In Fogelberg’s book ”From the Lost” you can read about old street names that have been ”spruced up” over the years : Dy- or Sumpgränden was replaced with the more metropolitan name Biblioteksgatan, and where Träsket lay and Träskrännilen had run out, Jarlaplan and Birger Jarlsgatan were built. Katthavet (where cats were drowned) became Berzelii Park and where  Eldkvarn  burned, the City Hall is now reflected in the purified water of the former Lortfjärden. In the same way, Fyllbacken on Söder became part of Götgatan and Helvetesgränd in Gamla Stan disappeared in 1885 into Prästgatan.

But how could a street have been named Helvetesgränd, especially since it was a continuation of Prästgatan?

In Almqvist’s  ”The Gentlemen of Ekolsund”  from 1847 there is a creative explanation . In the ninth chapter, ”The Guerrilla War”, it is described how Ensign von Drachenmilch in the Old Town is attacked by a large boar that rushes in between his legs and rushes away with him out the gate, with the whole party in tow.

”Tarteiffel!” screamed von Drachenmilch (who was German), completely convinced that it was the devil himself who was taking him away. But it didn’t help. In spurts it carried the whole of Svenska Prestgatan to Storkyrkobrinken and straight into the narrow and dark alley on the other side. Then von Drachenmilch thought it was going too far, so he shouted at the top of his voice: ”It’s going to hell . ”

It is from this incident that the street here was named Helvetesgränd and is still called that today (i.e. 1847). It would also be inexplicable how otherwise an alley that runs in a straight line with Prästgatan could bear such an inappropriate name.

A more likely explanation is that the name came from the area northwest of Storkyrkan, which was called Helvetet. This was often the name given to the land north of the church, possibly because according to old folk beliefs, the realm of the dead was in the north. Another explanation is that the name refers to a notorious place: The northern (evil) side was considered a less honorable resting place for the dead. The poorest, criminals – or women – were buried there.

The executioner also lived in ”Hell”. The prisoners were kept in his house and one of the executioner’s duties was to keep them under surveillance. The books of thought mention several occasions when the prisoners escaped, and then the executioner could be punished by the pillory.

At least before 1635,  the executioner was usually a person sentenced to death  who was allowed to live in exchange for acting as an executioner, sometimes with the first task of executing his predecessor. He usually had the city’s badge burned into him and/or both ears cut off – as punishment and to prevent him from evading his duties. In 1635, an attempt was made to change the perception of executioners by hiring an honest man – Master Mikael. However, Mikael himself ended up being executed for murder – and eventually had a street named after him. But that is a completely different story.

In addition to free housing, the executioner received clothing and food , and it was the city’s obligation to keep him with an executioner’s sword. He was also paid in cash, and the Stockholm executioner was paid by both the city and the castle, since he also performed work for the king and the government.

The executioner’s income was supplemented by the so-called master’s fee, an execution fee paid by the plaintiff (who might have thought twice before demanding the death penalty if he knew it would cost him money). Overall, the legislation of the time was geared towards monetary punishment, and fines were by far the most common punishment.

Not far from here was also the city’s gallows hill for a time , before it was moved to Pelarbacken (at what is now Björns Trädgård on Södermalm) in the 14th century.

SvD has made a survey of  Stockholm’s execution sites  through the ages. The executions were usually carried out in open places where there was good visibility. Everyone could see how the person who broke the law fared, the executions were carried out in public and the hanged bodies were usually left hanging for a while, as a deterrent. But of course no one wanted the gallows next to their own house.

Stockholm’s first known execution took place in 1280, when some rebels were beheaded in a tower at Norrbro. After that, people were executed for hundreds of years at Brunkeberg (now Brunkebergstorg), among them Erik XIV’s advisor Jöran Persson. An alternative was Pelarbacken, at present-day Götgatsbacken.

But both of these places were outcompeted during the 16th and 17th centuries by Galgberget on Södermalm. That gallows was located on Stigberget, which is now built up. The Navigation School (today Ersta Sköndal University) was established here in 1907.

Stockholm’s last gallows , which was established in the second half of the 17th century and was used as an execution site until the 19th century, was located in Hammarbyhöjden, on a hill south of Kalmgatan, not far from what is now Hammarby Sjöstad. This is where Gustav III’s murderer Jacob Johan Anckarström was executed. The last person to be executed here was the guardsman Per Viktor Göthe, who was beheaded on January 8, 1862, in front of 4-5,000 spectators.

In the 19th century, people had switched from hanging to beheading, which was considered more humane. In 1877, executions were moved to prisons, in 1921 the death penalty was abolished in peacetime and in 1973 in wartime.

You can read more about the gallows hill and the cholera cemetery at  Enskedebilder .