Järntorget (Stockholm)

is a small public square in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Located in the southernmost corner of the old town, the square connects the thoroughfares Västerlånggatan and Österlånggatan, while the two alleys, Södra Bankogränd and Norra Bankogränd, stretches east to connect the square to Skeppsbron, and two other alleys, Järntorgsgatan and Triewaldsgränd, leads south to Slussplan and Kornhamnstorg respectively. The second oldest square in Stockholm, slightly younger than Stortorget, Järntorget dates back to around 1300 and remained the city's most important trade centre for centuries — constantly busy and crowded, scents and noise intermixing while goods were transported from shore to shore across the square and up and down the attics of the surrounding buildings.

The island is part of the post glacial boulder ridge Brunkebergsåsen stretching north to south through central Stockholm forming an elongated hill on Norrmalm while narrowing and levelling off to a low edge just north of Järntorget. The ridge is penetrated by the two outflows of Lake Mälaren, of which the southern once formed the southern extent of the square, the shoreline passing over today's square through the bank building on the eastern side. The edges of the central plateau of the old town originally consisted of steep slopes, today disintegrated by excavations and concealed by the urban throng on the island. The block Trivia north of the square still veil the edge of the boulder ridge, during the Middle Ages six metres tall and hidden by a terraced city wall. The square gradually developed from a simple transshipment area on the cape south of the ridge to a medieval market place flanked by two landing bridges, Kornhamn ("Grain Harbour") by Lake Mälaren and Kogghamn ("Merchant Ship's Harbour") facing the Baltic Sea.

Originally called Korntorget ("Grain Square"), the square is first mentioned as Järntorget in 1489, both names being used in parallel until 1513 when iron trade had surpassed barley trade in importance. Controlling and putting a charge on the trade meant an important source of income for both the city and the king, and at least from the mid 14th century the city's official scales were located by the southern square on Number 84. The Art Nouveau façade of Number 80 (Medusa 4), including the large windows and cast iron colonnettes, got much its present appearance in 1907 following a reconstruction of the shop (at the time an ironmongery), save for a minor enlargement of the shop windows in 1941, and the entrance of the Coop store added in 1981. On the address was the photographic studio of David Jacoby, the numerous portraits from which still attracts the interest of many Swedish genealogists. On Number 84 (Pluto) is Södra Bankohuset, the oldest national bank building in the world. The western façade facing the square, built in 1675–1685 to the design of Nicodemus Tessin the Elder, is inspired by Italian Renaissance, the strict style meant to emphasise the motto of the bank: Hinc Robur et Securitas, "Hence Stability and Reliability". The portal is a direct quotation of Vignola's portal at Villa Farnese in Caprarola. The original design was repeated around the building by later architects. In front of the bank building is one of the famous sights at Järntorget, the statue of Evert Taube (1890–1976); the popular troubadour and composer in beret and sun glasses, with music sheets in his hands. The sculpture was inaugurated in 1985 and the artist Karl Göte Bejemark (1922–2000), who also made other popular sculptures depicting famous Swedes such as Greta Garbo and Nils Ferlin, chose natural colours for the sculpture and placed it directly on the pavement to give the impression the troubadour is on his way to his favourite hangout, Den Gyldene Freden just a block away. Atop the old fashion, plain white façade of Number 85 (Trivia 3) is a crane still reminding of the trade once dominating the square. Passing through Number 83 (Trivia 2) was during the 15th and 16th centuries a passage by the end of the later century called Spilaregången, after the workers called Spilare who used to pack iron, fish, and other goods in casks there. The well centred on the square is made of cast iron, modelled to a British prototype, and was a donation from the National Bank in 1829.