The Donners Gate (Donnersporten in Swedish) is built together with the Donners House (Donnerska huset), hence the name. Donnerska huset is a stone building whose central part was built in the 12th century, i.e. before the creation of the City Wall. The wall originally was connected to this central part on both sides, but parts of the wall were demolished when the house was built with wings on both sides. The archway to the gate was probably erected over the remains of the wall in connection with the gardens being laid out on the Donner site during the early 19th century. The archway was an opening into the gardens from Donner's place.
The Donner Gate had a predecessor - The Large Beach Gate (Stora Strandporten). It wasn’t located exactly at the same spot, but very close. Its foundation was found during archeological excavations in 1989, but there are no visible remains of the original gate itself.
Photo: W.carter
