When was kalmar castle built

Notice the elaborate lock on the door, installed by King Erik XIV because of constant squabbles about succession. The hunting scenes inside have been restored a bit too colorfully, but the picture of Hercules over the window is original--likely painted by Erik himself. Examine more of those elaborate inlaid panels.

Peek into the little room to the left of the fireplace, with a fine castle illustration embedded in its hidden door to see the king's toilet. Also in here was a secret escape hatch the king could use in case of trouble. Perhaps King Erik XIV was right to be so paranoid; he eventually died under mysterious circumstances, perhaps poisoned by his brother Johan III, who succeeded him as king.

Backtrack through the dining room and continue into the Golden Hall , with its gorgeously carved and painstakingly restored gilded ceiling. The entire ceiling is actually suspended from the true ceiling by chains. If you visually trace the ceiling, the room seems crooked--but it's actually an optical illusion to disguise the fact that it's not perfectly square.

Peek into Agda's Chamber , the bedroom of Erik's consort. The replica furniture re-creates how it looked when the king's kept woman lived here. Later, the same room was used for a different type of captivity: as a prison cell for female inmates. The big door leads to the grand Green Hall , once used for banquets and now for concerts.

At the end of this hall, the chapel is one of Sweden's most popular wedding venues up to four ceremonies each Saturday. As reflected by the language of the posted Bible quotations, the sexes sat separately: men, on the warmer right side, were more literate and could read Latin; women, on the cooler left side, read Swedish. The fancy pews at the front were reserved for the king and queen.

At the far end, near the altar, a door leads to a stairwell with a model ship, donated by a thankful sailor who survived a storm. In the next room is Anita, the stuffed body of the last horse who served with the Swedish military until ; beyond that you might find some temporary exhibits.

The rest of the castle complex includes the vast Burned Hall , which--true to its name--feels stripped-down and is not as richly decorated. Rick Steves www. Box , Edmonds, WA In the 16th century when Sweden was ruled by the members of the House of Vasa, Kalmar Castle was fortified and converted many times since it was an important defensive point in the country.

There were times when the scale and the range of work were so impressive that the royal treasury did not have enough funds to cover the expenses. Apart from new bastions and defensive towers, buildings in the Renaissance style according to plans by architect Richter of Freiberg, who supervised the work, gradually started to appear in the medieval castle.

During the Kalmar War between Denmark and Sweden in the city of Kalmar was taken and plundered but the castle did not surrender to the enemy. However, bribing the commander of Kalmar who had been tempted by a financial bribe and promises of taking possession of lands in Prussia allowed the Danes to seize the stronghold. It was not until several years after concluding the Kalmar peace that Gustav II Adolf restored and rebuilt the castle. In the s when peace treaties were broken another time between Denmark and Sweden, Kalmar Castle was in the centre of military actions again.

The castle had been besieged a few times and experienced more than twenty attacks for several years. However, it survived these attempts honourably. Image Credit: Shutterstock. Kalmar Castle history A defence tower was built on the site where Kalmar Castle now stands around Medieval Castles in Europe The landscapes of Europe are littered with medieval strongholds, built centuries ago to defend regions and people of great importance.

Sweden Historic Sites Dive into Nordic history, from the imposing Kalmar Castle to the fascinating Vasa Museum and more, with this guide to the 10 best historic sites in Sweden. Alternative Name.

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