Birger Jarls torg is a public square on
Riddarholmen
Riddarholmen (, "The Knights' Islet") is a small islet in central Stockholm, Sweden. The island forms part of Gamla Stan, the old town, and houses a number of private palaces dating back to the 17th century. The main landmark is the church Riddarho ...
in
Gamla stan Gamla stan (, "The Old Town"), until 1980 officially Staden mellan broarna ("The Town between the Bridges"), is the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Gamla stan consists primarily of the island Stadsholmen. Officially, but not colloquially, Gamla stan ...
, the old town in
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
.
History
The square used to be called ''Riddarholmstorget'', but was in the mid-19th century renamed ''Birger Jarls torg'' after
Birger Jarl
Birger Jarl, also known as ''Birger Magnusson'' (21 October 1266), was a Swedish statesman, ''jarl'', and a member of the House of Bjelbo, who played a pivotal role in the consolidation of Sweden. Birger also led the Second Swedish Crusade, whi ...
, traditionally attributed as the founder of Stockholm. A statue of him was erected on the square in 1854. It was designed by Swedish sculptor
Bengt Erland Fogelberg
Bengt Erland Fogelberg, also known as Benedict Fogelberg, (8 August 178622 December 1854) was a Swedish sculptor.
Biography
Fogelberg was born in Gothenburg. His father, a copper-founder, encouraging an early exhibited taste for design, sent h ...
(1786–1854).
The square is surrounded by six palaces, today mostly occupied by various governmental authorities. The area is isolated from the rest of the city by the artery traffic route
Centralbron
Centralbron (, "The Central Bridge") is a major bridge in central Stockholm, Sweden, connecting the northern district Norrmalm to the southern Södermalm.
It is 1,200 metres long and consists of two viaducts passing over Söderström ("Southern ...
. (See
Riddarholmen
Riddarholmen (, "The Knights' Islet") is a small islet in central Stockholm, Sweden. The island forms part of Gamla Stan, the old town, and houses a number of private palaces dating back to the 17th century. The main landmark is the church Riddarho ...
.)
Just south of the square is the church
Riddarholm Church
Riddarholmen Church ( sv, Riddarholmskyrkan) is the Church (building), church of the former medieval Greyfriars Monastery, Stockholm, Greyfriars Monastery in Stockholm, Sweden. The church serves as the final resting place of most Monarchs of Sw ...
.
See also
*
List of streets and squares in Gamla stan
This is an alphabetical list of streets, alley, squares, and other structures in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, including the islands Stadsholmen, Helgeandsholmen, Strömsborg, and Riddarholmen.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Streets And Squares In Ga ...
References
Squares in Stockholm
{{Stockholm-geo-stub