Mälartorget () is a
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 ...
, named after its location on the western waterfront of the old town facing
Lake Mälaren
A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from t ...
. Connected to the square are the streets and alleys
Munkbrogatan
Munkbrogatan is a street in the western part of Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching south between Munkbron and Mälartorget squares, it forms a parallel street to Munkbroleden and Lilla Nygatan, crossed by Yxsmedsgr ...
,
Schönfeldts Gränd
Schönfeldts Gränd ( Swedish: "Alley of Schönfeldt") is an alley in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching south-west from Stora Nygatan to Mälartorget it is crossed by Lilla Nygatan and Munkbrogatan, and forms a pa ...
,
Tyska Brinken
Tyska Brinken () is a street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Extending Kindstugatan past the German Church down to the square Mälartorget, it is crossed by Skomakargatan, Prästgatan, Västerlånggatan, Stora Nyg ...
, and
Lejonstedts Gränd
Lejonstedts Gränd is an alley in Gamla stan, the old town in central stockholm, Sweden. Stretching from Stora Nygatan to Mälartorget and crossed by Lilla Nygatan, it forms a parallel street to Tyska Brinken and Kornhamnstorg. It is named after t ...
, while the traffic route
Munkbroleden
Munkbroleden ( Swedish: "Monk's Bridge Route") is a busy street passing along the western waterfront of Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching north from Slussen to Riddarhustorget, Munkbroleden passes by three squares ...
separates it from the quay. The main exit of the Gamla stan metro station is located on Mälartorget.
History
The square appears in historical records in 1866 and came into being in the mid-19th century as a by-product when a new harbour was created by land filling. It was originally used to unload agricultural products delivered to the city from around the Lake Mälaren region.
The location was historically known as ''Flugmötet'' ("Flies' Meeting") because all latrines produced in the city were emptied behind a wooden paling here before being rowed away by worn-out old women, often former inmates seeking solace in the bottle, during nights. The waste products were brought to a plant on
Kungsholmen
Kungsholmen is an island in Lake Mälaren in Sweden, part of central Stockholm, Sweden. It is situated north of Riddarfjärden and considered part of the historical province Uppland. Its area is with a perimeter of . The highest point is a ...
where it was transformed into a gunpowder component. Though the latrine heap was discontinued during the 1840s, and this latter name never was made explicitly official, it appears in a guidebook in 1844, and was proposed as an official name in 1921.
[ ]
On the square is the bronze sculpture on a granite base: ''Familjen'' ("The Family") by
Pye Engström from 1972–1973. The individual figures – a mother, a father, and a child – can be moved and rotated along tracks in the base. The sculpture is an enlarged copy of a piece first exhibited in the 1960s.
See also
*
List of streets and squares in Gamla stan
References
External links
hitta.se - Location map
Squares in Stockholm
{{Stockholm-geo-stub