Barnhusviken
Encyclopedia
Barnhusviken is a body of water in central Stockholm
, Sweden
. Separating the island Kungsholmen
from the mainland district Norrmalm north of it, it connects Karlbergssjön to Klara Sjö
.
Together with Karlbergskanalen
, Karlbergssjön, and Klara Sjö, Barnhusviken constitute the nameless body of water which separates Kungsholmen from the city districts Norrmalm and Vasastaden
and the northern suburb Solna
.
The northern shore, entirely occupied by the Klarastrandsleden motorway and eight rows of railway tracks, is not accessible to pedestrians, but, in contrast, the southern shore offers a section of the walk stretching some 2 km from the City Hall
and all the way along the northern shore of Kungsholmen.
spanning across it and several other local structures, the former bay was named in the 1860s after an orphanage
(barnhus, literally "children-house") relocated from Riddarholmen
to the neighbourhood on its northern shore in the 1630s.
It is called a bay simply because it used to be a bay before continuous land filling transformed it into the narrow canal it is today. On maps from the early 19th century it is labelled Rörstrandssjön ("Lake of Rörstrand") after the vicinity to the porcelain factory of Rörstrand
.
Several prominent buildings line-up along the shores of Barnhusviken:
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Separating the island Kungsholmen
Kungsholmen
Kungsholmen is an island in Lake Mälaren in Sweden, part of Stockholm City. It is situated north of Riddarfjärden and considered part of the historical province Uppland....
from the mainland district Norrmalm north of it, it connects Karlbergssjön to Klara Sjö
Klara Sjö
Klara Sjö is a canal in central Stockholm, Sweden.Separating the island Kungsholmen from the northern city district Norrmalm, the canal connects Barnhusviken to Riddarfjärden...
.
Together with Karlbergskanalen
Karlbergskanalen
Karlbergskanalen is a canal in western central Stockholm, Sweden.Separating the island Kungsholmen from the northern municipality Solna, it connects Ulvsundasjön to Karlbergssjön and thus forms the western-most part of the nameless body of water which separates Kungsholmen from the northern city...
, Karlbergssjön, and Klara Sjö, Barnhusviken constitute the nameless body of water which separates Kungsholmen from the city districts Norrmalm and Vasastaden
Vasastaden, Stockholm
Vasastaden, or colloquially Vasastan, is a 3.00 km² large city district in central Stockholm, Sweden. With 51,661 inhabitants it is the second most populous, as well as the second most densely populated district in Stockholm.The major parks in Vasastaden are Vasaparken and Observatorielunden...
and the northern suburb Solna
Solna Municipality
Solna Municipality is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden, located just north of the capital Stockholm. Its seat is located in the 'city' of Solna....
.
The northern shore, entirely occupied by the Klarastrandsleden motorway and eight rows of railway tracks, is not accessible to pedestrians, but, in contrast, the southern shore offers a section of the walk stretching some 2 km from the City Hall
Stockholm City Hall
Stockholm City Hall is the building of the Municipal Council for the City of Stockholm in Sweden. It stands on the eastern tip of Kungsholmen island, next to Riddarfjärden's northern shore and facing the islands of Riddarholmen and Södermalm. It houses offices and conference rooms as well as...
and all the way along the northern shore of Kungsholmen.
About the name
Just like the bridge BarnhusbronBarnhusbron
Barnhusbron is a bridge in central Stockholm, Sweden. Passing over Barnhusviken, it connects Kungsholmen to Norrmalm. It is 23 metres wide and 290 metres long with a maximum span of 64.5 metres...
spanning across it and several other local structures, the former bay was named in the 1860s after an orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
(barnhus, literally "children-house") relocated from Riddarholmen
Riddarholmen
Riddarholmen is a small islet in central Stockholm, Sweden. The island forms part of Gamla Stan, the old town, and houses a number of private palaces dating from the 17th century...
to the neighbourhood on its northern shore in the 1630s.
It is called a bay simply because it used to be a bay before continuous land filling transformed it into the narrow canal it is today. On maps from the early 19th century it is labelled Rörstrandssjön ("Lake of Rörstrand") after the vicinity to the porcelain factory of Rörstrand
Rörstrand
Rörstrand porcelain was one of the most famous Swedish porcelain manufacturers, with production initially at Karlberg Sea on Kungsholmen in Stockholm.-History:...
.
Notable buildings
- On the northern shore is the Bonnier Tower, the skyscraper of the headquarters of Bonnier media group, designed be architects Anders and Ivar TengbomIvar TengbomIvar Justus Tengbom was a Swedish architect and one of the best-known representatives of the Swedish neo-classical architecture of the 1910s and 1920s....
and during the period 1949-1958 the tallest building in Stockholm. Next to it is the Bonniers Konsthall, designed by Johan Celsing and inaugurated in 2006. - On the southern shore is the St Erik Area, a prestigious residential area build during the second half of the 1990s in a style imitating the Nordic ClassicismNordic ClassicismNordic Classicism was a style of architecture that briefly blossomed in the Nordic countries between 1910 and 1930....
prevalent in Sweden during the 1920s. The area is dominated by the huge flight of stairs leading down to the waterfront. While this project has been much criticized by architects as an outdated DisneyficationDisneyficationDisneyfication is a term which describes the transformation of something, usually society at large, to resemble The Walt Disney Company's theme parks. The latter term appears in Sharon Zukin's book, The Cultures of Cities , and was popularized by Alan Bryman in a 2004 book, The Disneyization of...
and New urbanismNew urbanismNew Urbanism is an urban design movement, which promotes walkable neighborhoods that contain a range of housing and job types. It arose in the United States in the early 1980s, and has gradually continued to reform many aspects of real estate development, urban planning, and municipal land-use...
at its worst, the green space below this monumental staircase has proven very popular among the numerous feralFeralA feral organism is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. In the case of plants it is a movement from cultivated to uncultivated or controlled to volunteer. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, may...
domestic rabbitDomestic rabbitA domestic rabbit, or more commonly known as simply the rabbit, is any of the several varieties of European rabbit that have been domesticated....
s who, since they started to spread from SolnaSolna MunicipalitySolna Municipality is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden, located just north of the capital Stockholm. Its seat is located in the 'city' of Solna....
in the mid 1980s, are giving the area a reputation. - Between the St Erik Area and the bridge is the headquarters of the insurance company Trygg Hansa, built 1967-76, and on the opposite side of the bridge Tekniska nämndhuset, a huge brick complex built 1962-65 to house some 1.200 white-collar workerWhite-collar workerThe term white-collar worker refers to a person who performs professional, managerial, or administrative work, in contrast with a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor...
s of the Stockholm City Planning Administration and various city committees. A matching addition facing the continuation of the bridge was made for the local district court (Stockholms tingsrättTingsrättTingsrätt , käräjäoikeus or tingrett is a term used for district courts in Sweden, Finland and Norway...
) in 1984-86.