A gleaming beacon: Edvin Öhrström's crystal spire in Stockholm, shining tall

Edvin Öhrström’s 37.5-meter-tall glass spire gracefully adorns Stockholm's Sergels torg. Constructed in 1974, the sculpture remained unlit for nearly two decades before being illuminated in 1993. Over almost three years, three craftsmen intricately fashioned the 60,000 glass prisms that make up the spire, with the last passing away in the summer of 2022.

The original intention was for the sculpture to be lit from within, but an external lighting system was ultimately installed in 1993. A modern LED-based lighting system was put in place during the 2015-2017 renovation, enabling the light’s hue to be adjusted. The city council approved the renovation of the glass spire on 13 April 2015, and the project was completed between 2015 and 2017, culminating in the sculpture’s rededication on 19 October 2017.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons