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Part of the reason why I love living in Europe is just the sheer amount history in this part of the world, exemplified by the myriad amounts of palaces, battlegrounds, old towns, and of course CASTLES. Sweden is no exception. Since I moved here in May of 2019, I have been able to explore some of the country’s coolest castles.

Much of Swedish history revolves around wars with its neighbors:

• Norway - Swedish–Norwegian War (1814)

• Russia - Russo-Swedish War of 1788–1790

• And an astounding 11 Wars with Denmark! Of which Sweden ‘won’ 7 of them, with all taking place between 1523 and 1814.

The castles that were built by the Swedes no doubt played a major role in the defense of the country. There are even some castles that were built by Swedish enemies, on conquered Swedish land at the time, which were subsequently taken back under control. As you can imagine, the history of each individual castle must be long and storied.

I will talk about a handful of the castles I have been to myself and give a brief historical rundown on its existence and place in history, but bear in mind that this list is nowhere near comprehensive.

Also, as an aside, here is a small language lesson if you find yourself in this part of the world:

Castle [English] = Slott [Swedish]

Fortress [English] = Fästning [Swedish]

So you may find me using the words ‘castle’ and ‘slott’ interchangeably throughout this post.

Furthemore, if you’re in Sweden, don’t limit your trip to just seeing castles. Take some time to check out some great Swedish cities that I have listed below. I have also included my blog posts about each place, giving you an in depth look on what to do and see there.

• Stockholm (Blog Post Title: Why Stockholm is the best Scandinavian capital)

  • Stockholm Tunnelbana (Blog Post Title: The World’s Longest Art Gallery - Riding on the Stockholm Tunnelbana)

• Gothenburg (Göteborg) (Blog Post Title: A Tour of Gothenburg: Sweden's 2nd Largest City)

• Uppsala (Blog Post: Uppsala: the hidden gem just North of Stockholm)

• Helsingborg (Blog Post: Just a few reasons to see Helsingborg in the South of Sweden)

• Malmö (Blog Post: Take a weekend break in Malmö, Sweden)

• Lund (Blog Post: A Day tour of the university town of Lund)

• Marstrand (Blog Post: A Day Trip to the Sweden island of Marstrand)

Uppsala Castle (Uppsala Slott) - Uppsala, Sweden

Sitting in the historical center of Sweden’s fourth largest city, Uppsala slott is mostly known for its bright pink façade. What may not be known is its history in shaping modern-day Sweden. Its construction was commissioned in 1549 by Gustav Vasa (the king at the time and THE father of modern Sweden). Today it houses an art museum and some tours even take you to the roof, to get a stunning view over Uppsala city center.

**If you have a drone like me, there is no need for these tours. However, recently the Swedish Transport Agency (Transporstyrelsen) has extended the 10 meter flight zone that originated in the North of Uppsala, to a region that includes the castle. Furthermore, since the Academic Hospital is located just a few hundred meters away, one must ask permission to fly a drone from the Helipad located there before flying.

If you like some of my photos that you have come across, just know that I have many prints showcasing a variety of landscapes, including other Castles, available for purchase below! (Sold as Posters, Canvas, or in Metal-Frames).

Skokloster Slott

It took me about 2 hours, using three buses, to reach this castle from Uppsala, but it was worth it. The castle is a dream for those who love symmetry. It’s off-white facade gives it such a pristine look to it as well. This castle, built in the Baroque style between 1654 and 1676 sits on the coast of Lake Mälaren, between Uppsala and Stockholm. It is considered a monument to the ‘Swedish Age of Greatness’, a time when Sweden’s empire grew substantially in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The castle was built by Count Carl Gustaf Wrangel and is rumored to be based off of Ujazdów Castle, located in Warsaw, Poland. The museum inside Skokloster boasts collections of flatware, furniture, and paintings, among other items and has its own cafe for those who love to partake in the Swedish Fika tradition.

A car would be most beneficial to reach this castle, however it is entirely do-able with public transport. One just needs a little bit of a patience.

Malmö Castle (Malmö Slott) - Malmö, Sweden

Malmö Castle is the oldest Renaissance castle in all of Scandinavia, built sometime between 1537 and 1542. The area where the castle sits was developed into a fortress by the Danes in the 15th century, however due to a civil war, the fort was effectively destroyed. Then under the orders of Danish King Christian III, the fortress was to be rebuilt and did not face any more destruction.

And of course after one of the many wars I alluded to earlier between Denmark and Sweden, possession of the fortress was given to the Swedes upon the acquisition of Skåne (Southern Sweden) into the Kingdom of Sweden in 1658. From then on, the castle largely lost its significance as a royal residence. Centuries later it was used solely as a prison and these days, functions as a museum.

Carlstens Fästning - Marstrand, Sweden

What I love most about this fortress is how it just towers over the entire island of Marstrand. This part of Sweden where the fortress sits was acquired at the same time as Malmö Castle following the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658. Knowing the immediate need to protect this newly gained territory, King Carl X of Sweden ordered fortresses like Carstens Fästning to be built. They chose the island of Marstrand due to its ability to be used as an ice free port. Even though the fort was decommissioned in 1882, the Swedish military still used it until the 1990s.

Kalmar Castle (Kalmar Slott) - Kalmar, Sweden

I thought Uppsala castle was striking, but after visiting Kalmar, I just fell in love with it as well. As the name suggests, the Kalmar Union was formed here, which forged an alliance joining parts of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland together, ruled by the Kingdom of Denmark. This union was later dissolved when King Gustav Vasa rebelled and due to his actions, Denmark recognized the independent sovereign state of Sweden.

As for the castle itself, origins of the castle were constructed in 1180 to protect the area from pirates. The city of Kalmar was then established around the castle in the 1200s.

Kärnan - Helsingborg, Sweden

Kärnan (meaning ‘The Core’) is classified as a redoubt and is the only intact portion of what once used to be a Danish fortress. This defunct fortress along with Kronborg on the opposite side of the Öresund were built by the Danes to control this strategic entranceway. Dating technologies show that Kärnan was built around 1310 during the time of King Eric VI of Denmark. As with Malmö castle and Carlstens Fästning, Kärnan was turned over to the Swedes in 1658. The reason for the near total destruction of the redoubt was because King Charles XI feared that it was too exposed to Danish attack, so he ordered it to be razed.

Borgholm Castle - Öland, Sweden

This castle sits on the large Swedish island of Öland, and was built in the later 13th century. It was attacked by (surprise, surprise), the Danes in 1361. Many centuries later in 1611, the Danes actually conquered it, only to lose it back to the Swedes later in the same year. It also has no roof, most likely due to fire named in 1806. The museum inside the castle is extremely informative and you can more or less explore every single crevice of the place. There are relics that have been found on display there as well. I used this opportunity to see the entirely of the castle through the eyes of my drone and I was not disappointed.

Vaxholm Fortress

This fortress is easily accessible from Stockholm, located in the small town by the same name. You can reach it by taking the Stockholm Tunnelbana to Universitetet Station and catching the bus to Vaxholm. There is a ferry that shuttles you back and forth to the island fortress that takes about 1 minute.

This fort was constructed in 1548 under the orders of Gustav Vasa, the father of modern-day Sweden, to defend against attacks from the West. In fact that Danes and Russians attacked Vaxholm Fortress in 1612 and 1719, respectively. Interestingly enough, many of the designs were based off of suggestions by French engineers and built by Russian prisoners of war. These days, it serves as a museum with artifacts from its military period and is also used as a banquet hall for meetings and even weddings.

Gripsholm Castle

This castle, located in Mariefred, about 60 km West of Stockholm, was used by Gustav Vasa and was one of the residences of the Swedish Royal Family until the 18th century. It was built out of the remnants of a fortress, which was constructed in the 1370s, where by the castle itself was constructed in 1545. Oddly enough before it became a museum (present day), it was also used as a prison, more specifically to imprison Gustav IV after a coup in 1809.

The National Portrait Gallery of Sweden is more or less in charge of the museum the castle has become, showcasing a variety of rare paintings and works of art, open to the public. (Fun fact: there is a stuffed lion in this castle as well, meant to portray a sort of ‘mascot’ however was widely panned by Swedes due to its poor quality and is now a subject of hilarity among the population).

Honorable Mention Sveaborg Fortress (Suomenlinna)

So this fortress isn’t actually located in Sweden, but was built by Sweden in modern day Finland, off the coast of Helsinki. It was built in1748, primarily due to its excellent location in countering the rising Russian maritime threat during that time. The fortress over the next few decades was constructed and became operational, but was never complete. During the Russo-Swedish War from 1788-1790 and Russian pressure in the area thereafter, the fortress of Swedish recruits surrendered Sveaborg to the Russians in 1808.

The Russians further fortified the fortress extensively, including the addition of artillery guns. Following the Russian Revolution in 1917 and subsequent independence of Finland, Suomenlinna was finally turned over to the Finns. Though not so much a fortress anymore, it is home to roughly 900 people. Maybe some day I will be one of them (when I retire)?

Well there you have it. A solid collection of castles to see while you’re on your extended holiday in Sweden. I surely hope to visit more in my time here and keep adding to this list so watch this space! Are there any castles that I left out that you happen to love? Let me know!

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