- Address: Stortorget 18 111 29 Stockholm, Sweden
- Date of construction: 1450
On the former main square of Stockholm - Sturtori (Sturtoret, also meets the transliteration of "Stortorget") is the House of Shants - one of the most picturesque buildings of the square and an important historical landmark .
A bit of history
The house of Shants was named in honor of its owner - Eberhard Schantz, the secretary (counselor) of King Charles X. True, Shantz became the owner of the house only in 1650, and the house itself was built exactly 200 years earlier, in 1450. And he also became a historical landmark earlier: in 1520 an event occurred near it, which went down in history as the "Bloody Bath".
Danish King Christian II, who claimed the Swedish throne, for a long time besieged Stockholm. After four months of siege, when the town was almost out of supplies, Christian II promised complete forgiveness to all residents if they open the gates of the city and recognize him as king. However, after the residents let the Danes into the city, the men of all the noble families were first invited to a feast in the castle of Tre Krunor, and then seized and executed. The executions took place next to two buildings - what now bears the name of Shantz, and the neighboring, yellow color, now called the Seyfried house.
Appearance of the house
House Shantsa - four-story narrow building (the tax was paid from the width of the facade, so many houses were then built in this "format") of red brick. The house is crowned with a stepped pediment, under which there is a two-storey attic. Pay attention white stones, well visible against the background of a bright color of the facade. Their 92 - in the number of executed during the "Bloody Bath" (according to other data of stones 94).
Under Eberhard Schantz, the appearance of the house underwent some changes. Among them, the facade acquired the initials of the owner and his wife - JE S and MS. It is believed that the white stones appeared on the facade of the building precisely at the direction of the adviser Shantz.
The portal of the building is decorated with an inscription from Psalm 37: 5 in German, which translates as "Commit your way to the Lord and trust in Him, and He will do it."
How to visit the house of Shantz?
The Stortorget square is located in the Old Town, very close to other famous sights. Gamla Stan itself can be reached by metro - the Red and Green lines lead here, the stop is called Gamla stan. You can visit the house of Shants with an excursion - today it is state property and is open for visits, and there is also a cafe.