Gamla stan (Old Town), until 1980 officially Staden mellan broarna (The Town between the Bridges), is the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Gamla stan consists primarily of the island Stadsholmen. Stadsholmen is the historical name of an island in the centre of Stockholm, Sweden. The surrounding islets Riddarholmen, Helgeandsholmen, and Strömsborg are officially part of, but not colloquially included in, Gamla stan. Palaces While the church dates back to the Middle Ages most of the present structures on Riddarholmen were built during the 17th century when the island was an aristocratic setting Helgeandsholmen is a small Island in central of Stockholm, Sweden. Strömsborg ( Swedish: "Stream's castle" is a small Islet in central Stockholm, Sweden, located north of Stadsholmen, and
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The town dates back to the 13th century, and consists of medieval alleyways, cobbled streets, and archaic architecture. Cobblestones are stones that were frequently used in the pavement of early Streets "Cobblestone" is derived from the very old English word "cob" North German architecture has had a strong influence in the Old Town's construction. Brick Gothic (Backsteingotik is a reduced style of Gothic architecture common in Northern Europe, especially in Northern Germany and the regions around
Stortorget is the name of the scenic large square in the centre of Gamla Stan, which is surrounded by old merchant's houses including the Stockholm Stock Exchange Building. Stortorget ( Swedish: "The Big Square" is a small Public square in Gamla Stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden The Stock Exchange Building ( Swedish: Börshuset) is a Building originally erected for and is still owned by the Swedish Academy, located on The square was the site of the Stockholm Bloodbath, where Swedish noblemen were massacred by the Danish King Christian II in November, 1520. The Stockholm Bloodbath, or the Stockholm Massacre (Swedish Stockholms blodbad, Danish Det stockholmske blodbad) took place as the result of a successful Nobility is a government-privileged title which may be either hereditary (see Hereditary titles) or for a lifetime Christian II (1 July 1481 &ndash 25 January 1559 was a Danish monarch and King of Denmark, Norway (1513 &ndash 1523 and Sweden (1520 &ndash 1521 The following revolt and civil war led to the dissolution of the Kalmar Union and the subsequent election of King Gustav I. The Kalmar Union ( Danish, Norwegian and Swedish: Kalmarunionen) is a historiographical term meaning a series of Personal Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson (Colloquial 15th century Upplandic Gösta Jerksson) and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September
As well as being home to the Stockholm Cathedral, the Nobel Museum, and the Riddarholm church), Gamla stan also boasts Kungliga slottet, Sweden's baroque Royal Palace, built in the 18th century after the previous palace Tre Kronor burned down. Sankt Nikolai kyrka ( Saint Nicolaus Church) most commonly known as Storkyrkan ( The Great Church) is the oldest church in Gamla Stan, the The Nobel Prize (Nobelpriset (Nobelprisen is a Swedish prize established in the 1895 will of Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel; it was first awarded in Peace, Literature The Riddarholmen Church (Riddarholmskyrkan is the Burial church of the Swedish monarchs. The Stockholm Palace ( Swedish: Stockholms slott) is the Official residence and major royal palace of the Swedish monarch. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system Tre Kronor (Three Crowns is a castle located in Stockholm, Sweden The House of Knights is on the north-western corner of Gamla stan. The Swedish House of Lords (Riddarhuset means either the corporation of the Swedish nobility or the palace of the nobility.
On Österlånggatan is the restaurant Den gyldene freden located, in business since 1722 and known as the oldest in the world with an unaltered interior according to the Guinness Book of Records. Österlånggatan (Eastern Long Street is a Street in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Den gyldene freden (English The Golden Peace is a restaurant in the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Year 1722 ( MDCCXXII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U A statue of St. George and the Dragon (sculpted by Bernt Notke) can be found in the Stockholm Cathedral, while Riddarholmskyrkan is the royal burial church. The episode of Saint George and the Dragon appended to the Hagiography of Saint George was Eastern in origin brought back with the Crusaders and retold (born c 1435 in Lassan in Pomerania; died winter 1508/1509 in Lübeck) was the most important German painter and sculptor in Northern Europe Sankt Nikolai kyrka ( Saint Nicolaus Church) most commonly known as Storkyrkan ( The Great Church) is the oldest church in Gamla Stan, the The Riddarholmen Church (Riddarholmskyrkan is the Burial church of the Swedish monarchs. This is a list of Swedish Monarchs, that is the Kings and ruling Queens of Sweden, with Regents and Viceroys of the Kalmar Union Bollhustäppan, a small courtyard at Slottsbacken, just south of the main approach to the Royal Palace, is home to one of the smallest statues in Sweden, a little boy in wrought iron. History In spite of its location in the Medieval part of the city the history of Bollhustäppan is remarkably short as the site was occupied by a building until the 1960s Slottsbacken ( Swedish: "Palace Slope" is a Street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden.
From the mid 19th to the mid 20th century Gamla stan was considered a slum, many of its historical buildings left in disrepair, and just after WW2, several blocks together five alleys were demolished for the enlargement of the Parliament (see Brantingtorget. A slum, as defined by the United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security The Riksdag is the official Swedish term of the Parliament of Sweden and the Parliament of Finland (in Finland alongside Brantingtorget ( Swedish: "Square of Branting" is the Courtyard of the so called Kanslihusannexet ("Annex of the Chancellery" acting From the 1980s, however, it has become a tourist attraction as the charm of its medieval, Renaissance architecture and later additions have been valued by later generations. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel Medieval architecture is a term used to represent various forms of Architecture popular in Medieval Europe. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere
While the archaeology of the 370 properties in Gamla stan remains poorly documented, recent inventories done by volunteers have shown many buildings previously dated to the 17thy and 18th centuries, can be up to 300 years older. [1] There is also a metro station in Gamla Stan with the same name. The Stockholm Metro (Stockholms tunnelbana is the metro system in Stockholm, Sweden.
Until the mid 19th century Gamla stan was simply referred to as själva staden ("the city itself"), which must have made sense since the areas surrounding it was still mostly rural in character and referred to as malmarna ("the ridges"). On maps and in literature from the mid 19th century it started to be called staden mellan broarna ("the city between the bridges") or staden inom broarna ("the city within the bridges"), a name which remained official until 1980, and from 1934 also included the islets Helgeandsholmen and Strömsborg. Helgeandsholmen is a small Island in central of Stockholm, Sweden. Strömsborg ( Swedish: "Stream's castle" is a small Islet in central Stockholm, Sweden, located north of Stadsholmen, and The name Gamla stan probably dates back to the early 20th century, then used colloquially. In 1957 a station of the Stockholm metro was opened here with the name Gamla stan. Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) The Stockholm Metro (Stockholms tunnelbana is the metro system in Stockholm, Sweden. Even though the official name was changed to Gamla stan in 1980, modern Stockholm is occasionally called "The city between the bridges". [2]
Stockholm derives its mythological origin from a dwelling place called Agnefit. The pre-history of Stockholm is the continuous development and series of events that made the mouth of Lake Mälaren strategically important a location which by the As the second element fit means 'moist meadow', this place was supposedly located on the western shore of today's Stadsholmen (arguably the only possible location for a meadow at the time). A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by Grass and other non- Woody plants. Stadsholmen is the historical name of an island in the centre of Stockholm, Sweden. The first element of this name is, explains the historian Snorri Sturluson (1178-1241), derived from King Agne, a presumably mythological king who, in a dim and distant past (around 400 A. Snorri Sturluson (1178 – September 23, 1241) was an Icelandic historian poet and politician Agne, Agni, Hogne or Agni Skjálfarbondi was a mythological king of Sweden, of the House of Yngling. Events By Place Western Roman Empire Italy is first invaded by Alaric (probable date D. according to some historians), encamped here after having successfully raided Finland. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. His intentions were to marry Skjalf, the daughter of the defeated Finnish chieftain. Agne, Agni, Hogne or Agni Skjálfarbondi was a mythological king of Sweden, of the House of Yngling. The young woman, however, tricked him to arrange a celebration including prominent guests which eventually turned into a boozing party, and, while Agne slept sober, Skjalf had him hung in his gold necklace before escaping.
While the reliability of this story remains disputed, dendrochronological examinations of logs found on Helgeandsholmen just north of Stadsholmen in 1978-1980, concluded these trees were cut down during the period 970-1020, most of them from the later part of that period, and these logs presumably gave the entire city its present name, Stock-holm, "Log-Islet". Dendrochronology (from Greek grc δένδρον dendron, "tree" grc χρόνος khronos, "time" and grc -λογία Helgeandsholmen is a small Island in central of Stockholm, Sweden. 970 was a year in the 10th century. Events This is an area code in Northwest Colorado Also see 970 Gang By Place [3]
The original wall-enclosed city only encompassed the central elevated area of the present old town located between the two long streets — Västerlånggatan and Österlånggatan (e. Västerlånggatan (The Western Long Street is a Street in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Österlånggatan (Eastern Long Street is a Street in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. g. "Western/Eastern Long Street") — which passed between the shorelines of the era and the eastern and western city walls. See also List of cities with defensive walls A defensive wall is a Fortification used to defend a city or settlement from potential aggressors The eastern wall passed between two defensive towers; the northern being that of what was to become the castle Three Crowns, destroyed by fire in 1697, and the southern, of which no archaeological traces have been found, is known to have been given to the Blackfriars by King Magnus Eriksson (1316–1377) in 1336 and therefore was arguably located at the location for the monastery, in the southern end of Prästgatan, north of the square Järntorget. Tre Kronor (Three Crowns is a castle located in Stockholm, Sweden The Order of Preachers ( Latin: Ordo Praedicatorum) after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is Magnus Eriksson or Magnus VII of Norway and Magnus IV of Sweden was king of Sweden (spring 1316 &ndash December 1, 1374) Norway, and Prästgatan ( Swedish: "The Priest's Street" is a Street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden, stretching For other meanings see Järntorget. ---- History Prehistory The island is part of the post Glacial boulder ridge The steep precipices forming the outskirts of the original city is still discernible in the pronounced difference of levels in today's urban landscape: The two long streets which ran just outside the city walls — Västerlånggatan and Prästgatan (some 5 metres) — and the streets running parallel to them, just inside the city walls — Österlånggatan and Bollhusgränd-Baggensgatan (up to 10 metres). Prästgatan ( Swedish: "The Priest's Street" is a Street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden, stretching Baggensgatan ( Swedish: "The Street of Bagge" is a Street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. [4][3]
The centre of the medieval city was probably just a fairground south of the town hall and the only church in the village. The market place, originally smaller than the present and enlarged following a fire in the early 15th century, was eventually surrounded by permanent buildings and evolved into the present public square Stortorget ("The Large Square"), still located south of the so called Stock Exchange and the Cathedral. Stortorget ( Swedish: "The Big Square" is a small Public square in Gamla Stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden The Stock Exchange Building ( Swedish: Börshuset) is a Building originally erected for and is still owned by the Swedish Academy, located on Sankt Nikolai kyrka ( Saint Nicolaus Church) most commonly known as Storkyrkan ( The Great Church) is the oldest church in Gamla Stan, the While Stockholm is likely to have expanded quickly, it remains much debated if the expansion was planned in accordance to the model of southern prototypes (e. g. such as Lübeck) and, as historical sources traditionally have rendered it, governed directly by Birger Jarl (1210–1266) and Magnus Ladulås (1240–1290), or, as some historian have argued, a somewhat desultory if not entirely unmethodical process. Lübeck ( is the second largest City in Schleswig-Holstein, in Northern Germany, and one of the major born Birger Magnusson (c 1210 – 21 October 1266) was a Swedish statesman a member of the House of Bjelbo, who played a pivotal role Magnus III Birgersson (1240–1290 usually called Magnus Ladulås (Magnus Barnlock) was king of Sweden from 1275 until his death in 1290 Nervertheless, the medieval thoroughfares led from the large square in all four cardinal directions: Köpmangatan ("Merchant's Street") led east down to a second square by the water, Fisketorget ("Fishery Square"). Köpmangatan ( Swedish: "The Merchant's Street" is a Street in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Fisketorget ( Swedish: "Fishery Square" or Fiskaretorget ("Fishermen's Square" is a historical Public square in Gamla stan Svartmangatan ("Black Man's Street", named after the Blackfriars monastery) and Skomakargatan ("Shoemaker's Street") led south to the financial centre of the city. Svartmangatan ( Swedish: (literally "Black Man Street" is a Street in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. The Order of Preachers ( Latin: Ordo Praedicatorum) after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is Skomakargatan ( Swedish: "The Shoemaker Street" is a Street in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden, Stretching Located where is today Järntorget ("The Iron Square"), this marketplace was at the time not much more than two landing stages separated by an open space on the southern corner of the island. For other meanings see Järntorget. ---- History Prehistory The island is part of the post Glacial boulder ridge On either side of this marketplace, considerably larger than the present square, was on its eastern side Koggabron (named after, cogs, a type of medieval merchant vessel) and today superseded by Skeppsbron, and on its western side was Kornhamn ("Corn Bridge") receiving the ships from Lake Mälaren, located near today's Kornhamnstorg. Cogs (or cog-built vessels are ships that first appeared in the 10th century, and were widely used from around the 12th century on Skeppsbron ( Swedish: "The Ship's Bridge" is as street and a quay in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden, stretching from Lake Mälaren ( (historically occasionally referred to as Lake Malar in English is the third-largest Lake in Sweden, after Lakes Vänern and Archaeology An archaeological investigation in 2002 exposed sections of unmoved cultural deposits at +24&ndash19 metres asl (square pavement slightly below +3 of layers Trångsund ("Narrow Strait"), at the time much narrower than today, was leading north past the cathedral. Trångsund is a part of Huddinge to the south of Stockholm located between the two Lakes Magelungen and Drevviken. [4] [5]
As the city gates were patently the weakest point in all medieval fortifications, the fewer the better was the obvious rule. A city gate is a Gate which is or was set within a City wall. In medieval Stockholm, presumably three or four narrow gates opened the wall: Through the eastern wall a single gate allowed Köpmangatan to pass down to the shore, while the others, all leading to Västerlånggatan, were located where today are Storkyrkobrinken ("Slope of the Great Church"), Kåkbrinken ("Slope of the [Ramshackle] House"), and Tyska Brinken ("German Slope"). Storkyrkobrinken ( Swedish: "Big Church Slope" is a Street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Kåkbrinken ( Swedish: "The House Slope" is a Street in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Tyska Brinken (The German Slope is a Street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Surrounding the Royal Palace was an open area called Sanden ("The Sand"), intentionally kept free for defensive reasons and including the present location of Slottsbacken ("Palace Slope"), south of the palace, and Högvaktsterrassen ("Terrace of the Main Guard"), west of it. The Stockholm Palace ( Swedish: Stockholms slott) is the Official residence and major royal palace of the Swedish monarch. Slottsbacken ( Swedish: "Palace Slope" is a Street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Högvaktsterrassen (Main Guard Terrace is a Street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden passing west of Yttre Borgården Within the city, the artery roads were stipulated to be eight ell wide (aln, e. An ell (from Proto-Indo-European *el- "elbow forearm" is a unit of measurement approximating the distance from the elbow to the wrist g. barely five metres) to allow horse-drawn vehicles to pass, while no rules restricted the width of cross-streets. As the city started to get overcrowded in the 14th century, new buildings were built on the shores outside the city wall, and gradually land fillings between the bridges along the shores gave room for sheds and storehouses forming the elongated blocks separated by narrow alleys which are today characteristic for the old town. Within the old city centre, larger blocks were partitioned into smaller ones, which resulted in several narrow streets such as Trädgårdsgatan ("Garden Street") and Kindstugatan ("Box on the Ear Street", historical, corrupted). Trädgårdsgatan ( Swedish: "Garden Street" is a small street in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Kindstugatan (The Box on the Ear Street corrupted is a street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. [4] [6]
In average, the medieval streets are found some three metres below the present streets. Archaeological excavations have shown the oldest streets were covered with wood, the oldest being the three layers of wooden pavings found under the northern end of Västerlånggatan from around 1250-1300. Västerlånggatan (The Western Long Street is a Street in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. During the later part of the 14th century, the streets started to get paved in stone, and as the archaeological deposits above them are composed of thin layers of filth containing few findings, street cleansing was apparently improved during this era. Waste and garbage was often simply poured out into the alleys, occasionally through apertures used exclusively for the purpose. Though a few assumed medieval subterranean wooden tubes and vaulted underground chambers have been found, relatively few traces remain in Stockholm of the sort of sophisticated system of sewers found in for example Visby and Bergen, so most likely the sloping alleys simply had to do the job. Visby is the only city on the Swedish Island of Gotland; it is arguably the best-preserved Medieval city in Scandinavia is the second largest city in Norway. It is located on the south-western coast of Norway in the county of Hordaland in between a group of mountains known as De syv fjell Many public notices were in vain devoted to restrain the habit of littering the surrounding waters and restricting the number of animals kept within the city walls, and not until the end of the Middle Ages were gutters ordered to be cleaned twice a week and the placement of bogs forbidden next to neighbours and thoroughfares. Latrines were gathered on central locations known as flugmöten ("fly meetings") where the number of insects darkened the sky well into the 19th century. [4]
The present alleys only give a vague glimpse of the appearance of the medieval city where the gables of the building were facing the streets and contained window bays for offering goods of sale; where filth, the bumpy paving and hand-drawn vehicles made walking circumstantial; and where odours and scents from dung, food, fishes, leather, furnaces, and seasonal spices mingled. During nights (and certainly during the long winters) the city was completely dark, save for exceptional fire watchers and nocturnal ramblers who used torches to find their bearing. Neither were there any street signs guiding foreigners as no streets were officially named, instead referred to as "the thoroughfare running from the outer southern gate and up to the cross and the chapel" or constantly renamed after the most prominent person settled in an exposed part of the alley. Indeed, historical records contain many examples of obscure references to locations in the city, close to impossible to pin down as some streets have been renamed dozens of times, often carrying the same or a similar name as other streets before physically ceasing to exist. [4]
In Swedish history, the first half of the 17th century was a period of awakening which preceded the so called Swedish Empire. Modern Sweden emerged out of the Kalmar Union formed in 1397 and by the unification of the country by King Gustav Vasa in the 16th century Sweden was between 1611 and 1718 one of the Great powers of Europe Following the death of Gustavus II Adolphus (1594–1632) the nation was determined never having to repeat the embarrassment experienced when the Stockholm, still medieval in character, caused hesitation on whether to invite foreign statesmen for fear the lamentable appearance might undermine the nation's authority. For the other Swedish kings known as Gustavus Adolphus see Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden or Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden [7]
A map of Stadsholmen dated 1626 presents a proposal for two streets roughly equivalent to the southern stretches of today's Tyska Brinken and Stora Nygatan. Tyska Brinken (The German Slope is a Street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Stora Nygatan ( Swedish: "The Big New Street" is a Street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Within short, however, it was realized the proposal would produce the northern end of the boulevard-like street would be pointing at a non-notable medieval façade, and it what thus decided the street had to be lengthened all the way to the northern shore of the island — a project that would take decades to complete. Boulevard ( French, from Bolwerk &ndash bolwark meaning bastion has several generally accepted meanings The two straight streets Stora Nygatan and Lilla Nygatan ("Large/Small New Street") — both children of this second regulation — took a time long to realize and were not completed until the funeral of King Charles X in 1660. Stora Nygatan ( Swedish: "The Big New Street" is a Street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Lilla Nygatan (Small New Street is a Street in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Charles X Gustav (Karl X Gustav (8 November 1622 – 13 February 1660 was King of Sweden from 1654 until his death Within soon this ambitious project lead to a more representative framework. The informal northern end of Stora Nygatan was thus connected to the newly created square Mynttorget by Myntgatan, and the slope Storkyrkobrinken was widened. Mynttorget (Coin Square is a Public square in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. History While the square Mynttorget was named for its proximity to the Royal Mint and is present on a map dated 1733 the name of the street Myntgatan Storkyrkobrinken ( Swedish: "Big Church Slope" is a Street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. [7]
On the eastern side of the island, the obsolete medieval wall was gradually demolished, and before the end of the century completely replaced by a row of private palaces, the so called Skeppsbroraden, the "Row of Skeppsbron". Skeppsbron ( Swedish: "The Ship's Bridge" is as street and a quay in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden, stretching from To what extent these two projects were planned and initiated by the King Gustavus II Adolphus himself remains undocumented, but undoubtedly he must have played an important roll. For the other Swedish kings known as Gustavus Adolphus see Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden or Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden These projects were, nevertheless, accompanied by similar ambitions for Riddarholmen, where eventually several new palaces would be built, and for the ridges surrounding the city, where Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna had the medieval slum replaced by a more representative Baroque city. Palaces While the church dates back to the Middle Ages most of the present structures on Riddarholmen were built during the 17th century when the island was an aristocratic setting ( June 16, 1583 &ndash August 28, 1654) Count of Södermöre was a Swedish statesman Baroque architecture, starting in the early 17th century in Italy, took the humanist Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical [7]