Slussen

Slussen ("the lock" in Swedish) is an area of central Stockholm, named after the locks between Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea, in Sweden. The locks themselves allow passage between these two bodies of water (of different levels).

Slussen is also the name of a Stockholm Metro station, named after the nearby locks and added infrastructural network - serving the red and green lines of the Stockholm Metro. There is a bus terminal and a train station from where several local bus lines and Saltsjöbanan depart for the eastern parts of Stockholm and its surroundings.

Slussen has long been held up as an example of ingenious traffic and urban planning as it combines major intersections of the road, bus and underground networks in a relatively small space and even manages to include train and boat connections. Conversely, it has also attracted mounting criticism of the extensive use of concrete in its construction and increasingly dilapidated state. In 2005 major parts of Slussen had to be closed to traffic as it was considered to be too dangerous for heavy vehicles.

In recent years, plans for a major redevelopment of Slussen were proposed as many of the original design features were either redundant or unusable due to the physical deterioration of the structure. A vigorous discussion in the media made it apparent that Slussen was widely considered to be an embarrassment by most residents of StockholmFact|date=July 2007, making it increasingly likely that the existing structure will be completely replaced.

ee also

*Karl Johanslussen
*Gamla stan
*Södermalm