Meet the Middle Ages
BackKalmar stad
During the Middle Ages, Kalmar was one of the most important towns in Sweden. At the harbour, ships from abroad lay anchored, laden with foreign goods. The harbour was as deep as a large cauldron and named thereafter - "Kättilen". Not only large ships from far-away countries entered the harbour - fishing-boats from Öland were also moored there.
Goods from the south was brought into town by the town gate – "Stadsbroporten" and along Hamngatan. In the cloth-house called Panneryng, a great deal of the incoming merchandise was controlled. Fine Flemish cloth was inspected before being retailed to Swedish merchants. Many different languages were spoken in the cloth-house; German, Swedish, Dutch and Danish. Outside, all sorts of people would meet, the wealthy merchants as well as servants and porters. On the second floor of Panneryng the Guild of Kristoffer had its hall. The most prominent people of Kalmar belonged to this guild.
Göblo the wine-merchant, or vintner, controlled all the wine that was brought into town. He lived at the very end of Hamngatan.
The goods about to be taken out of Kalmar was also carefully controlled. Before being loaded onto the ships it was weighed in a building on Hamngatan, just opposite Panneryng.
The market-place was another meeting-place in town. Here lay the lavish houses of the wealthiest merchants and the Town Hall, where the town’s councillors would meet once a year. In the jailhouse, criminals were kept in custody before being brought to justice. Right in the middle of the square were the stocks. People who had misbehaved could be put there, for all to see. Once a week, farmers and merchants came to the market-place to do business. Once a year, at St. Bartholomew ´s Day in August, a huge fair would be held. Then anyone could buy and sell at the "free-market". Just beside the market place, the tall spires of the huge St. Nicholas Church rose.
Read more about medieval Kalmar in "Meet the Middle Ages", Community, Towns on the Baltic Sea