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Walk in the Stockholm Old Town where the inner ring wall used to be. From Slottsbacken to Järntorget

18th century , History , Middle Ages , Tourism , Hiking

From Slottsbacken to Järntorget and then via Tyska kyrkan to Stortorget. Route Google map . OpenStreetMap. , How to travel here – with Stockholm’s local transport, subway and bus. https://maps.app.goo.gl/bzQzvpnUzxNxHiwk7

Contents in Swedish

Travel here

The best way to travel by public transport to Slottsbacken is to take the metro to Gamla stan station and then walk a short distance to Slottsbacken. The metro lines that pass through Gamla stan include lines 13, 14, 17, 18 and 19, and the metro runs frequently with departures every 5 minutes. The walk from Gamla stan station to Slottsbacken only takes a few minutes.

Alternatively, you can take the bus, but Slottsbacken sometimes has limited bus service during the summer months, so the metro is usually the most convenient choice. Some bus lines that operate nearby are line 53, which has a stop near Slottsbacken, and other lines with stops at Riddarhustorget or Slussen, from where you can also walk to Slottsbacken.

Summary:

  • Metro to Gamla stan station  (lines 13, 14, 17, 18, 19)
  • Short walk to Slottsbacken (about 2-5 minutes)
  • Bus line 53 has a stop near Slottsbacken but is aware of some restrictions that may apply.
  • Bus and ferry lines are also available to nearby stops (Slussen, Riddarhustorget)

Slottsbacken with castle, church and palace

The Royal Palace , inaugurated in 1754, was designed by Nicodemus Tessin dy based on Italian Baroque ideals. Construction took more than 50 years due to wars and financial problems after the fire of 1697. <streetview>

  • This was formerly the site of Tre Kronor Castle , the center of Sweden’s royal power for over 400 years. < Wikipedia > < photo >
  • The long Slottsbacken was once filled with dignitaries, servants, horses and carriages.

On the south side :

  • Tessin Palace (1694–1700) – built by Tessin himself as a private residence. The facade facing the street is austere, but inside hides a magnificent Baroque garden and illusion-painted courtyard facade. Today the residence of the governor. < Wikipedia > < photo > < photo > < Streetview >

To the west Storkyrkn, the cathedral of the Diocese of Stockholm

<Wikipedia> <photo> <photo> <Steetview>

  • The Gothic vaults and Baroque facade:  The church has impressive Gothic vaults on the inside that create a powerful feeling and a beautiful Baroque facade on the outside with decorative stone carvings and statues from the 18th century.
  • The wooden statue of Saint George and the Dragon:  This is one of the most famous works of art in the church, created in 1489 by Bernt Notke. The statue depicts the legend of Saint George defeating the dragon and also symbolizes Sweden’s victory in the Battle of Brunkeberg. <photo>
  • Royal Benches and Silver Altar:  The royal benches are richly decorated and were used by the royal family during church services. The Silver Altar is a 17th-century Baroque work of art with intricate silver reliefs that narrate biblical scenes.
  • The Weather Sun Painting:  The oldest known color painting of Stockholm, from 1535, depicting an unusual weather phenomenon. The original painting was lost but a copy is in the church. <photo>
  • The Last Judgment:  Sweden’s largest painting hanging in the church, painted just before Stockholm Castle burned down in 1697. The painting was saved by cutting it into strips and has since been put back together. <photo>
  • Modern sculptures and chandeliers:  There is also modern art, such as a sculpture of Maria by Lena Lervik, as well as beautiful chandeliers where visitors have been able to light candles themselves since the 1950s.

Storkyrkan is also the site of many royal ceremonies such as coronations and weddings and is used for concerts and various events. It is located in the Old Town, near the Royal Palace, making it easily accessible to tourists.

Bollhusgränd – from ball games to drama

When we turn into Bollhusgränd , we step into one of the Old Town’s best-preserved historical environments. The alley is located where the medieval eastern city wall once ran. The houses here are narrow and tall, often built on 16th-century foundations but with 18th- and 19th-century facades. <streetview> <Wikipedia> <photo>

  • Bollhuset was located here in the 17th and 18th centuries. Originally it was used for the then modern ball game jeu de paume , but from the 1640s it became Stockholm’s first permanent theatre.
    Here French troupes performed for the court and later also Swedish actors.
    Bollhuset was also a place for political discussions and royal decisions, and there are traces that Gustav III’s interest in theatre was partly formed here. < Wikipedia > < photo >
  • Bollhusgränd 3A – the magnificent baroque gate with the Banér and Fleming coats of arms belonged to the Riksrådet Per Banér and his wife Hebbla Fleming in the 17th century. The coats of arms are carved in sandstone and show the families’ influence. <streetview> < photo > < Wikipedia >
    Inside the house there are cellar vaults from the 16th century.

Saint George and the Dragon. A replica at Köpmantorget

  • The replica of the Grand Cathedral’s wooden sculpture Saint George and the Dragon is in bronze at Köpmantorget in Gamla stan, Stockholm. This replica was inaugurated in 1912, where Bollhusgränd meets Bagggegatan. < Wikipedia > < photo >
  • The sculpture depicts the legend of Saint George defeating the dragon to save a princess, which in this context symbolizes the fight for Sweden’s freedom.
  • The original wooden sculpture was created by Bernt Notke in the 1480s and commissioned by the Swedish regent Sten Sture the Elder as an allegory of his victory over the Danes at the Battle of Brunkeberg in 1471.
  • In the sculpture, Saint Göran represents Sten Sture and Swedish courage, the dragon symbolizes evil, often interpreted as the Danish King Christian I, and the princess symbolizes the saved city of Stockholm and the nation of Sweden.
  • The bronze copy at Köpmantorget is of high quality and reproduces the expression and drama of the original, with Saint George’s merciless fight against the dragon and the princess’s prayerful posture.
  • Köpmantorget, where the statue stands, is a historic site in the Old Town near several other medieval buildings and is a natural part of the historical walk in the area. <streetview>
  • The statue is a popular tourist attraction and symbolizes not only the medieval legend but also the city’s struggle and independence.

Baggensgatan but memories of Stockholm’s first city mouse

The street is first mentioned in 1596 as ”Jakob Baggæs gathe”, named after Admiral Jakob Bagge, who was given a plot of land there by Gustav Vasa as early as 1536. Wikipedia SeWiki

  • Topography : Baggensgatan ran just inside the Eastern City Wall, parallel to Bollhusgränd and Prästgatan – and is almost 10 meters lower than Österlånggatan. In the south it curves down towards the place where the Dominican monastery was located. Wikipedia lottero.se
  • Origin : The street was first mentioned in 1596 as ”Jakob Baggæs gathe”, named after Admiral Jakob Bagge, who was given a plot of land there by Gustav Vasa as early as 1536. Wikipedia SeWiki
  • Heading south, we round the street down to the place where the Dominican monastery was located. Wikipedia lottero.se
  • Cultural reflection : Carl Michael Bellman has depicted the street in a burlesque piece (Song 54), where he describes life and lust along Baggensgatan: ”Turn off the lights! Now Lotta is mine.” Wikipedia

1. Baggensgatan 14 – Opera diva Elisabeth Olin

This was the home of opera singer Elisabeth Olin, who at the age of 33 became the very first prima donna at the inauguration of Gustav III’s opera house in 1773. Her voice was described as ”otherworldly”, and although she retired after ten years, her beauty remained intact until her death at an advanced age. Wikipedia <streetview>

2. Baggensgatan 23 – Ahlström’s maiden’s cage

The building known as the ”Jungfruburen” was purchased in 1762 by Captain Magnus Ahlström, who is said to have set up a kind of temple to Venus with space for ”priestesses” on all three floors. Crime and prostitution were associated with this place, and visitors were sometimes dragged to Långholmen prison. Wikipedia <streetview> <photo>

3. Baggensgatan 25 – Former stables and warehouse

This house served as a stable in the 18th century – the thick shutters protected the horses from the Stockholm winter. During the 19th century, the building was converted into a sailmaking workshop and later an egg warehouse before Restaurant Magnus Ladulås opened in the 1970s. SeWiki Wikipedia < streetview > <Wikipedia> <photo>

4. Baggensgatan 27 – “The Baptist Church”

The house is adorned with the coats of arms of Anders Keith and his wife from the late 16th century. It was used as a chapel and priest’s residence by King Sigismund in his attempt to reintroduce Catholicism in Sweden – an attempt that failed. This led to the nickname ”The Papist Church”. Wikipedia < streetview >

Österlånggatan 41-53

The area is dominated by  medieval facades , often with inscriptions and decorations around the doors, for example from the time when foreign traders lived here. < streetview >

Some houses on parallel streets have visible historical details such as medieval lift bars on the roofs and reliefs on the doors. There are also examples of old inscriptions around number 37, indicating similar motifs on nearby numbers such as 41–53. < info no. 43 >

Warehouse alley

  • Packhusgränd, which opens into Österlånggatan, has connections to the city’s trade and shipping. The area is characterized by an old urban environment with several buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries. < photo >
  • The alley was previously called ”Urbansgränden” after Urban Michelsson, who owned a house there in the 16th century. < streetview > < Wikipedia >
  • The alley was named Packhusgränd in 1733, after a packing house that was built at the end of the 17th century on behalf of the customs office.
  • Archaeological excavations nearby have revealed remains of city walls, piles and bridge structures from the 16th and 17th centuries.

Customs Alley

  • Tullgränd  is a small street (alley) in the Old Town that stretches between Skeppsbron in the east and Österlånggatan in the west. The alley gets its name from the historic Tullhuset, the prototypes of which have existed in the Argus quarter on the north side of Tullgränd since the Middle Ages. < photo > < Wikipedia >
  • HistoryIn documents from the 17th and 18th centuries, the alley is mentioned as Tollhus grenden (1626) and Store Siötullsgränden (1704). The name refers to the maritime toll operations in the area at the time, where goods to and from Stockholm via Skeppsbron were controlled and taxed.
  • On the north side of the alley is the Argus neighborhood with the historic Customs House, designed by Erik Palmstedt in 1783 and completed in 1790. Palmstedt’s building is typical of the Florentine Hungarian Renaissance and has had the customs as a tenant until the 21st century.
  • Tullgränd received its current name in 1885, but several older names survive in historical maps and documents. < streetview > < Wikipedia >

Golden Peace

  • Den Gyldene Freden , at Österlånggatan number 51, is one of the world’s oldest restaurants with an unchanged 18th-century interior since 1722. < Wikipedia >
  • Outside Södra Bankohuset is a statue of Evert Taube, created in 1985 by sculptor Karl Göte Bejemark. The statue is located near Taube’s regular pub, ”Den Gyldene Freden,” which is just a few decimeters from the square. < streetview > < photo >

Iron Square

The name Järntorget originates from the time when the square was used as a storage place for iron, especially iron bars that were exported via Lake Mälaren. Previously, the square was called Korntorget because it was used to store grain. The square has throughout history been a central trading place with proximity to the harbor and important hubs for economic activity in the Old Town. < Wikipedia > < photo >< streetview >

  • 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 >

How to travel – with Greater Stockholm local transport

Metro Gamla stan, bus and Djurgårds ferry . SL map .

  • Subway (T-bahn):
    • Gamla Stan station is only a couple of minutes walk from most places on the route.
    • Metro lines: 13, 14, 17, 18, 19 serve Gamla Stan.
  • Bus:
    • Bus lines 3, 53, 441, 445, 471 serve stops near Gamla Stan.
    • Nearby stops: Mälartorget, Slussen, Riddarhustorget.
  • Ferry:
    • Ferry lines 2, 4, 5, 8, 9 also reach Slussen near Gamla Stan.
  • Ticket and route planning via SL’s official website or app is recommended for current times and prices.

/ By Ingemar Lindmark

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