Explore the real-world places that appear in Anxious People by Fredrik Backman. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include Modern Apartment Building, Swedbank Branch, Stockholm Police Headquarters, House Tricks Real Estate Office, Kungsträdgården Park and 5 more.
Östermalm District — The hostage scene location
This upscale apartment becomes the central setting where the incompetent bank robber takes hostages during an open house viewing on New Year's Eve. Anna-Lena and Roger are there apartment hunting, Julia and Ro are expecting parents viewing properties, lonely Zara came for the view, and elderly Estelle enjoys the unexpected company. The apartment's balcony and layout become crucial to the story's resolution.
Östermalm has been Stockholm's most prestigious residential district since the late 19th century, known for its wide boulevards and elegant apartment buildings built during Sweden's economic boom.
Östermalm remains one of Stockholm's most expensive neighborhoods, with luxury apartments and high-end shopping along streets like Stureplan and Biblioteksgatan.
Drottninggatan — The failed robbery location
This is where the story begins with the botched bank robbery that sets everything in motion. The nervous robber attempts to hold up this branch but everything goes wrong from the start. Zara, who works as a bank manager, has connections to this world of finance and mortgages that drives much of the characters' anxieties about money and home ownership.
Swedbank, founded in 1820, is one of Sweden's oldest and largest banks. The Drottninggatan area has been Stockholm's main commercial street since medieval times.
Drottninggatan remains Stockholm's primary pedestrian shopping street, lined with banks, shops, and restaurants stretching from the Old Town to the main train station.
Visit: Swedbank Drottninggatan (landmark)
Polhemsgatan — Investigation headquarters
The police officers Jack and Jim coordinate the hostage situation response from here. Their father-son relationship and differing approaches to police work create tension as they try to resolve the situation. The headquarters becomes the command center for understanding what really happened during the hostage crisis.
The Stockholm Police has operated from various locations in the city center since the 1800s. Modern police headquarters were established to centralize law enforcement operations for the greater Stockholm area.
The building continues to serve as a major police facility, coordinating law enforcement across Stockholm's districts and handling major criminal investigations.
Norrmalm — The estate agency
This real estate agency organized the fateful apartment viewing that becomes the hostage situation. The office represents the competitive Stockholm housing market that drives Anna-Lena and Roger's obsessive apartment buying, and the financial pressures that affect all the characters' lives.
Norrmalm has been Stockholm's business district since the major urban renewal projects of the 1960s, when old buildings were demolished to make way for modern commercial developments.
The area remains Stockholm's primary business district, filled with offices, banks, and service companies including numerous real estate agencies serving the city's competitive housing market.
City Center — Reflection and escape
This central Stockholm park serves as a place where characters come to think and process their experiences. The elderly Estelle might feed pigeons here, while other characters use the peaceful setting to reflect on their relationships and life choices that led them to that apartment viewing.
Kungsträdgården, or King's Garden, has been a public space since the 1500s, originally a royal kitchen garden. It became a public park in the 1800s and is famous for its cherry blossoms.
The park hosts concerts, festivals, and seasonal markets, serving as Stockholm's main gathering place for both locals and tourists, especially beautiful during spring cherry blossom season.
Visit: Kungsträdgården (park)
Connecting Old Town to city center
The bridge becomes symbolically important as characters cross between different parts of their lives and the city. The robber's escape route likely involves these connecting points between Stockholm's islands, representing the connections and barriers between people that the hostage situation breaks down.
Stockholm is built on 14 islands, connected by over 50 bridges. This particular bridge area has connected the Old Town to the main city since medieval times.
The bridges remain vital transportation links and popular spots for photography, offering views of Stockholm's waterways and historic architecture.
Visit: Gamla Stan Bridges (landmark)
Centralstationen — Transport hub
The central station represents the comings and goings in the characters' lives. Julia and Ro might have traveled here for their apartment hunting, while other characters use public transport as part of their daily routines that brought them together on New Year's Eve.
Stockholm Central Station opened in 1871 and has been the city's main transportation hub for over 150 years, connecting the city to the rest of Sweden and Europe.
The station serves hundreds of thousands of passengers daily, connecting regional trains, the metro system, and buses, remaining the heart of Stockholm's public transportation network.
Visit: Stockholm Central Station (landmark)
Southern Stockholm — Scenic overlook
Zara, the lonely bank manager, came to the apartment viewing primarily for the view it offered over Stockholm. This elevated perspective over the city reflects the emotional distance she maintains from others, and the broader view she needs to gain on her own life and relationships.
Södermalm, Stockholm's southern island, has provided elevated views over the city for centuries. The area was historically working-class but has become trendy and artistic.
The viewpoints on Södermalm, particularly around areas like Monteliusvagen, offer some of Stockholm's best panoramic views and are popular with both locals and tourists.
Visit: Monteliusvagen Viewpoint (landmark)
Östermalm — Neighborhood gathering spot
A local café near the apartment building where some characters might have grabbed coffee before the viewing, or where neighbors like Estelle regularly socializes. The café represents the community connections that the characters are missing in their isolated lives.
Stockholm's café culture developed in the 19th century, with neighborhood cafés serving as important social centers in residential areas like Östermalm.
The area maintains numerous cafés and restaurants that serve the local community, continuing Stockholm's strong café culture and providing spaces for social interaction.
Visit: Local Östermalm Café (restaurant)
Östermalm — Upscale shopping district
This upscale area represents the affluent lifestyle that Anna-Lena and Roger are trying to buy into through their apartment acquisitions. The square embodies the social pressures and material anxieties that drive several characters' behaviors and the competitive Stockholm housing market.
Stureplan became Stockholm's luxury shopping district in the early 20th century, known for its exclusive shops, restaurants, and nightlife venues.
The area remains Stockholm's most upscale shopping and dining district, featuring designer boutiques, high-end restaurants, and exclusive nightclubs.
Visit: Stureplan (landmark)
More by Fredrik Backman: A Man Called Ove locations map · All Fredrik Backman books