Lejonstedts Gränd

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Lejonstedts Gränd in February 2007.

Lejonstedts Gränd (Swedish: "Alley of Lejonstedt") is an alley in Gamla stan, the old town in central stockholm, Sweden. Stretching from Stora Nygatan to Mälartorget and crossed by Lilla Nygatan, it forms a parallel street to Tyska Brinken and Kornhamnstorg.

The alley is named after Country marshal (lantmarskalk) and Councillor of the Realm Anders Lejonstedt (1649-1725), before knighthood named Volimhaus, who together with his brother Jakob (ennobled Gyllenborg) owned the block taking up the north-eastern part of the street in the late 17the century.^[1]

Together with its neighbourhood, the alley is a product of the reconstruction of the western part of the old town following the great fire of 1625. Before this, the unregulated urban structure of the city stretched down from Västerlånggatan to the eastern part of the alley, succeeded by the shore, unfit for any major construction and mostly used for sheds and for the city's defence.^[2]

While the extent of the 14th century city wall is not well-documented, the area formed a part of the south-western harbour area where agricultural goods delivered from the Lake Mälaren area were unloaded (which gave the present square Kornhamnstorg its name). During the period 1543-1553, a new defensive structure in wood was built along the western shore, which, however, burnt down after only two years, to be replaced by a new built in brick and stone, in turn outdated within 50 years and completely demolished after the fire in 1625. Archaeological remains of, arguably, this latter wall have been found under the buildings on the eastern part of the alley.^[2]

[edit] References

^ (1992) "Innerstaden: Gamla stan", Stockholms gatunamn, 2nd ed. (in Swedish), Stockholm: Kommittén för Stockholmsforskning, 60. ISBN 91-7031-042-4.
^ ^a ^b John Hedlund (2002). Cerberus 1, 3, 4 & Lejonstedts Gränd (Swedish). Stockholm City Museum. Retrieved on 2007-02-21. (including maps of the assumed extension of the medieval walls)