Skeppsbron

View of Skeppsbron ("bron" / "bridge" being an old word for jetty / wharf), the old wharf of Stockholm, from Södermalm. There's still ship traffic here, but all the big boats have moved elsewhere.

The wharf was built starting in about 1630, and its creation marked a change in the position of Sweden in Europe - the Swedish Empire was steaming ahead full tilt, and with the Swedish army doing unto others, far away, it was no longer considered necessary to have the capital protected behind city walls. The eastern city wall was demolished, and the rubble used as landfill for the new development. The houses along the new shoreline were built by rich merchants, the so-called "Skeppsbro nobility". Unfortunately, the landfill was partly household waste, and the unstable foundation causes some of the buildings to tilt a little bit. It is especially prominent for Skeppsbron 46 (second building from the left), which can be seen to lean back when viewed from the side[a].

The churches are from left to right: Klara Church (Church of St Clare), The German Church and Stockholm Cathedral.

2016-04-05 20:08

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