is a small
public square
A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Relat ...
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 ...
. Located in the southernmost corner of the old town, the square connects the
thoroughfare
A thoroughfare is a primary passage or way of transport, whether by road on dry land or, by extension, via watercraft or aircraft. Originally, the word referred to a main road or open street which was frequented thoroughly.
Different terms
*Roa ...
s
Västerlånggatan and
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 ...
, while the two
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 ...
s,
Södra Bankogränd and
Norra Bankogränd, stretches east to connect the square to
Skeppsbron
Skeppsbron ( Swedish: "The Ship's Bridge") is both a street and a quay in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, capital of Sweden, stretching from the bridge Strömbron in front of the Royal Palace southward to Slussen.
The quay Skeppsbrok ...
, and two other alleys,
Järntorgsgatan and
Triewaldsgränd, leads south to
Slussplan and
Kornhamnstorg respectively.
The second oldest square in Stockholm, slightly younger than
Stortorget
Stortorget (, "the Grand Square") is a public square in Gamla Stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. It is the oldest square in Stockholm, the historical centre on which the medieval urban conglomeration gradually came into being. To ...
, Järntorget dates back to around 1300 and remained the city's most important trade centre for centuries — constantly busy and crowded, scents and noise intermixing while goods were transported from shore to shore across the square and up and down the attics of the surrounding buildings.
History
Prehistory
The island is part of the post
glacial
A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...
boulder ridge Brunkebergsåsen stretching north to south through central Stockholm forming an elongated hill on
Norrmalm while narrowing and levelling off to a low edge just north of Järntorget. The ridge is penetrated by the two outflows of
Lake Mälaren, of which the southern once formed the southern extent of the square, the shoreline passing over today's square through the bank building on the eastern side. The edges of the central plateau of the old town originally consisted of steep slopes, today disintegrated by excavations and concealed by the urban throng on the island. The block ''Trivia'' north of the square still veil the edge of the boulder ridge, during the Middle Ages six metres tall and hidden by a terraced
city wall
A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or Earthworks (military), earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as ...
. The square gradually developed from a simple transshipment area on the cape south of the ridge to a medieval market place flanked by two landing bridges, ''Kornhamn'' ("Grain Harbour") by Lake Mälaren and ''Kogghamn'' ("Merchant Ship's Harbour") facing the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
.
Middle Ages
Originally called ''Korntorget'' ("Grain Square"), the square is first mentioned as ''Järntorget'' in 1489, both names being used in parallel until 1513 when iron trade had surpassed barley trade in importance. Controlling and putting a charge on the trade meant an important source of income for both the city and the king, and at least from the mid 14th century the city's official scales were located by the southern square on Number 84.
Except iron, Sweden exported copper, silver, hide, fur,
train oil, salmon, and butter, while importing salt, broadcloth, beer, wine, and luxury items such as spice, glass, and ceramics. During the Middle Ages, the surrounding area was dominated by German merchants, a situation over the century balanced by people from the British Isles, France, and the Netherlands.
In medieval times, the square was considerably larger than today. The blocks on the eastern side were aligned to a discontinued alley passing through the blocks south-east of the square (on the left side of Järntorgsgatan), and the square thus encompassed at least half of the present area today occupied by these blocks. In the 16th century sheds were constructed along the eastern side of the square.
Great Power Era
In the early 17th century, numerous taverns were located around the square, the signs of which being referred to as The Blue Eagle, The Lion, The
Griffin
The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (; Classical Latin: ''gryps'' or ''grypus''; Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk ...
,
Three Crowns
Three Crowns () is the national emblem of Sweden, present in the coat of arms of Sweden, and composed of three yellow or Gilding, gilded coronets ordered two above and one below, placed on a blue background. Similar designs are found on a numbe ...
, The Moon, The Sun, The Star, and The Scales.
The city's official scales were relocated to
Södermalm
Södermalm, often shortened to just Söder, is the southern district of Stockholm City Centre.
Overview
The Södermalm district covers the island of the same name (formerly called ''Åsön''), which, however, is not fully separated from th ...
in 1662 and the entire area around the square underwent a transformation as wealthy people had taller and more prestigious buildings erected over merged lots. The development was actively supported by the king who wanted the capital to be more representative, the medieval buildings thus disappearing together with medieval alleys. The development was further promoted by the construction of
Södra Bankohuset, the national bank building on number 84 in 1680. The building, originally designed by
Nicodemus Tessin the Elder, was subsequently enlarged eastward to the design of other architects, and the lot north of it was purchased for the construction of the northern bank building,
Norra Bankohuset. The building remained the headquarters of the
Bank of Sweden until the early 20th century.
Modern history
During the 18th and 19th century, the square was used as a
greengrocer
A greengrocer is a person who owns or operates a shop selling primarily produce, fruit and vegetables. The term may also be used to refer to a shop selling primarily produce. It is used predominantly in the United Kingdom and Australia.
In the ...
's market place and the buildings around it became known as distinguished addresses. ''Sundbergs konditori'', the oldest confectioner's shop in town, on Number 83, was founded in 1785.
A walk around the square
The numbers of the buildings surrounding the square are continuous with those on Västerlånggatan, and are therefore listed here counter clockwise from the southern end of Västerlånggatan:
Through the four-storey building on Number 78 (''Deucalion 2'') a medieval alley once passed from Västerlånggatan to Kornhamnstorg and the building facing the square was thus a very narrow block. While the present shape of the building dates back to 1791, the interior was much altered during the second half of the 19th century and the modern shop windows were added in the 20th century. Remains of the buildings located here in the 17th century are, however, still part of the modern structure, together with fractions of the interior.
The
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...
façade of Number 80 (''Medusa 4''), including the large windows and cast iron colonnettes, got much its present appearance in 1907 following a reconstruction of the shop (at the time an ironmongery), save for a minor enlargement of the shop windows in 1941, and the entrance of the
Coop
Coop or Co-op most often refer to:
* Chicken coop or other animal enclosure
* Cooperative or co-operative ("co-op"), an association co-operating for mutual social, economic or cultural benefit
** Consumer cooperative
** Food cooperative
** Housin ...
store added in 1981.
On the address was the photographic studio of David Jacoby, the numerous portraits from which still attracts the interest of many Swedish genealogists.
On Number 84 (''Pluto'') is
Södra Bankohuset, the oldest national bank building in the world. The western façade facing the square, built in 1675–1685 to the design of
Nicodemus Tessin the Elder, is inspired by Italian
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
, the strict style meant to emphasise the motto of the bank:
Hinc Robur et Securitas, "Hence Stability and Reliability". The portal is a direct quotation of
Vignola's portal at
Villa Farnese in
Caprarola Caprarola is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Viterbo, in the Lazio region of central Italy. The village is situated in a range of volcanic hills known as the Cimini Mounts.
The town is home to the large Renaissance mansion or villa
...
. The original design was repeated around the building by later architects.
In front of the bank building is one of the famous sights at Järntorget, the statue of
Evert Taube (1890–1976); the popular troubadour and composer in beret and sun-glasses, with music sheets in his hands. The sculpture was inaugurated in 1985 and the artist Karl-Göte Bejemark (1922–2000), who also made other popular sculptures depicting famous Swedes such as
Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's Silent film, silent and early Classical Hollywood cinema, golden eras.
Regarded as one of the g ...
and
Nils Ferlin, chose natural colours for the sculpture and placed it directly on the pavement to give the impression the troubadour is on his way to his favourite hangout,
Den Gyldene Freden just a block away.
[ ]
Atop the old-fashion, plain white façade of Number 85 (''Trivia 3'') is a crane still reminding of the trade once dominating the square. Passing through Number 83 (''Trivia 2'') was during the 15th and 16th centuries a passage by the end of the later century called ''Spilaregången'', after the workers called ''Spilare'' who used to pack iron, fish, and other goods in casks there.
The well centred on the square is made of
cast iron
Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...
, modelled to a British prototype, and was a donation from the National Bank in 1829.
See also
*
List of streets and squares in Gamla stan
*
Järntorget (Göteborg)
Gallery
Image:Järntorget kran mars 2007.JPG, Old crane on Number 85.
Image:Järntorget Deucalion2 29mars 2007.JPG, Fissured façade of Number 78.
Image:Södra Bankohuset portaldetalj februari 2007.jpg, Detail of the portal of Number 84.
Image:Jarntorget Taube mars 2007.JPG, Statue of Evert Taube in front of the old bank building.
Image:Järntorget 85 070330.JPG, Façade of Number 85 viewed from Norra Bankogränd.
References
External links
*
hitta.se - Location map and virtual walk.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jarntorget (Stockholm)
Squares in Stockholm