Borgholm Castle

The construction of the original fortress occurred most likely on the orders of King Knut I , although this is not reliably known. He ruled from 1167–1195 and built fortresses on the east coast of Sweden as a defense against enemies from the other side of the Baltic Sea. Between the 13th and 15th centuries, changes and additions were made. For example, new towers were built, and a new, thicker wall was built. The fortress received some damage at the same time, especially in 1361, when the Danish king Valdemar IV Atterdag attacked Borgholm. ^[2]

At the time of the Kalmar Union , many castles and fortresses in Sweden were destroyed as a result of the ongoing conflict between the Danes and the Swedes. When Gustav I Waza became the Swedish king and the union broke up, he and his sons, who ruled with him, invested a large amount of money in the reconstruction of these buildings. The son of Gustav, Johan III (reigned 1568–1592), ordered Borgholm Castle to be restored in Renaissance style. ^[3] During his reign, the Par brothers (4 engineers and architect from Milan) carried out large-scale restoration work in 1572. The castle acquired the Gothic waters and became an example of Italian bastion style.

A few decades later, Sweden and Denmark fought against each other in the Kalmar War . Borgholm Castle first surrendered to the Danes in 1611, but was later conquered by the Swedes in the same year. The following year, after a two-week siege, the commander of the Swedish army, Peter Michelsen Hammarshjold, was forced to surrender. According to the Treaty of Knered , signed at the end of the war, Borgholm passed back to Sweden. ^[four]

After the war, the castle was in a terrible state, revtavat work began only in 1654. This time the castle was rebuilt into a baroque palace. Charles X Gustav was the customer of the reconstruction, and Nicodemus Tessin the elder became the architect who embodied the king's dreams. When Carl Gustav died in 1660, the restoration work stopped, but was continued at a slower pace under the rule of King Charles XI and King Charles XII . In 1709, the reconstruction was finally completed. ^[five]

For hundreds of years, the palace stood and fell into decay. On October 14, 1806, the castle was ruined by a fire that started on the roof of the north wing. ^[6]

Today’s castle is the ruins of the palace of Charles X Gustav, dating from the 17th century. ^{[7] The} ruins are owned and managed by the Swedish National Property Committee ( Statens Fastighetsverk ). ^[6] The castle is open to visitors, it houses a museum. ^{[8] [9]}

Concerts, theater performances and other events are held in the courtyard. In the summer of 1989, the Swedish pop group Roxette shot six video clips of their songs during a concert. One of them, “ Listen to Your Heart ”, became the third hit of the group, taking the first line of the Billboard Hot 100 later that year. ^[ten]

•  

  Interiors of Borgholm Castle

•  

  Borgholm Castle with a bird's eye view

•  

  Borgholm Castle at night

• Lundh, Kiki. Borgholms slott / Kiki Lundh, Jim Rudolfsson. - 2000.

• Official site