Stureplan, Pedestrian square in central Stockholm, Sweden.
Stureplan is a public square in central Stockholm where Kungsgatan, Birger Jarlsgatan, Biblioteksgatan and Sturegatan meet. Its paving is red, with lines of small cobblestones following the directions of Sturegatan and Birger Jarlsgatan. A granite wall from Vätö, topped by Torsten Fridh's sculpture "Vågrörelse", separates the square from Birger Jarlsgatan. The concrete rain shelter known as Svampen stands on the square.
Stureplan took its name in 1885, when Sturegatan was extended to the square as part of Albert Lindhagen's city plan approved in 1877. The name honours the noble Sture family, including the regents Sten Sture the Elder and Sten Sture the Younger. In the late 1980s the square was rebuilt as a forecourt to the new Sturegallerian shopping arcade, following an architectural competition won by the "Planvärk" entry of Björn Bränngård and Jost Assmann with sculptor Torsten Fridh.
The name comes from the Sture noble family, whose members included the regents Sten Sture the Elder and Sten Sture the Younger. The square is a meeting point marked by the concrete Svampen shelter, 3.29 metres high, where people arrange to meet. The surrounding bars, among them Sturehof, founded in 1897, and Sturecompagniet, gave rise to the terms "brats" and "stekare" for Stockholm's nightlife crowd.
The plaza connects to several metro lines and bus routes with station entrances positioned near shops and restaurants. The ground is flat and paved, making it easy to walk through at any time of year.
The granite wall along Birger Jarlsgatan, cut from Vätö stone, traces the course of the old stream "Rännilen" that once ran from Träsket at Jarlaplan to Katthavet in Nybroviken. The sculpture "Vågrörelse" by Torsten Fridh stands against it, shielding the square from the traffic.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,444 contributors worldwide.