Ringen: A sculpture of the four cardinal points

Ringen på Stockholms centralstation is a round opening in the floor leading to the lower connection to the T-centralen subway station. It was inaugurated in 1959 and its railing forms a smith work of art created by the sculptor Stig Blomberg. The pedestrian tunnel connecting T-centralen with tracks 11-19 was built in 1958. This was eventually extended into a smaller waiting hall with shops and dining areas under the main hall, according to designs by Karl-Axel Bladh at Statens Järnvägars arkitektkontor.

Ringen is situated between the pedestrian tunnel and the waiting hall. With a diameter of seven meters, it was designed to create light and eye contact with the lower tunnel. The railing of Ringen is a smith work of art created by sculptor Stig Blomberg and represents the four cardinal points (väderstrecken) with figures representing these. The northern part of the ring features Norrsken and Eskimos, with an Eskimo girl and a seal flanking them among drifting snow. Beside these are leaf-shaped snowshoes.

The southern part of the ring shows a medicine man surrounded by totem poles, a ritual sword dance to the left, and a shield and three dancing women to the right. The western part features an alligator god as depicted in old Colombian folk art, flanked by a settler and an Indian on one side and two water-carrying women on the other. The eastern part shows a bird resting on an Indian temple, surrounded by Indian temple dancers and a demon biting into the railing.

A tiger, as perceived in primitive Chinese art, balances on the railing to the east. The figures are made of cast iron and the railing's handle is made of brass. The work was a gift from Svenska järnvägsmannaförbundet to the 100-year jubilee of Statens Järnvägar, which was celebrated in 1956.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons