English, Medeltid, Turism, Uncategorized, Vandringar

Walk along the Old Town’s two long streets, on top of the remains of the younger city walls

Outer city wall

Table of Contents

  • Västerlånggatan was located directly inside the western city wall , which in turn followed the shoreline towards Lake Mälaren. Outside the wall ran a narrow strip of shore where boats could dock. Inside the wall, houses were built that over time began to lean against the wall or even incorporate parts of it into their basements. When the wall lost its military importance in the 16th century, it was gradually demolished, but traces still remain in basements along the street.
  • Österlånggatan serves the same function on the western side. Here, the eastern city wall ran along the shore of Saltsjön. Just as on the western side, the street was built as a long, narrow stretch inside the wall. In the 16th and 17th centuries, as the city grew, the water outside was filled with earth and stone, and docks and sheds were built. Along Österlånggatan, you can still see remnants of the old wall in basement vaults.
  • < Wikipedia > < medieval map >

Travel here

The easiest way to get to Stortorget in Stockholm by public transport is to take the metro to the nearby  Gamla Stan station , which is only about a 4–5 minute walk from Stortorget. Alternatively, you can also take a bus to nearby stops such as  Kornhamnstorg  (1 minute walk),  Gustav Adolfs Torg  (2 minutes) or  Mälartorget  (4 minutes). Many bus lines stop in the area, including lines 2, 3 and 4.

Start. From Slottsbacken, along Österlånggatan and Västerlånggatan

You leave Slottsbacken behind you and enter Österlånggatan – a street that once lay right on the water’s edge. In the past, skippers, wine carriers and merchants walked here, where today’s tourists and flaneurs now stroll.

Click to interactive map

The two l

Österlånggatan No. 3–7

The first houses you pass, nos. 3–7, have facades from the 1760s . If you look closely, you can see how the windows and doors are still in the same position as 250 years ago. Here, citizens who had just moved from the village feel of the city to more grand houses along the new, wider street wandered. < Wikipedia > < map > < streetview >

Österlånggatan No. 14

At number 14 you will come across a house that stands out from the crowd. Isak Gustaf Clason , who would later design the Nordic Museum, among other things, created this house in 1888 in a style that mixes Renaissance and Baroque. Contemporaries thought it was a bit too ostentatious for the medieval street environment – ​​but today it is precisely the contrast that makes it exciting. < Wikipedia > < map > < streetview > < photo >

No. 15 – Five small houses no. 15 / Nygränd

At number 15 you step straight into the history of the Phyton quarter . Below ground level, five cellar vaults from the 17th century hide where the restaurant Fem små hus is located. People have been eating and drinking here since 1694 – for over 300 years. Many of the old vaults have seen both bourgeois banquets and sailors’ rowdy evenings. Right next door, Nygränd leads down towards Skeppsbron. < Wikipedia > < map > < streetview > < photo >

Stop 3. Stora (at 23) & Lilla Hoparegränd (at 35)

Here you turn through an arch into Stora Hoparegränd in the Pollux and Castor quarters . The alley is named after the hopare – coopers – who lived here. At the far end is the Vindragarlagets hus , built in the 1580s. The Vindragarna were a guild of workers who carried wine barrels from the ships up to the city’s wine cellars. The house is special: it has the only preserved staircase gable in the Old Town and a hatch where the barrels were hoisted up. A reminder of the role of wine and shipping in Stockholm. < Wikipedia > < map > < photo >

Pelikansgränd (at no. 39)

At number 39 you will find Pelikansgränd , named after the Pelikan inn that was located here already in the 17th century. It was said that sailors used to drink so much that they could barely find their way back out. The ground here has slowly sunk, which has caused several of the houses to lean – a bit as if they themselves had taken part in the tavern life.< Wikipedia > < map > < streetview > < photo >

Packhusgrände (at Österlånggatan no. 45-47)

The next passage is Packhusgränd , once called Urbansgränden. The name is reminiscent of the warehouses where goods were stored before being sold. When archaeologists dug here, they found remains of an old city wall, piers and piles from the 16th century. Imagine the smell of tar and fish, the sound of shouting dock workers and creaking carts carrying cargo. < Wikipedia > < map > < streetview > < photo > < StockholmsMix >

Österlånggatan No. 45

The house at number 45 was built in 1762 and still has its original facade. The tavern Stjärnan was located here in the 19th century. You can imagine the light from oil lamps flickering in the small windows and the sound of violin playing mixed with the chatter and laughter from inside. < Wikipedia > < map > < streetview > < photo >

Tullgränd (at Österlånggatan no. 51)

At Tullgränd , the city’s control over trade is evident. Here was the customs house designed by architect Erik Palmstedt in the 1780s. All goods that came in had to be taxed, and the customs officers kept a close eye on the ship’s cargo. Imagine the frustration of a merchant whose precious goods got stuck in customs bureaucracy – but also the joy when the cargo could finally be rolled into the city. < Wikipedia > < map > < streetview > < photo >

Prästgatan / Österlånggatan

  • The Black Friars Monastery in Stockholm was located at today’s Prästgatan and Österlånggatan, just inside the old city wall from the 13th century on Stadsholmen in the Old Town. The monastery was founded in 1336 when King Magnus Eriksson donated a plot of land there to the Dominican monks, also known as the Black Friars. < Wikipedia > < streetview > < StockholmsMix >

Österlånggatan No. 51 – The Golden Peace

Just beyond, at no. 51, is a real Stockholm legend: Den Gyldene Freden , opened in 1722. Bellman, Taube and Cornelis have sung here, and the Swedish Academy still has its Thursday dinners here. The interior is almost unchanged since the 18th century – one of the world’s best-preserved tavern interiors. Outside stands the statue of Evert Taube , who liked to sit here and write poetry. < Wikipedia > < map > < streetview > < photo > < StockholmsMix >

Iron Square

Järntorget , where Österlånggatan meets Västerlånggatan. This was once the heart of the city for the hardware trade. The Riksbankshuset , on the square, reminds us that this was the site of the world’s oldest central bank, founded in 1668. To transport banknotes, a covered bridge was once built between the bank’s two buildings – so important was safety considered. Today, the square is a place for outdoor cafes and people watching, but the echo of the old trading noise still lives between the walls of the buildings.

  • Södra Bankohuset (Järntorget 55, Pluto district)
    Built between the mid-17th century and the early 18th century as the Riksbank’s first bank building. Designed in part by Nicodemus Tessin the Elder and Younger and Carl Hårleman. It is probably the oldest building in the Nordic region built specifically for banking operations and has been a listed building since 1935. Banking operations were conducted here until 1906. Above the entrance is a preserved blue-painted stone tablet with a gilded crown and the year 1603, originally from the older Våghuset that was located on the site. < photo > < Wikipedia >
  • The Iron Square Weighhouse
    is named after the iron scales that were located here from the mid-15th century until 1662. The Weighhouse was a stone building with stepped gables and a bell tower that was used for weighing iron bars, an important trade item in Stockholm. The building was demolished in the early 18th century when the Södra Bankohuset was built.
  • Sundbergs Konditori
    At Järntorget, founded in 1785 and considered Stockholm’s oldest confectionary. It is a popular meeting place and has retained much of its historic charm. < Streetview > < photo > < Wikipedia >
  • Instead of the patisserie, you can rest your feet at Karl Johans torg / Slussplan. < photo >

Västerlånggatan – from Järntorget to Mynttorget

Click to interactive map

Västerlånggatan No. 68 – von der Lindeska house

At Järntorget stands the von der Lindeska House , built at the end of the 17th century. It was built for the merchant Erik von der Linde and was considered one of the city’s most magnificent houses. Today, it houses the thematic restaurant Aifur , but over the centuries the house has housed both trade and housing for wealthy citizens. The building was built by Gustaf II Adolf’s factor Erik Larsson von der Linde around 1627–1631, and was the first of the many private palaces of the Great Power era. The house was generally considered the city’s most distinguished private residence and has been owned by, among others, Queen Christina and Gabriel Oxenstierna. < Wikipedia > < map > < photo >

Västerlånggatan No. 52 – Silk House “Pärlan”

A little further down is the Silk House , where the silk merchant Henrik Meurman had the portal decorated with a pearl – a kind of trademark long before logos existed. The facade is decorated with fruit garlands and palmettes, in the great power style of the time. Here, precious fabrics were sold to the city’s noble families. < Wikipedia > < map > < streetview > < photo >

Västerlånggatan No. 45 – Kellaren Rostock

Here was the Rostock tavern , mentioned in Bellman’s ballads. It was a popular gathering place for sailors, craftsmen and bohemians in the 18th century. The inn is said to have been run by the colorful Valentin Sabbath, and you can almost hear the echo of the shouts and Bellman’s epistles between the thick walls. < Wikipedia > < map > < streetview >

Västerlånggatan No. 31 – Myrdal and Palme’s house

This house has connections to political greats: both the Myrdals and Olof Palme have lived here. The facade thus hides traces of Sweden’s modern political history in the middle of the medieval street network. < Wikipedia > < map > < streetview > < photo >

Västerlånggatan No. 29 – Jakob Sauer’s house

During a renovation in the 1940s, a medieval brick wall from the 14th century was exposed , with pointed arches in a herringbone pattern. It is still visible above the shop windows today – one of the oldest preserved walls along Västerlånggatan. < Wikipedia > < map > < photo >

Västerlånggatan No. 28 – Jöran Persson’s house

In the 1560s, the infamous Jöran Persson , King Erik XIV’s advisor, lived here, notorious for his abuse of power and intrigue. Many of the political intrigues that contributed to the king’s downfall probably took place in the house. Two alleys connect here: Sven Vintappares gränd and Didrik Ficks gränd , both named after burghers who lived here in the 16th century. < Wikipedia > < map > < streetview >

Västerlånggatan No. 27 – Palmstedt’s house

The architect Erik Palmstedt , known for the Stock Exchange Building and Adolf Fredrik’s Church, built his own house here around 1800. On the facade is a stone slab with the inscription ”UPLANDz and SUDERMANNALANDz SKILLNAD” – a reminder that the border between the provinces of Uppsala and Södermanland once ran here. < Wikipedia > < map > < streetview > < photo >

Västerlånggatan No. 22 – Hotel Lord Nelson

One of the narrowest houses in the Old Town, today a hotel. The building from 1907 has a glazed facade in Art Nouveau style. Here was once a printing house where Ignatius Meurer printed Sweden’s first newspapers and Charles X Gustav’s Bible in the 17th century. <Wikipedia> < map > < streetview > < photo >

Västerlånggatan No. 18 – Café Gråmunken

The café is housed in medieval cellar vaults, where different levels in the masonry show how the street’s ground level has been raised over the centuries. Here, Stora Gråmunkegränd and Helga Lekamens gränd lead across the blocks, exciting passages with a strong medieval feel. < info > < map > < streetview > < photo >

Västerlånggatan No. 16 – Korpen Pharmacy

The oldest pharmacy in the Old Town, founded in 1674. The sign with a golden raven still hangs over the gate. Inside the pharmacy, the interior from 1924 has been preserved, complete with dark wood panels and glass containers.< Wikipedia > < map > < streetview > < photo >

Västerlånggatan No. 7 – Skandia House

Built in 1888 by Agi Lindegren in the neo-Renaissance style, with a richly decorated sgraffito facade. Today the building is used by the Riksdag, but the building is reminiscent of the turn of the century’s belief in grand and monumental architecture. Where Västerlånggatan opens onto Mynttorget , there is another Skandiahus at no. 1, twinned to no. 7. . < Wikipedia > < map > < streetview > < photo >

/ By Ingemar Lindmark

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