Kornhamnstorg
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Kornhamnstorg (
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
: "Grain Harbour Square") is a
public square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...
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 central Stockholm, Sweden. Known as ''Kornhaffn'' (1427), ''Jernboen'' (1586), ''Åkaretorget'' (1644), and ''Kornhampns torget'' (1651), it is connected to the streets: Munkbroleden, Lilla Nygatan, Stora Nygatan, Torgdragargränd, Funckens Gränd, Triewaldsgränd. The statue of a man drawing a bow on the square, often misinterpreted as depicting
William Tell William Tell (german: Wilhelm Tell, ; french: Guillaume Tell; it, Guglielmo Tell; rm, Guglielm Tell) is a folk hero of Switzerland. According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albr ...
, was inaugurated in 1916 as an homage to Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson, leader of the
Engelbrekt rebellion The Engelbrekt rebellion (''Engelbrektsupproret'') was an uprising during 1434–1436 led by Swedish miner and nobleman Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson and directed against Eric of Pomerania, the king of the Kalmar Union. The uprising, with its cent ...
(1434–1436) against the German-dominated government of
Eric of Pomerania Eric of Pomerania (1381 or 1382 – 24 September 1459) was the ruler of the Kalmar Union from 1396 until 1439, succeeding his grandaunt, Queen Margaret I. He is known as Eric III as King of Norway (1389–1442), Eric VII as King of Denmark (1 ...
. The statue was carved by the sculptor Christian Eriksson (1859–1935).


Archaeology

An archaeological investigation in 2002 exposed sections of unmoved cultural deposits at +2.4–1.9 metres asl (square pavement slightly below +3) of layers of sand containing fragments of red pottery,
faïence Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip of a lead glaze, was a major ...
, and Chinese porcelain, probably dating from the 18th century.


History

The square is named after the harbour ''Kornhamn'' where corn delivered to the city by ships from the
Lake Mälaren A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...
area was embarked in the Middle Ages, the corn then stored on an open space called ''Korntorget'' ("Grain Square"). At the time, however, the city looked entirely different and the square in question was actually located where today the square known as Järntorget ("Iron Square") is found. The latter was renamed after the iron trade which grew in importance, and which also for a while gave Kornhamnstorg the name ''Jernbroen'' ("Iron Bridge"). The square probably was a product of the city plan created for the western part of the old town in the 1620s, though the space was referred to as ''Åkaretorget'' ("Carter Square") during that century, arguably because of the horse-drawn vehicles stationed there. Both historically and in modern times, the names ''Kornhamn'' and ''Kornhamnstorg'' have been used for the square, the harbour, and the present quay. In the early 1740s, the harbour and its quays were restored together with to canal separating
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 Riddarh ...
from the rest of the old town.


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:Kornhamnstorg Gamla stan jonez flickr.jpg, Kornhamnstorg viewed from Slussen, September 2006. Image:Kornhamnstorg 51 Scharenbergska oriel March 2007.jpg, The oriel on Number 51. Image:Kornhamnstorg 53 March 2007.JPG, Inscription of Tomas Funck on Number 53. Image:Kornhamnstorg Engelbrekt March 2007.JPG, Statue of Engelbrekt.


Notes

# While the Swedish word ''korn'' signifies 'grain' today, its original meaning was similar to that of the English word 'corn', which today translates to ''säd'' (compare 'seed').


References


External links

*
hitta.se - location map and virtual walk
{{coord, 59, 19, 22, N, 18, 04, 17, E, display=title, region:SE_type:landmark Squares in Stockholm