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Known as the "Stone City", SUNDSVALL is immediately and obviously different. Once home to a rapidly expanding nineteenth-century sawmill industry, the whole city burned down in 1888 and a new centre built completely of stone emerged within ten years. The result is a living document of early-twentieth-century urban architecture, designed by architects who were engaged in rebuilding Stockholm's residential areas at the same time. This was achieved at a price, however: the workers who built 573 residential buildings in four years became the victims of their own success, and were shifted from their old homes in the centre and moved to a poorly serviced suburb. The materials are limestone and brick, the style simple and the size often overwhelming. The Esplanaden , a wide central avenue, cuts the grid in two, itself crossed by Storgatan , the widest street. The area around Stortorget is still the roomy commercial centre that was envisaged. Behind the mock-Baroque exterior of the Sundsvall Museum (Mon-Thurs 10am-7pm, Fri 10am-6pm, Sat & Sun 11am-4pm; June-Aug 20kr, rest of year free), four late-nineteenth-century warehouses have been developed into a cultural complex called Kulturmagasinet (Culture Warehouse), devoted to art exhibits and city history. The Gustav Adolfs Kyrkan (daily 11am-2/4pm) - a soaring red-brick structure whose interior looks like a large Lego set - marks one end of the new town. To get the best perspective on the city's plan, climb to the heights of Gaffelbyn and the Norra Bergets Hantyerks Och Friluttsmuseum (June-Aug Mon-Fri 9am-4pm, Sat & Sun 11am-3pm; Sept-May Mon-Fri 9am-4pm; free; skvadern@telia.com ), an open-air crafts museum down Storgatan and over the main bridge. From the train station the centre is five minutes' walk away, with the tourist office in the main Stortorget (Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-2pm; summer also Sun 10am-2pm; tel 060/61 04 50, info@sundsvallturism.com ). There is also a small summer tourist office in the harbour with free car parking. The bus station is at the bottom of Esplanaden. The hostel (tel 060/61 21 19 from 4 to 6pm; GBP5-10/$8-16) at Norra Berget has recently been renovated at last, but takes about half an hour to walk to from the centre. The tourist office will help book accommodation for a 20kr fee, but does not book private rooms; otherwise Svea Hotel , Radhusgatan 11 (tel 060/61 16 05; GBP20-25/$32-40), has doubles. For eating , Storgatan is lined with restaurants, most offering daily lunch menus, or Spezia , Sjogatan 6, has bargain pizzas for around 45kr.
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