Stortorget

Stockholm's oldest square, dated back to the 13th century. While the square was used for corporal punishment during most of its history, the most infamous event was the 1520 Stockholm Bloodbath, where Danish king Kristian II (who since then has been known as Kristian the Tyrant in Sweden) had a hundred Swedish noblemen and dignitaries executed for heresy. The massacre caused an uprising against the Danes, in which Gustav Vasa became Sweden's first sovereign king in 1523. A cannonball is stuck in a building wall at Skomakaregatan. It was said to originate from Gustav Vasa's liberation of Stockholm; it was however added when the building was erected in 1795, as a purely symbolic commemoration of the war. The well was built in 1778. As it ran dry (due to the rising land), it was moved to Brunkebergstorg in 1857. Since 1953 the well is back, fed with tap water. Occasional markets and fairs are held on Stortorget, including a Christmas market.

• history
• market