Köpmangatan is a street

Street

A street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable...

 in Gamla stan

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 of 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....

. A parallel street to Trädgårdsgatan

Trädgårdsgatan

Trädgårdsgatan is a small street in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. It stretches west from Skeppar Olofs Gränd to Källargränd, just south of the Royal Palace and north of the square Stortorget. Forming a parallel to Slottsbacken and Köpmangatan, it is intercepted by Trädgårdstvärgränd...

, it is stretching from the central square Stortorget

Stortorget (Stockholm)

Stortorget is a small public square in Gamla Stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. It is the oldest square in Stockholm, the historical centre around which the medieval urban conglomeration gradually came into being...

 to 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...

, intercepted by Trädgårdstvärgränd

Trädgårdstvärgränd

Trädgårdstvärgränd "Garden's Cross-Alley") is a small alley in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching north from Köpmangatan to Trädgårdsgatan, it forms a parallel street to Skeppar Olofs Gränd and Källargränd...

, Skeppar Olofs Gränd

Skeppar Olofs Gränd

Skeppar Olofs Gränd is an alley in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching from Köpmangatan to Trädgårdsgatan, it forms a parallel street to Peder Fredags Gränd and Trädgårdstvärgränd....

, Peder Fredags Gränd

Peder Fredags Gränd

Peder Fredags Gränd is a small blind alley in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching north from Köpmangatan, it is located between Skeppar Olofs Gränd and Staffan Sasses Gränd, just south of the Tessin Palace.The inconspicuous alley remained nameless until the 20th...

, Själagårdsgatan

Själagårdsgatan

Själagårdsgatan is a street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching south from Köpmangatan to Tyska Brunnsplan, it forms a parallel street to Baggensgatan...

, Staffan Sasses Gränd

Staffan Sasses Gränd

Staffan Sasses Gränd is a blind alley in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching north from Köpmangatan, it forms a parallel street to Bollhusgränd and Peder Fredags Gränd....

, Baggensgatan

Baggensgatan

Baggensgatan is a street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Forming a southern extension to the street Bollhusgränd near the square Köpmantorget, it stretches to the southern end of Svartmangatan...

, and Bollhusgränd

Bollhusgränd

Bollhusgränd is an alley in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Named after Bollhuset, a historical theatre, it connects Slottsbacken to Köpmantorget, and as Baggensgatan extends the alley further south beyond Köpmangatan, together they form a parallel street to Österlånggatan...

.

History

First mentioned in Latin in 1323 as in medio vici dicti køpmannagatu ("on the street called køpmannagatu"), the street served the merchants of Stockholm during the Middle Ages, and was the main connection between Stortorget and the fish market outside the eastern wall. One of the city's medieval gates, Köpmanporten ("The Merchant's Gate"), was once found in the eastern end of the street, until its demolition in 1685 called Köpmanvalvet ("The Merchant's Vault"), a vault

Vault (architecture)

A Vault is an architectural term for an arched form used to provide a space with a ceiling or roof. The parts of a vault exert lateral thrust that require a counter resistance. When vaults are built underground, the ground gives all the resistance required...

stretching across the street, thus connecting the blocks south and north of it and supporting a two stories building.

External links

• Stockholmskällan - historical photos
• http://www.hitta.se/SearchCombi.aspx?__VIEWSTATE=%2FwEPDwUKMTg4NDI3NTMzNWRk&UCSB%3AWflWhite=1a1b&UCSB%3AWflPink=4a&SearchType=4&UCSB%3ABBX1=&UCSB%3ABBY1=&UCSB%3ABBX2=&UCSB%3ABBY2=&UCSB%3ATextBoxWho=&UCSB%3ATextBoxWhere=K%F6pmangatan+Stockholm&UCSB%3AButtonSearch=%A0%A0hitta%21%A0%A0&CombiDetails%3AMapControl%3Acx=1629018&CombiDetails%3AMapControl%3Acy=6580373&CombiDetails%3AMapControl%3ApointsHidden=&CombiDetails%3AMapControl%3Az=3hitta.se - Location map and virtual walk]