Lilla Torg 5
in Malmö

in Swedish

A House Is Served

By the end of the 1500s, Stortorget (IDstory) had simply become too crowded; commerce called for more space for stalls, artisans, and eateries.

Business and beer began to flow around the new Lilla Torg from as early as 1592. In the 1700s, seven taverns were operating around the square. Today’s cuisine is certainly more varied—and guests are kept warm by more than 200 gas heaters.

Blue House on Lilla Torg

Stortorget was established around 1540 when Mayor Jörgen Kock demolished the old Helgeand Monastery and several other farmsteads to create a huge city square at the heart of Malmö. Despite its size, it quickly proved too small, as Malmö was then Denmark’s second-largest city and a major trading hub.

A new marketplace was needed, and the choice fell on vacant land between Stortorget and the southern marshes. At that time, Malmö was encircled by water, the so-called “Rörsjöarna.” On this wasteland, Lilla Torg was established in 1592.

Stalls sprang up around the square: butchers to the west, bakers to the south, food grocers (“hökare,” an old word) to the north, and fishmongers to the east. By the 1700s, those little moveable stalls were replaced by sturdier small houses—homes to shops, workshops, and humble eateries.

Taverns

The bustling market crowds needed food, so little taverns grew up in the surrounding houses. By the 1700s, seven taverns circled the square, simple spots serving soups and stews at modest prices.

One legendary eatery was called “Kalopsenborg.” It’s safe to assume the menu was not extensive—though even boiled eel was on offer!

The Blue House

Once known as the Wesén House, after merchant Bror Wesén who owned it in the 1960s, the Blue House was originally built around 1860 and included a restaurant from the start. It stands on foundations laid in 1861 by restauranteur Wesén and has since housed eateries, a women’s hostel, a gallery, and more. In the late 1800s it belonged to former dairyman Pettersson before neighboring baker Fritz Hansen acquired it in 1902.

Briefly, the house returned to restaurant use before the Salvation Army set up a guesthouse and women’s hostel in 1914. When Karolina Jönsson purchased the building a decade later, she continued the guesthouse and boarding business through the 1960s.

In 1964, architect Klas Anshelm redesigned the house for Galerie Leger. Then Charlotte Weibull’s dolls moved in, before Bukowskis—now located on Carlsgatan—established their auction business here.

During the years when the square was crowded with buildings, the “Blue House” had the address Torvgatan 3. The street name disappeared when the square was reestablished in 1969.

The Petersson brothers, Toni and Ronnie, opened Sushi restaurant Izakaya Koi in 1993.

Today, Lilla Torg (IDstory) is a famous summer spot, alive with outdoor seating and happy crowds.

References

• About BiBB, a media company and an encyclopedia 4.0
• Text: Christian Kindblad, photo Johan Schlasberg

Published: 2005. Updated: 2025.09.09

Kategorier 20 Fastigheter 47

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