Welcome to the heart of Gamla stan, the Old Town. Stortorget is Stockholm's oldest square and, for many, the prettiest. If you take the history route, you will hear about its dark side here. Now it is time to see it with different eyes.

1The house of the Nobel

The classical building on the north side is Börshuset, the old Stock Exchange, built between 1773 and 1778 by the architect Erik Palmstedt and inaugurated by King Gustav III. Since 1914 its upper floor has been home to the Swedish Academy, the institution that chooses the Nobel Prize in Literature each year. The announcement is made here, before cameras from around the world. On the ground floor, in the great hall of the old exchange, the Nobel Prize Museum has been open since 2001.

2Houses with names

The narrow façades on the west side are among the most photographed in Sweden. The red one, at number 20, is the Schantz house, named after Johan Eberhard Schantz, its 17th-century owner; next to it stands the yellow Seyfridt house. The central well was designed by Erik Palmstedt in 1778; it spent almost a century on another square and came back here in 1953 as an ornament.

3Fika time

This is a good moment for a break. In Sweden fika, the coffee break with something sweet, is almost an institution. Order a kanelbulle, a cinnamon bun, or a kardemummabulle, flavoured with cardamom. There are several cafés on the square and in the surrounding lanes.

4What to look for

  • The inscription «SVENSKA AKADEMIEN» on the pediment of the Exchange.
  • The red house with the stepped gable.
  • The stone well of 1778.
Colourful houses on the west side of Stortorget, with the red stepped-gable house and the stone well
The red house at number 20 and its yellow neighbour, the most photographed corner of the square.

Documented

Börshuset was built between 1773 and 1778 to designs by Erik Palmstedt; the Swedish Academy has occupied its upper floor since 1914 and the Nobel Prize Museum has been there since 2001.

Sources and credits

Svenska Akademien (official website); Nobelprismuseet (official website); Swedish Wikipedia, «Börshuset» and «Stortorget, Stockholm».

Photos:

  • The old Stock Exchange on Stortorget, home of the Swedish Academy and the Nobel Prize Museum: Arild Vågen, CC BY-SA 4.0.
  • Colourful houses on the west side of Stortorget, with the red stepped-gable house and the stone well: Øyvind Holmstad, CC BY-SA 3.0.

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