Rafaels and Stefans pictures

Frida, Benny & Björn arrived in Poland on October 7, 1976. Agnetha and her father Ingvar Fältskog came to Poland one day earlier. The group recorded a TV special promoting their forthcoming album "Arrival", participated in a press conference and went for a walk in the Old Town and the modern parts of the city.

ABBA stayed at the hotel "Forum" (today "Novotel") which was built in 1974 by the Swedish firm "Skanska". The Polish TV team made a video for ABBA's hit "SOS" featuring Agnetha sitting outside the hotel and having the hotel garage in the background. The other three were filmed on the plane on their way to Poland.

ABBA in Warsaw, the Palace of Culture and Science

Lots of pictures were taken outside the Palace of Culture and Science. ABBA themselves enjoyed posing outside this huge building constructed by Sovjet Union in the 1950s. It was a unique chance for the group to have pictures outside a building which symbolized communism in Eastern Europe.

ABBA in Warsaw, the Old Town

Thousands of pictures were taken in the Old Town in Warsaw.

ABBA walking in the Old Town - the map

Photo session A

Outside the Warsaw Castle and St Ann Church

Photo session B

Outside the Cathedral

Photo session C

Old Market

Photo session D

Barbicane

ABBA in Denmark

Copenhagen 1974

The group paid several promotional visits in Copenhagen. Here is some related places in Denmark's capital. On April 24, 1974 ABBA arrived in Copenhagen for the promotion at the Bonaparte disco in Gothersgade. A big photo session was taken in the neighborhood of the disco in the Rosenborg Have park. Here are the photos from April 1974 and March 2004.

The premiere for the very first international tour took place at the Falkonerteatret in Copenhagen on November 17, 1974.

ABBA in Australia 1977

Adelaide - the hotel

ABBA stayed only one day in Adelaide at the hotel "The Parkroyal Motor Inn" at the South Terrace about 10 minute walk from the city center. The hotel has changed its name several times since 1977. Today's new owners decided to call till "208" as its address is South Terrace 208. One short scene in "ABBA The Movie" with Ashley was filmed on the hotel balcony. The scene can be seen shortly before "Why Did It Have To Be Me".


	Ashley was filmed on one of these balconies

ABBA in Australia 77 - Adelaide - the concert

The concert was played at West Lakes Football Stadium, beautifully situated in the suburb West Lakes north-west from the city centre.

from ABBA The Movie

ABBA in Australia 1977, Melbourne

Probably the most famous scene in "ABBA The Movie" - ABBA on the balcony of the Melbourne Town Hall with thousands of fans gathered on the street. New pictures from 2006 (thanks Frank) show the balcony without ABBA with ordinary traffic outside the Town Hall.

ABBA in Australia 1977, Sydney - the press conference

In Sydney ABBA stayed at the hotel "The Sebel Town House" on Elisabeth Bay Road in the part of the city called King's Cross. The famous press conference was held at the hotel on February 28th, 1977. Parts of the press conference were used in "ABBA The Movie". The hotel building that can be seen in the film does not exist anymore. A new house has been built and only the other houses along the street are the same as they can be seen in "ABBA The Movie".


		this big white building replaced the Sebel Town House hotel where ABBA stayed in 1977

ABBA in Australia 1977, Sydney - the Sydney Showgrounds

On March 1-3 ABBA rehearsed before the Australian leg of their World Tour 1977 on the Sydney Showgrounds quite near the city center. On March 3-4 they performed 2 concerts.

ABBA in the UK

The Royal Albert Hall, London 1977

Benny Andersson had a dream when he was a young musician - to perform at The Royal Albert Hall one day. And his dream came true one day in 1977 when ABBA played two concerts on February 14th.

The Belfry Club, London, UK, 1982

ABBA did their last promotional trip to London in at the beginning of November 1982. They promoted their album "The Singles - The First Ten Years". Among promotional activities there was a meeting with press and photographers at the Belfry Club.

Waterloo, London, UK 1974

After the victory on the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton in 1974 ABBA came directly to London for more promotion. Several photo sessions were taken and as their hit was called "Waterloo" it was natural that one of the photo sessions took place at the Waterloo station.

The Dorchester Hotel, London, UK 1982

ABBA members' favorite hotel during their stays in London was "Dorchester" near the Hyde Park and the city center with Oxford Street. They stayed there even during their last promotional visit in London in November 1982.

Brighton - hotel Grand

ABBA and Stikkan stayed at the hotel Grand in Brighton during the Eurovision Song Contest week in Brighton in 1974.

view from the hotel

Brighton - The Dome

The 1974 issue of Eurovision Song Contest was held at the Brighton Dome. ABBA posed for photographers on several spots outside The Dome.

Brighton - the beach photo session

The famous beach photo session the day after the ESC victory. The photos were taken in front of the Holiday Inn hotel, about 100 meters from Grand.

ABBA in Switzerland

Leysin - Switzerland

Probably one of the most well-known TV shows with ABBA's participation was recorded by BBC at the beginning of 1979. The show was called "ABBA in Switzerland" and it promoted the group's forthcoming album "Voulez-Vous". Even if Agnetha and Björn had separated a couple of months earlier ABBA were on their top both musically and visually. Hotel "Central" was the base in Leysin both for the group and other artists participating in the show. We went to Leysin in June 2005 and found the hotel where we took several pictures. Maybe interesting.

ABBA in USA 1979

Los Angeles, October 1976

Many thanks to Stephen Thomas for the pictures and the comments

The wording on the front of the Beverly Hills hotel is now obscured by tree growth. However, by looking at the tree trunks, the fountain statue in the pool, and the concrete wall around the pool, you can see that it's the same spot. Interesting to note that the small sapling hiding behind Benny's right leg in 1976 is today in 2006 grown up to be the tall palm tree trunk you see there in the foreground.

Agnetha alone. Note that a new park bench has been installed across the pool + another low concrete retaining wall and some street lights with blue standards. However, by lining up the trunk of the large palm tree on the right with the base of the fountain in the pool, you can see that everything else falls into place and this is the spot.

They installed new park benches but apparently put them in approximately the same place as the old ones. The picture lines up pretty well with the palm trees in the background.

Los Angeles, May 1978

Famous photo sessions on the Sunset Boulevard in May 1978

ABBA in Germany

Hamburg (West Germany) 1975

On 25 May ABBA were awarded at the restaurant "Die Gurke" in Hamburg for 2 million singles "Honey Honey" sold in West Germany. The bar/restaurant "Die Gurke" is located at Mittelweg 32 in Hamburg and today it is totally reconstructed. Only the little stair where ABBA posed with awards is still there.

France

Ussé castle

Frida and Daniel Balavoine recorded a video clip for the song "Belle" from the musical "Abbacadabra" at the Ussé castle in France. The famous bed where Frida was lying and waiting for her prince in the video is of course there.

Paris

ABBA were in Paris several times under the period of 1974-82. In April 1978 they promoted there their new single "Take A Chance On Me". They gave several interviews and posed for many photo sessions. Two photo sessions below were taken in the famous Champs-Élysées with the house with number 114 in the background which means that they posed in the crossing Champs-Élysées and Avenue George V. The group stayed at the hotel "George V" about 100 meters from the crossing.

Session 1

Session 2

With the house 114 Champs-Élisées in the background.

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