Karl Johans Torg

In summer, the lock and the occasionally dramatic passage of numerous pleasure boats and the accompanying families makes the square a popular spot to tourists and Stockholmers alike, while the club and its open-air restaurant, makes the space a natural hangout for a slightly younger audience.

The square is named after the presence of the equestrian statue of King Charles XIV John (1763–1844) today placed just north of the square but originally located south of the canal, and inaugurated on 4 November 1854, the 40th anniversary of the union between Sweden and Norway and four years after the inauguration of the lock of Nils Ericson.

The original intentions of the sculptor was to have the statue facing east, the king's command baton pointing out the obvious enemy on the opposite side of the Baltic.

When inaugurated, however, the statue was instead turned north towards the city, thus symbolizing the French general and the Bernadotte Dynasty which came with him, arriving to Stockholm to occupy the Swedish throne.

[1] When the Slussen area was adapted to accommodate modern traffic loads in 1935, the statue was turned south, pointing straight at the new and much discussed roundabout.