Överskärargränd 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 in central
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 ...
. Stretching 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 defen ...
to
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), ' ...
passing on the south side of
GÃ¥storget, it forms a parallel street to
Gåsgränd
Gåsgränd ( Swedish: "Goose Alley") is an alley in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Connecting the streets Västerlånggatan, Stora Nygatan
Stora Nygatan is a street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Swede ...
and
Sven Vintappares Gränd.
History
The alley was named ''Erik Ingemundssons gränd'' ("Alley of Erik Ingemundsson") in 1619, in reference to the mayor (1581–1622) who owned a property in the alley. While the present name appears in historical records as ''Öfwerskiärare gränden'' in 1684, and a certain ''Absalon överskärare'' is mentioned in 1643 as having bought a property near that of the mayor, it remains uncertain which of the masters of the trade gave his name to the alley. Notwithstanding, an ''överskärare'' was an occupation which could be translated to "wool cloth finisher", a man who would go over
carded wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...
with a pair of scissors to remove upstanding hairs in order to make the cloth perfectly smooth, masters of the trade being merchants with their own workshops.
See also
*
List of streets and squares in Gamla stan
References
External links
Stockholmskällan - Historical photo of a portico in the alleyhitta.se - Location map and virtual walk
Streets in Stockholm
{{Stockholm-road-stub