Riddarhustorget (, "Square of the House of Knights") is a
public square in
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 ...
, named after its location in front of the
House of Knights (''Riddarhuset'').
The present square, largely occupied by the through traffic to and from
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 � ...
and
Vasabron, and surrounded by old palaces occupied by modestly extrovert state-level offices, is the faint remains of what used to be the centre of Swedish politics; the palace of the
Swedish nobility standing face-to-face with the emergent
Liberal press, the entire scene using the idyllic eastern canal as a backdrop.
History
A product of the redesign of the western parts of the city in the early-17th century, the square first appears in historical records as ''Riddare huuss platzen'' ("Knight's House Space", 1641), and ''Riddarehuus Torget'' (1662). In 1765, the nobility decided to transfer the southern premises of their lot to the city for the enlargement of the open space in front of the palace, and had the statue of King
Gustav Vasa placed in the middle of it. When the square was redesigned in 1914–1916, the statue was moved to its present location immediately in front of the palace.
Increasing traffic loads during the early-20th century, resulted in over 20 proposals for a long bridge passing through central Stockholm over Gamla stan. Discussions in 1930 ending up in a temporary solution, by its customers dubbed ''Slingerbultsleden'' ("Dodge Route"), leading the north-bound through traffic around Riddarhustorget by means of two bridges to and from Riddarholmen. By the end of the 1950s, the southern bridge of the present more permanent solution
Centralbron was completed, a few years later accompanied by its northern extension.
Setting
On the western side of the square is a scenic view of the bridge