Yxsmedsgränd 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 ...

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 south 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 ...

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), ' ...

, it forms a parallel street to Didrik Ficks Gränd and Kåkbrinken and is crossed by Lilla Nygatan and

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 ...

. Throughout its history it appears under various names : ''Yskemes grenden'' (1612), ''Öskiemyss gränden'' (1623), ''Yxe Smedes Grenden'' (1646), ''Yxe-Smeds gr'' 'änd'' ''Ödesgr'' 'änd'' ''Uttermarks gr'' 'änd''(1733), ''Yxsmedsgränd'' (1885).

History

The present name is a corruption of the original ''Yskemes grenden'', probably meaning "The Alley of öranYskemes", mentioned as "the late ''Jörenn Yschemesses''" in 1606 and said to have owned a property in the alley. Other than leaving a widow called Marie, little is known about him. The name can arguably be of

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...

or Finnish origin, originally meaning ''öitsi-mees'', "night watchman" (e.g. over cattle). The part of the alley between the two Nygatan streets was however called ''Herr Amunds gränd'' ("Alley of Mr. Amund") as early as 1593, a name which appears as late as 1622. The names ''Hans Skuttes gränd'' and ''Olof Skottes gränd'', are recorded in 1557 and 1589, and might refer to the same alley. In 1684, the part below Lilla Nygränd was named ''Uttermarksgränden'' after the accountant Daniel Benktsson Uttermark who owned a property there. The uppermost part of the alley between Västerlånggatan and Stora Nygatan, the part originally called Yskemes gränd, is referred to as ''Sigfrid Olofssons gränd'' in 1589 and 1621 while a property there is referred to as ''Yskemetshuset'' ("house of Yskemet") in 1616 and 1618. The name then appears in various forms during the middle of the century, the corrupted version dominating historical documents by 1673. On a map dated 1733 the alley is still divided into three parts with individual names - Yxsmedsgränd being used exclusively for the upper part - only to get united as Yxsmedsgränd in 1885.

Song

The street features in

Carl Michael Bellman Carl Michael Bellman (; 4 February 1740 – 11 February 1795) was a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, poet, and entertainer. He is a central figure in the Swedish song tradition and remains a powerful influence in Swedish music, as wel ...

's song '' Fredman's Epistle'' no. 28, " I går såg jag ditt barn, min Fröja", when the muse Ulla Winblad, who lives there, flees from the police. The song begins with the lines

References

External links

hitta.se - location map and virtual walk
{{coord, 59, 19, 29, N, 18, 04, 09, E, type:landmark, display=title Streets in Stockholm