Köpmanbrinken
Encyclopedia
Gamla stan
Gamla stan , until 1980 officially Staden mellan broarna , is the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Gamla stan consists primarily of the island Stadsholmen. The surrounding islets Riddarholmen, Helgeandsholmen, and Strömsborg are officially part of, but not colloquially included in, Gamla stan...
, the old town in central Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Both slopes connects the street Österlånggatan
Österlånggatan
Österlånggatan is a street in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching southward from Slottsbacken to Järntorget, it forms a parallel street to Baggensgatan and Skeppsbron...
west up to the small Köpmantorget
Köpmantorget
Köpmantorget 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...
and the street Köpmangatan
Köpmangatan
Köpmangatan is a street in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. A parallel street to Trädgårdsgatan, it is stretching from the central square Stortorget to Köpmantorget, intercepted by Trädgårdstvärgränd, Skeppar Olofs Gränd, Peder Fredags Gränd, Själagårdsgatan, Staffan Sasses Gränd,...
.
Since the foundation of the city the slopes reflects the original inclination treadled by the city's first inhabitants.
Seemingly inexplicable, the northern slope was referred to as Fiskestrandsbrinken ("Fishing Shore Slope") during the Middle Ages, a mystery however dissolved by the fact the area east of the slopes, between the alleys Nygränd
Nygränd
Nygränd is an alley in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden, connecting Skeppsbron to Österlånggatan.Old names : Niia grenden , Nygrenden...
and Brunnsgränd
Brunnsgränd
Brunnsgränd is an alley in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Connecting Skeppsbron to Österlånggatan, it forms a parallel street to Nygränd and Skottgränd...
, use to be the city's main fishing market Fiskaretorget until 1520. The statue of St George and his princess is replica from 1912 of the medieval original in the cathedral Storkyrkan
Storkyrkan
Sankt Nikolai kyrka , most commonly known as Storkyrkan and Stockholms domkyrka , is the oldest church in Gamla Stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. It is an important example of Swedish Brick Gothic...
.
On the narrow space along the slopes' eastern sides, where the statue of Saint George and the Dragon
Saint George and the Dragon
The episode of Saint George and the Dragon appended to the hagiography of Saint George was Eastern in origin, brought back with the Crusaders and retold with the courtly appurtenances belonging to the genre of Romance...
is found today, was until 1829 an entire block called Acteon demolished following a collapse that year. The slopes were made less steep in the process following the collapse. During the 19th century, the slopes were regarded as two individual streets, separated by the square Köpmantorget; the two subsequently established as a single street by an official decision in 1885 and united under the present name.