Page 80 - Hotel Tunnel's 100 Years of History

building, with completely worn walls and pointed gable roofs, has a long section of slate on the gable wall that faces Adelgatan, where the- re is an inscription that should read ANNO MDXIX, but is otherwise illegible due to weathering.
The rest of the older basement floor comprises a large two-story hou- se, which dates back to a later time and was built in 1582. From this description, which gains its historical illumination from the infor- mation provided above about the properties, it can be seen that the Tunnel consists of five vault sections with two cross vaults in each, and that the easternmost or fifth section was built in 1519 as an extensi- on to the stairway gable house, as we have previously provided more information on in this paper.
The profilation of the basement vaults, like that of the vaults in St. Petri Church, suggests a building time in the first period of the 14th century. Thus, the first and third sections, counted from the street corner, have beautifully profiled vault ribs, which are three-lobed with the middle round arch decorated, and in the third section the round arches at the top turn into edge arches. In comparison, the basement of the stairway gable house, which is 200 years younger, consists of simpler vaults: tunnel vaults and cross vaults without ribs. According to information provided in the Skånska Provinsiallogens minnesskrift 1800-1900, tradition holds that this Masonic lodge, first established by Duke Charles, later King Charles XI, in June 1777, held its meetings in the basement of Tunneln, which resembles a crypt, from 1779-1799, and several Masonic symbols that have been preserved on the walls and columns there confirm the accuracy of this tradition.
Tunneln's 700-year history — that's how it goes, that's how I've writ- ten it down, where I've sat in one of the basement's corners and under changing old-fashioned atmospheres, listened to the ancient vaults tell me everything they've had to say through the centuries about the conditions and people in their immediate vicinity. The scenes have changed, and I'm once again trying, closing my eyes, to gather the big, evocative strokes of the past in my memory and dream the changing, contemplative beautiful dreams over and over again. But the voices of today disturb me and mercilessly pull me out of my dreams. I see the director, Elias Smith, approaching. He walks around among the guests in the basement and talks with one person or another, where they sit in front of richly set tables and enjoy the feast. He makes a grand host type and knows well what his duty is. He has, during the twelve years he has been in charge of Tunneln, despite the restrictions of the years, all the difficulties.
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