Kornhamnstorg, Stockholm, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

Kornhamnstorg is a small cobbled square at the edge of Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, close to Slussen and the water. It is a crossing point of the old town's main street, Västerlånggatan, and it is known for the bowman statue called Bågspännaren and for a ghost story about the philosopher René Descartes.

The story behind it

The name Kornhamn points to the old grain harbour, a reminder that this corner of the city once worked as a trading edge where goods arrived by water. Today the square is quiet by Gamla stan standards, and a good place to pause before or after the busier streets. In the middle stands Bågspännaren, a statue of a figure drawing a bow, made by the sculptor Christian Eriksson in 1916.

The best-known tale here belongs to Descartes. In the late 1640s Queen Christina invited the French philosopher to Stockholm to teach her, and the lessons were set for the very early morning, in a freezing northern winter. Descartes fell ill with pneumonia and died in the city in 1650. Local tellings tie a house by this square to his last days, and some storytellers add whispers of poison, though the cause of death is generally given as illness. In the ghost version, his spirit still murmurs his famous line, "I think, therefore I am," to those who pass.

What to look for

• Look at the Bågspännaren statue in the middle of the square and notice how the figure is caught in the act of drawing the bow.
• Check the old facades around the square, where uneven windows and plain stucco show how the buildings have been reworked over centuries.
• Notice how the narrow lane of Västerlånggatan funnels into the square, a good way to feel the medieval street plan of Gamla stan.
• Glance toward the water and the Slussen area to understand why a grain harbour once sat at this spot.

Tips for your visit

• The square is a public open space, so there is no ticket to see it. The surrounding houses are private homes and businesses, so plan to look from the outside.
• Ten to fifteen minutes is enough for the square itself, but allow longer if you are walking on through Gamla stan.
• Go early in the morning or in the evening for the quietest atmosphere, as Västerlånggatan fills with visitors during the day.
• Stortorget, the Royal Palace and the Slussen waterfront are all within an easy walk, so it fits neatly into a wider old town stroll.

See it on a quest

Ghosts of Stockholm: Secrets of the Haunted Streets is a good fit if the Descartes legend caught your attention. You walk to Kornhamnstorg as one stop of a longer route through the area, the app tells you about the place when you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

From Stockholm with Love takes a more romantic angle on the city. The route passes the square on foot, the app tells you about each place as you reach it, and you solve a puzzle in front of what you are looking at. One ticket covers the whole group.