Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.
How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire
28 days ago
Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese
29 days ago
My rendition of frog legs, popping mushroom curry, pad prik khing with salted egg yolk, and sweet khanom thuai.
Recreating My Favorite Meal From Thailand
29 days ago
Inside London’s Gorgeously Curated ‘Art Restaurants’
29 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Sweden Stockholm Djurgården Anti-Tank Barrier
AO Edited

Djurgården Anti-Tank Barrier

Not far from the busy city lie these remains of a time when the world was on fire.

Stockholm, Sweden

Added By
Henrik Johansson
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Dragon’s teeth in the terrain near Stockholm university.   hrnick / Atlas Obscura User
Dragon’s teeth in the terrain near Stockholm university.   hrnick / Atlas Obscura User
Dragon’s teeth in the terrain near Stockholm university.   hrnick / Atlas Obscura User
Dragon’s teeth in the terrain near Stockholm university.   hrnick / Atlas Obscura User
Dragon’s teeth in the terrain near Stockholm university.   hrnick / Atlas Obscura User
Dragon’s teeth in the terrain near Stockholm university.   hrnick / Atlas Obscura User
  fredengren / Atlas Obscura User
  fredengren / Atlas Obscura User
  fredengren / Atlas Obscura User
  fredengren / Atlas Obscura User
  fredengren / Atlas Obscura User
  fredengren / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Taking a walk in the green areas of northern Djurgården in Stockholm one might come across big square-pyramidal blocks of fortified concrete covered by moss lying around in the terrain. These are dragon's teeth, a type of fortification first used under the Second World War to impede the movement of tanks and mechanized infantry.

Sweden, which remained neutral during the Second World War, never suffered from any invasion. But plans were made and defense lines built in case of such an event. Just a few kilometers north of Stockholm's city center is a ridge rising 25-30 meters over the surroundings. It would have been vital for the defense of the city to hold this position in case of an invasion.

The anti-tank barriers were put along the ridge to slow down any enemy armory attempting to close in on Stockholm from the north. But by the time the construction of this defensive line started the threat of an invasion was long gone. In fact the allied had already landed on the beaches of Normandy and it was not until the end of 1944 that it was finished.

Most of the bunkers, shelters and artillery positions that were once part of the defensive line across northern Djurgården have been removed. But the dragon's teeth are still spread out through the forest, now standing between tracks for running, mountain biking, or horseback riding.

Related Tags

World War Ii Tanks Military History

Know Before You Go

The pin on the map points to dragon's teeth near the Universitetet metro station.

Community Contributors

Added By

hrnick

Edited By

fredengren

  • fredengren

Published

July 22, 2021

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norra_Djurg%C3%A5rdens_stridsvagnssp%C3%A4rr
  • https://web.archive.org/web/20100821135229/http://www.ninor.se/draktand.pdf
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon%27s_teeth_(fortification)
Djurgården Anti-Tank Barrier
Kronhjortsstigen
Östermalm
Stockholm, 114 18
Sweden
59.359722, 18.064444
Get Directions

Nearby Places

'Moby dick'

Stockholm, Sweden

miles away

Stockholm University Arboretum

Stockholm, Sweden

miles away

AlbaNova Telescope

Stockholm, Sweden

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Stockholm

Stockholm

Sweden

Places 129
Stories 5

Nearby Places

'Moby dick'

Stockholm, Sweden

miles away

Stockholm University Arboretum

Stockholm, Sweden

miles away

AlbaNova Telescope

Stockholm, Sweden

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Stockholm

Stockholm

Sweden

Places 129
Stories 5

Related Places

  • A floating Valentine tank, note the turret in the middle of the canvas

    Dorset, England

    Valentine Tank Wrecks

    The site of a dress rehearsal for D-Day that ended in disaster.

  • The Sherman tank, known as Duguay Trouin, On static display

    Dijon, France

    Le Char Duguay-Trouin

    This tank participated in the liberation of Dijon from Nazi occupation.

  • Carrickfergus Tank

    Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland

    Churchill Tank

    A restored World War II Churchill Mark VII Tank now stands guard in Carrickfergus.

  • North entrance of Seattle Center Armory.

    Seattle, Washington

    Seattle Center Armory

    A community gathering place that once housed half-ton tanks and the World's Fair.

  • Culebra, Puerto Rico

    The Tanks of Flamenco Beach

    Rusting, graffiti-covered tanks litter the beach of this island, once used by the U.S. military for target practice.

  • Entrance to the munitions area of the lower part of the bunker

    Siersthal, France

    Simserhof

    Tour part of the Maginot Line bunker system built to defend France against a German invasion.

  • Former gun position at the Mount Davis Battery.

    Hong Kong

    Mount Davis and Jubilee Batteries

    Abandoned British military fortifications, slowly being reclaimed by nature.

  • Path at Camp Coxcomb.

    Chiriaco Summit, California

    Desert Training Center

    Traces of General Patton’s Mojave Desert training camps for the North Africa campaign.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.