Ankargränd (Swedish: "Anchor Alley") is an alley in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden, connecting the streets Trångsund and Prästgatan, just west of church Storkyrkan. Ankargränd is a parallel street to Storkyrkobrinken, Spektens gränd, Solgränd, and Kåkbrinken.
Swedish is a North Germanic language spoken natively by 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden, and in parts of Finland, where it has equal legal standing with Finnish. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and to some extent with Danish, although the degree of mutual intelligibility is largely dependent on the dialect and accent of the speaker. Both Norwegian and Danish are generally easier for Swedish speakers to read than to listen to because of difference in accent and tone when speaking. Swedish is a descendant of Old Norse, the common language of the Germanic peoples living in Scandinavia during the Viking Era. It has the most speakers of the North Germanic languages.
An alley or alleyway is a narrow lane, path, or passageway, often reserved for pedestrians, which usually runs between, behind, or within buildings in the older parts of towns and cities. It is also a rear access or service road, or a path, walk, or avenue in a park or garden.
Gamla stan, until 1980 officially Staden mellan broarna, is the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Gamla stan consists primarily of the island Stadsholmen. Officially, but not colloquially, Gamla stan includes the surrounding islets Riddarholmen, Helgeandsholmen, and Strömsborg.
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Derived from a Marcus Andersson Ankar (-1704) and his simple eating house (or fast food restaurant as it is called today) Ankaret ("The Anchor") on Number 5 in front of the church. While the restaurant was in operation in the late 17th century, the present name of the alley is first mentioned in 1731, before which it seems to have been a nameless backstreet. The present building on Number 5 was built to the plans of Erik Palmstedt in 1772 and retains its original appearance with its rounded Rococo corner facing Prästgatan and small barred windows. [1] [2]
Erik Palmstedt was a Swedish architect working for the court circle of Gustav III, where he was in the forefront of Neoclassical style and at the heart of a social and intellectual circle that formed round him. He was also a musician, who served as organist at Riddarholm Church for twenty-seven years.
Rococo, less commonly roccoco, or "Late Baroque", is a highly ornamental and theatrical style of decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colors, sculpted molding, and trompe l'oeil frescoes to create the illusions of surprise, motion and drama. It first appeared in France and Italy in the 1730s and spread to Central Europe in the 1750s and 1760s. It is often described as the final expression of the Baroque movement.
The Cornelis Vreeswijk Museum is located on Ankargränd.
Cornelis Vreeswijk was a Dutch-born Swedish singer-songwriter, poet and actor.
