Munkbron (
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 ...
: "Monk's Bridge") 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 square, geometric square, used for community gathe ...
on the western waterfront of
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
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 ...
. Connected to the square are
Stora Gråmunkegränd
Stora Gråmunkegränd () is an alley in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching west from Västerlånggatan down to Munkbron and Munkbroleden, it is crossed by Stora Nygatan, and forms a parallel street to Storkyrkobrink ...
,
Gåsgränd
Gåsgränd (Swedish: "Goose Alley") is an alley in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Connecting the streets Västerlånggatan, Stora Nygatan, and Lilla Nygatan, it forms a parallel street to Ignatiigränd and Överskärargrä ...
,
Lilla Nygatan
Lilla Nygatan ( sv, Small New Street) is a street in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching from the square Munkbron south to Kornhamnstorg, the street in intercepted by Yxsmedsgränd, Kåkbrinken, Schönfeldts Gränd, Tyska B ...
,
Yxsmedsgränd
Yxsmedsgränd is an alley in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden.
Stretching south from Västerlånggatan to Stora Nygatan, it forms a parallel street to Didrik Ficks Gränd and Kåkbrinken and is crossed by Lilla Nygatan and Mu ...
, and
Munkbrogatan
Munkbrogatan is a street in the western part of Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching south between Munkbron and Mälartorget squares, it forms a parallel street to Munkbroleden and Lilla Nygatan, crossed by Yxsmeds ...
; while the traffic route
Munkbroleden
Munkbroleden (Swedish: "Monk's Bridge Route") is a busy street passing along the western waterfront of Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching north from Slussen to Riddarhustorget, Munkbroleden passes by three squares â ...
separates it from the canal
Riddarholmskanalen. The square is divided into a northern and a southern part by the block ''Aurora'' in which the so-called
Petersen House
The Petersen House is a 19th-century federal style row house located at 516 10th Street NW in Washington, D.C. On April 15, 1865, United States President Abraham Lincoln died there after being shot the previous evening at Ford's Theatre, located ...
is found.
History
In the 15th century, the name 'Munkbron' referred to the bridge passing over to
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 ...
were the
Greyfriars abbey was located. As the latter islet, until the 1630s called ''Gråmunkeholmen'' ("Greyfriar's islet"), received its present name, 'Munkbron' was being used for the quay passing along the western waterfront of the city (see also
Riddarholmsbron
Riddarholmsbron (, "The Knights Islet bridge") is a bridge in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden, leading from the square Riddarhustorget on Stadsholmen to the smaller neighbouring island Riddarholmen
Riddarholmen (, "The Kn ...
). The present square, together with the quay passing along the shore and various present or historical spaces nearby, were known under several different names, including ''Muncke brons Hampnen'' ("Monk's Bridge Harbour", 1646), ''VÃ¥ghusplatsen'' ("Weigh House Square", ?), ''Munkbrotorget'' ("Monk's Bridge Square", 1654) and ''Munkbrohamnsplatsen'' ("Monk's Bridge Harbour Square").
In 1921, when the squares Munkbron and
Mälartorget
Mälartorget ( sv, Square of Mälaren) is a public square in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden, named after its location on the western waterfront of the old town facing Lake Mälaren. Connected to the square are the streets an ...
were called ''Övre/Nedre Munkbrotorget'' ("Upper/Lower Monk's Bridge Square"), it was suggested that the two should be renamed ''Munkbrotorget'' and ''Flugmötet'' ("Flies Meet"), in reference to the latrine heap located on the southern square) respectively. This proposal was however rejected in favour of the present name which was colloquially used.
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
External links
hitta.se - Location map
Squares in Stockholm
{{Stockholm-geo-stub