This time we head for Sigtuna in our article series Streets & Squares. A small town northwest of Stockholm which became the capital of the Swedes during the 970s. King Eric the Victorious, the founder of Sigtuna, lived there as did many kings after him, so Sigtuna remained an important town. It did that for almost 300 years until Stockholm took over as the number one city in Sweden. These days it is a nice place to visit for both domestic and foreign tourists with its long history and idyllic sites.
This “modern-day Sigtuna” developed some 4 kilometres east of Old Sigtuna which according to Norse mythology was previously the home of Odin.
The streets in the list below are situated both in the city of Sigtuna and the outskirts of it on the other side of water area, south of the big road Märstavägen which leads to Märsta, the municipal center of the county of Sigtuna. We add these streets because they contain so much of the history of Sigtuna, and the early days of Sweden.
We are thankful for information provided by Elisabeth Claesson in the Sigtuna Kyrkoblad (local church paper), and also by Anna Toräng at the Sigtuna Museum.
And as always in Streets & Squares, clicking on the address links leads you to Google Maps, but this time clicking on the names may give you some alternatives links. Don’t forget to check the wonderful video below, The History of Sigtuna - where Sweden begins!
Some vocabulary for you: allé (avenue), gata (street), väg (street, road)
AGNETA ROSS GATA - Agneta Ross (born 1650) was a daughter of one Jörgen Ross who belonged to a Scottish family that had emigrated to Sweden during the 17th century. She was married to Melcher Skough. Born in Stockholm, she lived her childhood in Sigtuna, and moved back there with her husband in 1685.
ALBODS VÄG - One of the Viking Age names on the Sigtuna rune stones (see Germunds väg). Albod was probably a Scandinavian tradesman in the “Frisian Guild”, belonging to the local elite.
ANUNDS VÄG - This street name comes either from Anund Jacob, the son of King Olof Skötkonung and Queen Estrid, who reigned from 1022 to 1050. Or from Anund who was a semi-legendary Swedish king of the House of Yngling who reigned in the mid-seventh century. Either way, a long time ago. Anund was very popular and very rich in the peaceful, postwar Sweden after all the wars that his father had waged against Danish and Estonian Vikings. StreetView
CECILIA HARALSDOTTERS GATA - Cecilia Haraldsdotter Gren (1414-1465) was a wealthy noblewoman from Ostragothia, the first wife of Eskil Isaksson and a great great grandmother of the Swedish king Gustav Vasa. FamilySearch
EMUNDS VÄG - Emund The Old was King of Sweden from circa 1050 to circa 1060, and like Anund Jakob, a son of Olof Skötkonung.
ESKIL ISAKSSONS GATA - Eskil Isaksson (1415-c.1489) was a knight, judge and privy council who through his marriage to Cecilia Haraldsdotter became part of the influential Gren family.
GERMUNDS VÄG - Germund is one of the many names found in the rune stones of Sigtuna. There are around 40 of those rune stones, and they contain Viking age names such as Germund, Gillög (Gillaug), Kusi, Torbjörn, Esbjörn, Asbjörn, Styrbjörn, Dyrver, Sven, Assur, Ofeg, Tora (Torhild or Thorgunn), Rodvi, Frödis, Ulv, Grimulv, Anund, Orm, Sibbe, Orökja, Tyra, Illdori (evil Halldor), Sigsten and Holsten. To name a handful.
GRANES VÄG - Probably one of the names on the Sigtuna rune stones of which there are around forty.
JARLERS VÄG - Jarler was a Swedish Dominican monk and Archbishop of Uppsala from 1236 to 1255. Buried in St. Mary’s Church in Sigtuna - StreetView
MANFRED BJÖRKQUIST ALLÉ - Manfred Björkquist (1884-1985) was a bishop and also a co-founder of the prestigious Sigtunaskolan. Born in Norrgissjö in Northern Sweden. StreetView
MELCHER SKOUGHS GATA - Melcher Skough (16xx-1685) was a horse breeder who provided horses for the army. He received royal tax exemption for the wounds that he sustained from the Swedish-Polish war during the 1650’s.
OLOF SKÖTKONUNGS VÄG - Olof Skötkonung (c. 980-1022) was King of Sweden (Rex Svevorum), son of Eric the Victorious. He stands at the threshold of recorded history since he is the first Swedish ruler about whom there is substantial knowledge. His reign is considered to be the transition from the Viking age to the Middle Ages, he being the first Christian king of the Swedes. He was the first to stamp coins in Sweden.
PÅL PÅLSSONS GATA - Pål Pålsson was a farmer, father of five, and one of the many soldiers who settled down in Sigtuna after The Great Northern War ended in 1721. He lived in the area between 1722 and 1760.
SLODES VÄG - Probably one of the names on the Sigtuna rune stones of which there are around forty.
TORBJÖRNS VÄG - Torbjörn also is one fo the names in the Sigtuna rune stones,
TORKELS VÄG - Torkel, like Albod (see above), was most probably a Scandinavian tradesman in the “Frisian Guild”, belonging to the local elite. These two are specifically mentioned on Runic monuments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uG9irpDDW0
A to Ö FROM SIGTUNA
i.e. a list of people born in Sigtuna. Just another fun way to know something more about the city. We pick a couple of people for each alphabet, if possible. The numbers you see at the end of each line indicate the year of birth. This list is updated from time to time. And last but not least: the coat of arms of the city!
E - Eva Dickson* (b Lindström) rally driver/aviator/ travel writer – Steninge Slott, Sigtuna, Sweden (1905)
F - Christer Fant* actor – Sigtuna, Sweden (1953)
L - Gustav Levin* actor – Sigtuna, Sweden (1952)
R - Ella Rappich* actress – Sigtuna, Sweden (2000)
S - Ingvar Storm* radio personality/television host – Sigtuna, Sweden (1951)
LINKS
https://www.yumpu.com/sv/document/read/18626558/sigtuna-kyrkoblad
http://hendriksmarsta.blogspot.com/2011/09/tankar-om-gatunamn-och-kultur.html
https://bjsig.se/hem/sigtuna/sigtuna%20-%20historiskt.html
https://www.medieval.eu/sigtuna-a-powerful-political-and-cultural-centre-in-sweden-c-980-1200/
Updated 29.8.2022