Kornhamnstorg
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Panoramic view of Kornhamnstorg from Södermalm in February 2007.
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Kornhamnstorg (Swedish: "Grain Harbour Square") is a public square in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden.
- Old names
- Kornhaffn (1427), Jernboen (1586), Åkaretorget (1644), Kornhampns torget (1651)[1]
- Connected streets
- Munkbroleden, Lilla Nygatan, Stora Nygatan, Torgdragargränd, Funckens Gränd, Triewaldsgränd
The statue of a man drawing a bow on the square, often misinterpreted as depicting William Tell, was inaugurated in 1916 as an homage to Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson, leader of the Engelbrekt rebellion (1434-1436) against the German-dominated government of Eric of Pomerania. The statue was carved by the sculptor Christian Eriksson (1859-1935).[2]
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[edit] Archaeology
An archaeological investigation in 2002 exposed sections of unmoved cultural deposits at +2,4–1,9 metres asl (square pavement slightly below +3) of layers of sand containing fragments of red pottery, faïence, and Chinese porcelain, probably dating from the 18th century.[3]
[edit] History
The square is named after the harbour Kornhamn where corn delivered to the city by ships from the Lake Mälaren area was embarked in the Middle Ages, the corn then stored on an open space called Korntorget ("Grain Square"). At the time, however, the city looked entirely different and the square in question was actually located where today the square known as Järntorget ("Iron Square") is found. The latter was renamed after the iron trade which grew in importance, and which also for a while gave Kornhamnstorg the name Jernbroen ("Iron Bridge"). The square probably was a product of the city plan created for the western part of the old town in the 1620s, though the space was referred to as Åkaretorget ("Carter Square") during that century, arguably because of the horse-drawn vehicles stationed there. Both historically and in modern times, the names Kornhamn and Kornhamnstorg have been used for the square, the harbour, and the present quay.[1] In the early 1740s, the harbour and its quays were restored together with to canal separating Riddarholmen from the rest of the old town.[3]
[edit] Notes
- ^ While the Swedish word korn signifies 'grain' today, its original meaning was similar to that of the English word 'corn', which today translates to säd (compare 'seed').
[edit] References
- ^ a b (1992) "Innerstaden: Gamla stan", Stockholms gatunamn, 2nd ed., Stockholm: Kommittén för Stockholmsforskning, 56-57. ISBN 91-7031-042-4.
- ^ Martin Stugart (2005-08-24). Varför står Wilhelm Tell staty vid Kornhamnstorg?. Dagens Nyheter. Retrieved on 2007-02-08.
- ^ a b Magnus Källström (2002). Kornhamnstorg. Stockholm City Museum. Retrieved on 2007-02-08.
[edit] See also
