Slottsbacken (, "Castle Slope") is a street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. It stretches east from the Stockholm Cathedral and the Royal Palace down to the street Skeppsbron which passes along the eastern waterfront of the old town. In the western end, the alley Källargränd leads south to the square Stortorget, while Storkyrkobrinken extends Slottsbacken west beyond the cathedral and Högvaktsterrassen, down to the square Riddarhustorget. On the southern side of Slottsbacken, three alleys connect to the interior throng of the old town: On either side of the Tessin Palace are Finska Kyrkogränd and Bollhusgränd, while Österlånggatan begins in the low-lying eastern part of the slope. History The street, named after the vicinity to the Royal Palace, first appears in historical records during the second half of the 15th century (1476, stalbakkan, "Stable Slope"; 1478, Slotz bakkan), and from early on the name designated not only the slope down to the waterfront, but also the open space above it. The present palace, designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger and built in 1697-1760, was preceded by the Medieval castle Tre kronor ("Three Crowns") which was continuously rebuilt during it existence and was finally destroyed by fire in 1697. South of this older building was in medieval times a slope consisting of sand and gravel, deliberately left unbuilt for defensive purposes. Probably wider than the present slope, it stretched further south to the royal stables, the kitchen gardens, and the butchers stalls on the opposite side. In 1520, the burghers of the city were requested to relocate their stables and piggeries from the "Stable Slope" (Stallbacken) to the hills surrounding the city. New defensive walls were built around the royal palace during the 16th century on the expense of the open area surrounding it, defensive constructions outdated in the early 17th century. By the end of the 17th century, the slope had been transformed into an extremely narrow street squeezed between the wide moat of the palace and the variegated structures lined-up on the southern side. Parts of the five metres deep moat was used as a theatre and furnished with a superstructure. As the new palace was being built, the slope was redesigned to become the palace's grand-style Baroque antechamber, and the structures and gardens on the southern side were consequently replaced by more prestigious buildings in stone. While the exterior of the Palace was more