Packhusgränd
Encyclopedia
Alley
An alley or alleyway is a narrow lane found in urban areas, often for pedestrians only, which usually runs between or behind buildings. In older cities and towns in Europe, alleys are often what is left of a medieval street network, or a right of way or ancient footpath in an urban setting...
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....
. Stretching west from Skeppsbron
Skeppsbron
Skeppsbron is both a street and a quay in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, capital of Sweden, stretching from the bridge Strömbron in front of the Royal Palace southward to Slussen....
to 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...
, it forms a parallel street to Johannesgränd
Johannesgränd
Johannesgränd is an alley in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden, connecting Skeppsbron to Österlånggatan....
and Tullgränd
Tullgränd
Tullgränd is an alley in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden, connecting Skeppsbron to Österlånggatan. It forms a parallel street to Packhusgränd and Norra Bankogränd....
.
In 1686, the city bought a site on the south side of the alley to accommodate the customs department, and by the end of that century the latter had the warehouse
Warehouse
A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
built which gave the alley its name. The alley was formerly known as Urbansgränden (Urbanus grandhen (1606), "The Alley of Urban") after Urban Michelsson who had an estate here in the late 16th century. Its present name first appears as Packhus gr[änd] in 1733.
The area was being used as a berth
Berth (moorings)
A berth is a location in a port or harbour used specifically for mooring vessels while not at sea.-Locations in a port:Berth is the term used in ports and harbors to define a specific location where a vessel may be berthed, usually for the purposes of loading and unloading.Most berths will be...
by the 13th century when the waterfront was located much further east than today, and a medieval harbour, known as Koggahamnen ("The Cog
Cog (ship)
A cog is a type of ship that first appeared in the 10th century, and was widely used from around the 12th century on. Cogs were generally built of oak, which was an abundant timber in the Baltic region of Prussia. This vessel was fitted with a single mast and a square-rigged single sail...
Harbour"), and a quay, Koggabron ("The Cog Bridge"), was also found here as modern time excavations have shown. During the 15th and 16th centuries, a section of the city wall along with two of its towers were found just south of the alley. The customs house on Skeppsbron, built in the 1780s, replaced the warehouse mentioned above.
The Government Property Department is on number 7. Three rooms and a kitchen, 77 m², in the alley was offered for close to SEK
Swedish krona
The krona has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it, but especially in the past, it sometimes preceded the value...
4 million (~400.000 Euro).
See also
- List of streets and squares in Gamla stan
- Fru Gunillas GrändFru Gunillas GrändFru Gunillas Gränd is a historical alley in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden, once connecting Skeppsbron to Österlånggatan between Johannesgränd and Packhusgränd....