Sven Vintappares Gränd

Sven Vintappares Gränd (Swedish: Sven Wine-Tapper's Alley) is a small alley in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching from Västerlånggatan to Stora Nygatan, it forms a parallel street to Överskärargränd and Didrik Ficks Gränd, while passing on the north side of the small square Sven Vintappares Torg.

Sven Vintappares Gränd in February 2007.

First mentioned as Swen wintapperes grendh in 1588, the alley is most likely named after Sven Staffansson, a man said to be Kung:e M:ttz tro tienere och wintappere (e.g. "His Majesty's true servant and wine-tapper") and mentioned as having bought a property in the alley.[1] His widow is known to have been given a house on Helgeandsholmen in 1620.[2]

The writer and poet Anna Maria Lenngren (1754–1817) mentions the alley in a poem describing Mårten Holk, an anonymous man living in the alley who drank only water, however upon joining the army he is taught to drink everything but water while obtaining 'a smart coat and a grand desk':[3][4]

Mårten Holk, af ingen kändMårten Holk, known by none
Knappt af hund och katten.Barely by dog or cat
Bodde i VintappargrändLived in Wine-tapper Alley
Och drack bara vatten.And drank only water
[...][...]
Skrattar du min vän? Åh, tig,Are you laughing my friend? Ah, be silent,
Drick och rök din pipaDrink and smoke your pipe
Och lär dig en gång af krigAnd learn for once to understand
Nyttan begripa!The benefit of war!

The author and actress Vera Siöcrona (1914–2003), settled in the alley in the mid 1940s, after her old address at Kolmätargränd had been demolished. She bravely battled the plans to demolish substantial parts of the old town and published the book Mitt Gamla stan ("My Old Town") in 1966. The troubadour Evert Taube (1890–1976), who flirted with her, mentions their encounter in his song Vera i Vintappargränd.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Innerstaden: Gamla stan". Stockholms gatunamn (in Swedish) (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Kommittén för Stockholmsforskning. 1992. p. 76. ISBN 91-7031-042-4.
  2. Fredrik Ulrik Wrangel (1912). "Stockholmiana I-IV: Personnamn i nuvar. gators etc. namn". Project Runeberg. Retrieved 2007-02-24.
  3. Anna Maria Lenngren (1876). "Samlade skaldeförsök". Project Runeberg. p. 209. Retrieved 2007-02-24.
  4. Anna Maria Lenngren (1876). "Samlade skaldeförsök/Noter". Project Runeberg. p. 265. Retrieved 2007-02-24.
  5. Martin Stugart (2005-10-08). "Finns Vera Siöcronas Vintappargränd?". Dagens Nyheter. Retrieved 2007-02-25.


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