Järntorgsgatan

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Järntorgsgatan viewed from Järntorget.

Järntorgsgatan (Swedish: "Iron Square's Street") is a street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching south from the square Järntorget to Slussplan, it is intercepted by Norra Dryckesgränd and Södra Dryckesgränd and forms a parallel street to Triewaldsgränd and Skeppsbron.

The street use to be the main approach to the city from Södermalm, and it was accordingly called Stora gatan ("Big Street").^[1]

Until the 14th century the waterfront passed right through the present square, and subsequently the present street didn't exist. Since then, land elevation and land filling have expanded the radius of the old town with some hundred metres.^[2] While the present name of the square is documented from 1489 when the open space was used to store and handle iron delivered from the Lake Mälaren region, the name of the street first appears in historical records in 1685 as Jerntorgs gatun.^[1]

A now closed alley, the location and extent of which is documented in great detail, used to pass in parallel to the street through the blocks on its eastern side. (See ref, page 19.)^[2]

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b (1992) "Innerstaden: Gamla stan", Stockholms gatunamn, 2nd ed. (in Swedish), Stockholm: Kommittén för Stockholmsforskning, 55-56. ISBN 91-7031-042-4.
^ ^a ^b Marianne Aaro (2004). Vågen och banken i kvarteret Pluto (Swedish). Statens fastighetsverk. Retrieved on 2007-02-28.