, written in the 1320s, Stockholm was founded by Birger Jarl around 1250 as a lock to the Lake Mälaren region ("laas fore then sio", "lock before that lake") in order to prevent pirates from reaching the seven cities and nineteen parishes around it. Another medieval source ("Visbyannalerna"), however, claims the city was founded in 1187 following a pagan pillaged the city of Sigtuna, and as there was an "Earl" named Birger around at that time too, the disputed origin of the city are likely to remain obscure and some historians choose a diplomatic interpretation saying there was some sort of fortification around by the mouth of lake Mälaren when the city was founded during the second half of the 13th century. As Snorri mentions no city in his account but some sort of fortification called a "kastali" (in various manuscripts curiously said to be located east and west of "Stocksund"), it has generally been assumed this fortification eventually developed into the castle Tre Kronor located where still is the Stockholm Palace.
Stockholm
Stockholm Municipality is an administrative unit defined by geographical borders. The semi-official name for the municipality is "City of Stockholm" ("Stockholms stad" in Swedish). As a municipality, the City of Stockholm is subdivided into district councils, which carry responsibility for primary schools, social, leisure and cultural services within their respective areas. The municipality is usually described in terms of its three main parts: Innerstaden (Stockholm City Centre), Söderort (Southern Stockholm) and Västerort (Western Stockholm). The districts of these parts are:The modern centre Norrmalm (concentrated around the town square Sergels torg) is the largest shopping district in Sweden. It is the most central part of Stockholm in business and shopping.