Von der Lindeska huset

Von der Lindeska huset is a merchant palace from the 1600s in Gamla Stan with Dutch Renaissance architecture and red brick walls. The building features windows composed of 30 individual glass panes and connects to adjacent structures through a wing at Kornhamnstorg.

This house was built in 1633 for merchant Erik Larsson von der Linde as his family residence. It eventually came under royal ownership with Queen Christina and later sheltered the French philosopher René Descartes during his time in the city.

The sandstone entrance features carved heads of Mercury and Neptune, symbols tied to commerce and the sea that reflect the owner's merchant profession. The wooden figures above the bay window display their original colors from the 1620s, showing how traders adorned their homes with decorative sculptures.

The building sits on a narrow medieval street with multiple access points through its connecting passages to neighboring structures. Keep in mind that the old town streets are tight and the ground is uneven with historic cobblestones.

Two German inscriptions on the facade contain religious phrases about divine grace and hope, reflecting the spiritual beliefs of the merchant class at that time. These messages were a personal statement of the owner about what he valued most.