Köpmantorget

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Panoramic view of Köpmantorget in February 2006.

Köpmantorget (Swedish: "Merchant's Square") is a small public square in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden, located between the street Köpmangatan and to slopes collectively named Köpmanbrinken, both of who leads down to the street Österlånggatan. Two streets are leading north and south; Bollhusgränd and Baggensgatan respectively.

This small square was, notwithstanding the name, never used as a market. Instead, when it first appears in historical records on a map dated 1733 as Kiöpmanne T., it was named after its location on the eastern end of Köpmangatan, the street leading to Stortorget, the square which used to be the main market place in Stockholm for centuries. Before 1685, the two blocks north and south of the square were united and on the location was a vault (Köpmanvalvet) during the Middle Ages forming one of the city gates (Köpmanporten). The penultimate name referring to the square appears in historical records as late as 1728 in the form Kiöpmans Hwalwet.^[1]

[edit] References

^ (1992) "Innerstaden: Gamla stan", Stockholms gatunamn, 2nd ed. (in Swedish), Stockholm: Kommittén för Stockholmsforskning, 58-59. ISBN 91-7031-042-4.