Pelikansgränd is an
alley
An alley or alleyway is a narrow lane, footpath, path, or passageway, often reserved for pedestrians, which usually runs between, behind, or within buildings in towns and cities. It is also a rear access or service road (back lane), or a path, w ...
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. Gamla Stan includes the surrounding islets ...
, the old town of
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
, connecting
Gaffelgränd
Gaffelgränd is an alley in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden, connecting Skeppsbron to Lilla Hoparegränd and Pelikansgränd, both of which are leading to Österlånggatan. It is a parallel street to Ferkens Gränd, Lilla Hoparegrän ...
to
Österlånggatan
is a street in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching southward from Slottsbacken to Järntorget (Stockholm), Järntorget, it forms a parallel street to Baggensgatan and Skeppsbron. Major sights include the statue of Saint Ge ...
. It forms a parallel street to
Ferkens Gränd,
Lilla Hoparegränd,
Gaffelgränd
Gaffelgränd is an alley in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden, connecting Skeppsbron to Lilla Hoparegränd and Pelikansgränd, both of which are leading to Österlånggatan. It is a parallel street to Ferkens Gränd, Lilla Hoparegrän ...
, and
Johannesgränd.
The alley appears in historical records as ''Lilla S:t Johannes gränd'' in 1664, ''Pilicans Gränden'' around 1700, and ''Pelekans gr''
'änd''in 1733. In the basement of the building still present on 39, Österlånggatan, constructed by a man named Hans Georg Cron who bought the site in 1664, was an inn called ''Pelikan'' ("
Pelican
Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before ...
"), an establishment which gave its name to both the building and the street.
A noteworthy portal of historical interest is found on number 3.
Like most of the structures along the eastern waterfront, the buildings in the alley were built on garbage and landfills, and, as unveiled in connection with excavations in the 1940s and 1950s, 5–6 metres long poles pushed vertically through the layers during the 15th century, are today leaning some 20 degrees towards the water, thus indicating the area have been sliding eastward by some 2–3 metres and sinking by at least 1.5 metres.
The oldest archaeological traces underlying the area are the remains of a landing stage found close to today's Österlånggatan, revealing that it was first settled in the late-13th and early-14th centuries. The oldest historical evidence mentions two stone houses on Österlånggatan flanking an alley leading down to a
bulwark by the water demolished in 1430. The location of the bulwark can still be seen at the border between the properties south of the alley.
An archaeological investigation in 1997–1998, showed the storehouse on number 1 dates from 1700, and the building east of it probably from the same period.
See also
*
List of streets and squares in Gamla stan
References
External links
hitta.se - Location map and virtual walk
Streets in Stockholm
{{Stockholm-road-stub