Riddarholmen

Riddarholmen (Swedish: "The Knights' Islet") is a small islet in central Stockholm, Sweden. The island forms part of Gamla Stan, the old town, and houses a number of private palaces dating from the 17th century. The main landmark is the church Riddarholmskyrkan, the royal burial church since the 16th century and where a number of Swedish monarchs lie buried.

The western end of the island gives a magnificent panoramic and photogenic view of the bay Riddarfjärden, often used by TV journalists with Stockholm City Hall in the background. A statue of Birger Jarl, traditionally regarded to be the founder of Stockholm, is standing on a pillar in front of the Bonde Palace north of Riddarholmskyrkan.

Other notable buildings include the Old Parliament Building in the south-eastern corner, the Old National Archive on the eastern shore, and the so called Norstedt Building, the old printing house of the publisher Norstedts, the tower roof of which is a well-known silhouette on the city's skyline.

Palaces

While the church dates back to the Middle Ages, most of the present structures on Riddarholmen were built during the 17th century when the island was an aristocratic setting which gave the islet its present name. Three of the palaces are gathered around the central public square, Birger Jarls Torg centred on the 19th century statue of Birger Jarl: The Wrangel Palace on the west side, the most impressive, incorporates a medieval defensive tower and a portal designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Elder; the Stenbock and Hessenstein Palaces on the east side are less elaborate. North of the square the two 19th century wings of the Palace of Schering Rosenhane reach the rustic main building which dates from the 17th century.Ref Stockholm|Guide1999|author=Mårtelius, Johan|pages = p. 117 | chapter = Södra innerstaden]

The palaces of Wrangel, Hessenstein, and Schering Rosenhane are today used by Svea Hovrätt, the appellate court for Svealand, while the Supreme Court and the Government Court reside in the palaces of Bonde and Stenbock respectively. Some of the older Swedish Government Agencies, like the Chamber College and the Chancellor of Justice, are also located on the island.

These anonymous institutions, together with the motorway Centralbron which isolates the island from the rest of the city, make the island as a whole a lifeless and dull environment, despite ambitious restorations during the 1990s.

Origin of the name

The island is first mentioned as "Kidaskär" (literally "Kid Skerry" and thus indicating the islet was mostly used to graze goats) in the Chronicle of Eric ("Erikskrönikan") from around 1325, which recounts how King Magnus Ladulås (1240–1290) had a Greyfriars monastery built on the island about 1270, asking to be buried in it in his will in 1285. During the Middle Ages, the original name disappeared from historical records to be substituted by "Gråbrödraholm" ("Grey Brothers islet"), "Munckholmen" ("Monk Islet"), and "Gråmunkeholm" ("Grey Monks Islet"), the latter being most commonly used until the 17th century. The monastery was, however, closed following the Protestant Reformation and subsequently converted into a church. Probably as consequence, the name was changed in the 1630s, the island being referred to as "Riddarholmen, för detta Gråmunkeholm kallad" ("Knight's Islet, formerly called Grey Monk's Islet") in 1638. The old name did persist however, so while Charles XI (1655–1697) preferred the new name, his youngest daughter Ulrika Eleonora (1688–1741) remained faithful to the old.Ref Stockholm|Gatunamn|pages = pp. 192-193|chapter = Innerstaden: Riddarholmen]

References

See also

* History of Stockholm
* Geography of Stockholm
* List of streets and squares in Gamla stan
* Riddarholmsbron
* Hebbes Bro
* Birger Jarls torn