Riddarhuskajen (

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 ...

: "Quay of the House of Knights") is a

quay A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths (mooring location ...

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 ...

. Located north of both the square

Riddarhustorget Riddarhustorget (, "Square of the House of Knights") is a public square in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden, named after its location in front of the House of Knights (''Riddarhuset''). The present square, largely occupied b ...

and the House of Knights, it stretches east from the north-western corner of the island

Stadsholmen Stadsholmen is the historical name of an island in the centre of Stockholm, Sweden. Stadsholmen is connected to the mainland via several bridges. Together with the small islands of Riddarholmen and Helgeandsholmen it forms Gamla stan, the old t ...

to the bridge

Vasabron Vasabron (Swedish: "The Vasa Bridge") is a bridge over Norrström in central Stockholm, Sweden connecting Norrmalm to Gamla stan, the old city. The bridge is, unintelligibly, named after King Gustav Vasa (1496–1560), perhaps because of the vicin ...

and the alley

Riddarhusgränd Riddarhusgränd (Swedish language, Swedish: "House of Knights' Alley") is an alley in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching north from the square Riddarhustorget to the bridge Vasabron, it passes between the Swedish Hou ...

. Just west of the quay passes the motorway

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 ...

, while the quay

Kanslikajen Kanslikajen (Swedish: "Chancellery Quay") is a quay in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden, leading west along the southern shore of the canal Stallkanalen from Stallbron and Mynttorget to Vasabron. The name was first proposed in 1921, ...

forms an eastward extension leading past Kanslihuset to

Stallbron Stallbron (Swedish: "The Stable Bridge") is an arch bridge located in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching some 20 meters over Stallkanalen it connects Riksgatan passing through the Parliament Building on Helgeandsh ...

and

Mynttorget Mynttorget (, "the Coin Square") is a public square in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Setting From the square the bridge Stallbron leads over to the Parliament island Helgeandsholmen; to the west the street Myntgatan ...

. The two wings of the House of Knights were completed in 1870 to the design of A W Edelsvärd (1824–1919), otherwise mostly remembered for his standard design of Swedish railway stations. The gardens of the building as completed are but a pale reminiscence of the original intentions which reflects the decline of power of the

Swedish nobility The Swedish nobility ( sv, Adeln eller Ridderskapet och Adeln) has historically been a legally and/or socially privileged class in Sweden, and part of the so-called ''frälse'' (a derivation from Old Swedish meaning ''free neck''). The archaic term ...

, and still, the present state of things hardly give any indications of the character of the place in the early-19th century — a row of hovels in stone and wood lined up along the present quay hid the heap of rubbish where the statue of

Axel Oxenstierna Axel Gustafsson Oxenstierna af Södermöre (; 1583–1654), Count of Södermöre, was a Swedish statesman. He became a member of the Swedish Privy Council in 1609 and served as Lord High Chancellor of Sweden from 1612 until his death. He was a c ...

is found today, while a harbour surrounded by a wooden paling extended the premises into the water. The current name of the quay was proposed in 1921 and made official in 1925.

References

External links

Stockholmskällan - Historical photos

hitta.se - Location map and virtual walk
Streets in Stockholm Odonyms referring to a building {{Stockholm-road-stub

See also

References

External links