( dpa )- Stockholm City Hall is a well-known landmark and popular attraction in the Swedish capital, but many of its features are unknown - even to Stockholmers .
An almost month-long exhibition of photos and a new book on the City Hall were recently presented as part of efforts to convey some of the building's hidden beauty.
Chinese-born photographer Yanan Li, 34, has since January 2006 documented the building and many of its details, resulting in an exhibition and a new book, The Unknown City Hall of Stockholm.
Yanan Li said he came to Sweden in 1999 in pursuit of two interests. "One was films by (the late Swedish director) Ingmar Bergman, the other was Hasselblad cameras," he said.
In 2004, he began to work as a guide at the Stockholm City Hall and came in contact with Ulf Borjesson , head of visitors information and study visits at the City Hall.
They decided to produce a book on the City Hall, and Yanan Li cooperated with author Anna-Karin Palm.
Inaugurated in 1923, the City Hall attracts almost 400,000 visitors a year including 47,000 Chinese nationals, Borjesson said, while "only 10,000 Swedish nationals visit the building each year."
Mayor Kristina Axen -Olin said the exhibition and book would help show how the City Hall is a "rich and active place," the political hub for the capital's local politics, a place of celebration, including for civil marriage ceremonies.
The City Hall is often used for banquets and receptions, including the annual December 10 Nobel banquet in honour of the winners of the Nobel prizes.
The City Hall, designed by architect Ragnar Ostberg (1866-1945), is also known as a showcase for many famed Swedish artists, including sculptor Carl Eldh as well as skilled craftsman.
Some workers including carpenters and bricklayers were honoured with small marble busts in the Council Corridor, a sign of Ostberg's "respect for craftsmanship," Palm said.
Yanan Li said he immersed himself in numerous books about the City Hall at the city musem before starting to photograph the building with the aim of using "film language" to show its "marvels."
With a keen eye for detail, he has captured the building against the city skyline during various seasons and lighting as well as spotting detals like finely carved table legs, elaborate stonework and guilded ceilings that even regular visitors or workers overlook.
The exhibition, The Unknown Stockholm City Hall, runs until February 10. A Swedish, English and Chinese language version of the book will be on sale at the City Hall gift shop.