Stortorget, Historic public square in Gamla Staden, Malmö, Sweden.
Stortorget is a nearly square paved square in Malmö's old town, laid with small square granite paving stones. Around the equestrian statue of Charles X Gustav, erected in 1896 on a square plinth, the stones form concentric rings that widen eastward toward the Town Hall. In the northeast corner stands a bronze fountain by Stig Blomberg, added in the 1960s.
Construction of Stortorget began in 1538 after the Reformation, when the Monastery of the Holy Spirit was demolished; its cemetery covered about 70% of the future square. Mayor Jørgen Kock ordered the site reshaped, and a 1542 note calls it "thet ny torg". The Town Hall on the east side was inaugurated in 1547. Horse-drawn trams served the square from 1887 to 1907, electric trams until 1957.
The equestrian statue of King Charles X Gustav in the middle of the square was sculpted by John Börjeson for the 1896 Craft and Industry Exhibition. It was initiated by newspaperman Carl Herslow and history professor Martin Weibull. The square also hosts concerts, Christmas markets and the Malmö Festival.
The square is paved with small square granite slabs, with concentric rings curving east from the 1896 equestrian statue toward the Town Hall. Trees and benches on the north, west and south sides offer shade, and a few car parking spaces are on the west side. The 13° east meridian crosses the square but is not marked on the ground.
Apoteket Lejonet pharmacy has operated continuously since 1571, and its current neo-Renaissance building from 1896 displays restored advertising paintings from around 1900 on its fire gable.
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