Stora Gråmunkegränd () 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 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 ...
. Stretching west from
Västerlånggatan
Västerlånggatan ("the Western Long Street") is a street in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching southward between the squares Mynttorget and Järntorget, it follows the course of the city's now demolished 13th-century def ...
down to
Munkbron
Munkbron (Swedish: "Monk's Bridge") is a public square on the western waterfront of Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Connected to the square are Stora Gråmunkegränd, Gåsgränd, Lilla Nygatan, Yxsmedsgränd, and Munk ...
and
Munkbroleden, it is crossed by
Stora Nygatan
Stora Nygatan is a street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. The troubadour Carl Michael Bellman lived at number 1 in 1785-1787 and at number 20 (still present) in 1787–88.
Description
*Old names: ''nyegatun'' (1636), '' ...
, and forms a parallel street to
Storkyrkobrinken
Storkyrkobrinken (, "Big Church Slope") is a street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden.
Leading from Högvaktsterrassen ("Main Guard Terrace") near the Royal Palace down to Myntgatan ("Coin Street") and Riddarhustorge ...
and
Helga Lekamens Gränd
Helga Lekamens Gränd (Swedish: "Alley of the Holy Body") is an alley in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Connecting Västerlånggatan to Stora Nygatan, it forms a parallel street to Stora Gråmunkegränd and Göran Häls ...
.
History
The alley is named after the defensive tower ''Gråmunketornet'' ("Greyfriar's Tower") located in the city wall which used to pass along the eastern side of today's Västerlånggatan. The tower was named after the
Greyfriars abbey on
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 ...
, which at the time was called ''Gråmunkeholmen'' ("Greyfriar's Islet"). The alley appears in historical records as ''grabroder strate'' ("grey brother's street") in 1420 and ''gramunka grendenne'' ("
hegrey monk's alley") in 1456.
The first element, however, does not appear until 1728 when the alley to the south (
Helga Lekamens Gränd
Helga Lekamens Gränd (Swedish: "Alley of the Holy Body") is an alley in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Connecting Västerlånggatan to Stora Nygatan, it forms a parallel street to Stora Gråmunkegränd and Göran Häls ...
) was referred to as ''Lilla Gråmnukegränd'' ("Smaller Greyfriars Alley"), and the part of the alley west of Lilla Nygatan was named ''Schaleri Gränd'' after the doctor Peter Schallerus Starenflycht who owned the property in the western end. The name has been used for the entire alley since 1885.
At number 5, is a flat with preserved wall paintings and a coffered ceiling from 1580. While sparsely used by the
Stockholm Beauty Council The Stockholm Beauty Council ( sv, Stockholms skönhetsråd), colloquially the Beauty Council (''Skönhetsrådet''), and officially Council for the Protection of the Beauty of Stockholm (''Rådet till skydd för Stockholms skönhet'') is an advisor ...
since the city took it over in 1973, as of 2006 the flat will hopefully be made available to the general public.
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 and virtual walk
Streets in Stockholm
{{Stockholm-road-stub