In the context of this artwork, explore the Southern city gate of the Medieval Stockholm.
The two defensive towers of the southern city gate appearing in the left foreground, are known to be much older than the painting but their history remains poorly documented.  The outer tower (Yttre Söderport) was built on an artificial island in the strait and was rebuilt in front of an expected attack by King Christian II of Denmark in the late 1520s.  In Blodbadstavlan ("The Bloodbath Painting"), an image ten years older than Vädersolstavlan, it appears with a cone-shaped roof seriously damaged during the Danish assault.  In Vädersolstavlan, the inner tower (Inre Söderport) is similar to the exterior tower, and both structures, together with the narrow bridge between them, match other historical sources. Additions younger than the 1530s, such as the reinforcements ordered by Gustav Vasa during the 1540s, are missing in the painting but present in engravings from 1560 to 1580, which confirms Vädersolstavlan is a credible contemporary document.Where the southern city gates were, is today the Slussen area.  The sluice and the locks of Karl Johanslussen had to be rebuilt regularly, and the appearance of the city's southern approach changed constantly.  In the early 1930s, when a multi-story concrete roundabout replaced everything else in the area, the foundations of the outer defensive tower were discovered (known as Gustav Vasas rondell) and remains of the southern defensive structures can still be found below the present squares in the area.
painting Slussen Denmark Karl Johanslussen Bloodbath Christian II of Denmark sluice Painting locks Gustav Vasa left