Stadsvallen, The City Wall
At the intersection of Ö Vallgatan and S Esplanaden, lies a bronze tablet on a granite stone slab. Its purpose is to commemorate the old city wall and medieval street that once ran along this part of the city. The tablet was placed here following reconstruction work on the intersection in 1990. After a heated debate, eight trees were felled and the previous markings indicating the stretch of the old city wall had to be removed during the reconstruction work, which was undertaken to create better visibility at the intersection and reduce the amount of traffic on Ö Vallgatan
The construction of the city wall began in the 12th century. It extended 3700 meters in length around the city perimeter and was 2.5 meters high. Along the top of the wall embankment was a wooden palisade. Between 1662 and 1811, the wall together with its towers, served as a customs barrier. Work to demolish the wall began at the end of the 18th century. Today, only a small section of the embankment remains in the city park (Stadsparken) and on the street Laurentiigatan.
Text: Annika André, photo: Claes Wahlöö