Skeppsbron, Gamla stan

Skeppsbron (English: The Ship's Bridge) is a historic street and quay running along the eastern waterfront of Stadsholmen in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, stretching from Strömbron in front of the Royal Palace southward to Slussen. The street is first mentioned in historical records as Stadzbron in 1592. During the 1630s, work on the foundations of the present quay was initiated under King Gustav II Adolf, who envisioned the eastern shore of Gamla stan as a grand commercial and representational waterfront befitting Sweden's emerging status as a Great Power. The medieval defensive wall along this shore was gradually demolished and replaced by a row of stately private palaces, known as Skeppsbroraden. Among the quay's most notable landmarks is the bronze statue of King Gustav III by Johan Tobias Sergel, inaugurated in 1808. Södra Bankohuset at number 42B, formerly the Bank of Sweden and designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Elder between 1663 and 1680, is another architectural highlight. Skeppsbron remained the vital centre of Stockholm's shipping trade until the early 20th century, and today serves as one of the city's most photographed and historically evocative waterfront promenades.