Vaxholm has a long military history, immediately made obvious by the huge fortress that towers over the town, in contrast to the pastel coloured wooden buildings dotted around the harbour.
The town remained a military base until 2006, with artillery batteries and bunkers in place to protect locals against any invading forces.
Now Swedish military vessels are back patrolling the seas around Stockholm's archipelago. Many older residents say they are reminded of the Cold War.
Watch Vaxholm resident Bosse Linden speaking to The Local
“Things like this have happened before but I am not so scared,” says Bosse Linden, 54, a water taxi driver who also served in the Swedish navy for 25 years.
Vaxholm is often described as the capital of Stockholm's archipelago. Photo: Maddy Savage
About an hour by bus or boat from Stockholm city centre, Vaxholm is about 90 kilometres north of the islands in the southern archipelago where Sweden's military was understood to be focusing its search on Tuesday.
But a military spokesperson confirmed to The Local that Sweden's armed forces were monitoring the entire archipelago area which includes Vaxholm "from north to south".
Agnes Jonsson says she is not concerned about a foreign threat in Sweden. Photo: Maddy Savage
On what is a grey drizzly afternoon, Swedish television crews and local newspaper reporters are also visible in Vaxholm as they quiz locals about their fears and dig for tip-offs about military search sites in the region.
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