Look for the striking, tall, deep red building with stepped gables and rows of square windows right in front of you at Stortorget square.
As you stand before the proud Schattska house, let your imagination drift back to 1650, when it first rose here as the home of Johan Eberhard Schantz, royal secretary to the king. This building is hard to miss, with its eye-catching red façade and ornate “step gable” at the top-the style is something borrowed from German and Dutch towns, which gives it a unique aura among Swedish neighbors. Now, look closer at the stone gateway. Carved onto the portal, you’ll spot two Roman-style soldiers-staring out since the age of muskets and plumed hats. Above the door, a gravely carved message whispers (in German): “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him,” inviting those who pass under to hope for good fortune.
Local legend adds a shiver of mystery to your visit. If you count the stones circling each window, you’ll find exactly ninety-four. People claim these stones are silent markers for the ninety-four souls decapitated during the bloody Stockholm Bloodbath of 1520-though historians swear it’s just a myth. Still, it’s hard not to imagine, the echoes of fate and legend tangled in the air of this old square. Step closer, and you just might feel the thrill of Stockholm’s stories brushing past you.
