Telegrafgränd

Telegrafgränd (Swedish: "Telegraph Alley") is an alley in Gamla stan, the old town of , Sweden. Stretching from Skeppsbron to Österlånggatan, it is a parallel street to Slottsbacken and Skeppar Karls Gränd.

The alley is named after the telegraph inaugurated in 1869 and located in the block north of the alley. Formerly it was named Saltkompanigränden ("The Salt Company Alley") after the salt manufacturer from Västervik who had a warehouse built on a site they bought in 1647. In 1508, the alley was called Lindhwidz grend, presumably after a skipper known as Lindivd skeppare, in 1512 fined for having brought 100 loads of "mould and muck from the gate to the bridge" (e.g. into town).

In 1875, several companies operating in the neighbourhood urged the name to be changed to the present name, arguing the old name was circumstantial and often confused with other local names (Saltmätaregränden ("The salt Measurer's Alley"), today Gåsgränd, and Saltmätaregatan, in today's ), and the City Council had no objections. A proposal from Gamla stan's folk society in 1953 to resume the old name proved unsuccessful.

The present building on Number 2 (Aeolus 1) was constructed for the national telegraph department (Telegrafverket) in 1868-70 to the design of architect Ludvig Hawerman followed by various devastating reconstructions before the restoration of Ivar Tengbom in 1951-59. During the Middle Ages, this was the location of the northernmost defensive tower in the eastern city wall built during the 14th and 15th centuries. As a result of a reconstruction in the mid 18th century, the lot of the salt company building facing Slottsbacken was united with the one facing Telegrafgränd and in 1782 the building was completely reconstructed again. It was the location for the National Archives (Riksarkivet) and the Royal Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities (Kungliga Vitterhets-, Historie- och Antikvitetsakademien (KVHAA) or Vitterhetsakademien for short) during the period 1848-1863.

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