Bredgränd ( sv, Wide Alley) is an
alley
An alley or alleyway is a narrow lane, path, or passageway, often reserved for pedestrians, which usually runs between, behind, or within buildings in the older parts of towns and cities. It is also a rear access or service road (back lane ...
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 of
Stockholm,
Sweden. Stretching from
Skeppsbron
Skeppsbron (Swedish: "The Ship's Bridge") is both a street and a quay in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, capital of Sweden, stretching from the bridge Strömbron in front of the Royal Palace southward to Slussen.
The quay Skeppsbrokajen ru ...
to
Österlånggatan, it forms a parallel street to
Skeppar Karls Gränd and
Kråkgränd.
Names
Bredgränd appears in historical records as ''östan mur i bredha grandena'' ("east of the wall in the broad alley") in 1476 and as ''Östre Bredgränden'' ("East Broad-Alley") in 1570. The alley was called ''Tunnbindargränden'' from 1612 (''Tunnbindargränd'', "The Barrel Binding Alley") until 1711 when street names were regulated and it was named ''Bredgränd''. It was given the name ''Bredgränd'' because it actually is wider than neighbouring alleys closest to the waterfront while the vault in the western end makes the name slightly hilarious.
It was far from the only historical alley to be called 'wide' however; during 1400–1700, in the old town alone,
Ferkens Gränd was called ''Breda gränden östantill'' ("The Wide Alley on the East");
Funckens Gränd
Funckens Gränd is an alley in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Leading south from the street Västerlånggatan to the square Kornhamnstorg, it forms a parallel street to Torgdragargränd and Triewaldsgränd.
Origin of the ...
''Breda gränden vid Kornhamn'' ("The Wide Alley at
Kornhamn"); and
Skräddargränd ''Breda gränden västantill'' ("The Wide Alley on the West"). On
Södermalm
Södermalm, often shortened to just Söder, is a district and island in central Stockholm.
Overview
The district covers the large island of the same name (formerly called ''Åsön''). Although Södermalm usually is considered an island, wa ...
,
Bellmansgatan was also called 'Bredgränd'.
Archaeology
Archaeological excavations in 1944 unveiled a part of the city wall from the late Middle Ages. This section of the wall was built in stone, two metres at the base, and narrowing off towards the top. Other sections of it were built in brick and occasionally even half-timbered.
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
Helgeandsholmen () is a small island in central Stockholm, Sweden. It ...
Gallery
Image:Bredgränd Marsyas 070405.JPG, Old warehouses on the southern side.
Image:Bredgränd valv B 070405.JPG, Western vault.
References
External links
hitta.se - Location map and virtual walkStockholmskällan - historical photos
Streets in Stockholm
{{Stockholm-road-stub