6 June to 23 August

The exhibition will be on display in Storkyrkan from 6 June to 23 August during the church's opening hours, 9am to 6pm. The church's regular entrance fees apply (free admission on National Day, 6 June).

”The camera has taught me to see”

Dag Hammarskjöld was an enthusiastic and ambitious amateur photographer - an artist who understood that a good image carries many stories at once. These photographs come from his private albums and may never have been intended for public view. They show very little of the statesman at the center of world events. Instead, we encounter friends, nature, and quiet moments of rest - the world from which he drew his strength. 

Behind the lens Dag Hammarskjöld was free. These photographs - drawn from his private albums - show a man at play with light and form, seeking beauty rather than bearing witness to conflict. Friends, landscapes, unguarded moments. 

Over 2,000 photographs are preserved at the Swedish National Library. Including Himalayan images published by National Geographic after his 1959 visit to Nepal, yet the full collection has remained largely unavailable to the public, until now. Through them, we hear his own words: "The camera has taught me to see."

Who was Dag Hammarskjöld?

Dag Hammarskjöld was born in 1905 and grew up at Uppsala Castle, where his father Hjalmar served as County Governor. He studied at Uppsala University, graduating in history, linguistics, and literature in 1925, followed by degrees in economics and law and a doctorate in 1934.

His career took him through central roles in Swedish public administration - as Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Finance, Secretary-General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and non-political Cabinet Minister from 1951.

In 1953 he was appointed Secretary-General of the United Nations, a position he held until his death in 1961. That same year he was elected to the Swedish Academy. In 1961 he was posthumously awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Markings

After Dag Hammarskjöld's death, a manuscript was found in his apartment in New York. With it lay a letter to Cabinet Secretary Leif Belfrage, in which Dag describes the collection as the only true portrait of who he was.

The book was published under the title Vägmärken in 1963 and has since become a classic - a deeply personal account of inner reflection and life's fundamental questions. It has been translated into numerous languages, inspired hundreds of thousands of readers around the world, and many of the texts have also been set to music.

The more faithfully you listen to the voices within you the more you will hear what is sounding outside

Estatate Steward & Exhibition Curator

Caroline Hammarskjöld is the great-niece of Dag Hammarskjöld and stewards his personal legacy, including the rights to "Markings" and previously unseen materials such as letters, photographs, and personal objects.

As founder of Hammarskjöld Society, she shares this legacy through exhibitions, publications, lectures, and artistic projects, with a particular focus on young people - with the aim of inspiring present and future generations to work toward a more peaceful world.

Read more: www.hammarskjold.org

Dag Hammarskjöld continues to inspire. Accross time and borders

Senast ändrad 6 juni 2026

Synpunkter eller frågor på sidans innehåll?

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