Built in the 12th century, the castle was enlarged and further fortified by the great King Gustav Vasa r. In the s, Johan III redecorated the castle in the trendy Renaissance style, giving it its present shape.
Kalmar Castle remained a royal hub until , when the Swedish frontier shifted south and the castle lost its strategic importance. Kalmar Castle was neglected, being used as a prison, distillery, and granary. Finally, in the midth century, a newfound respect for history led to the castle's renovation. Cost and Hours: 80 kr sold in gift shop inside, or sometimes outside the gate in summer ; July daily ; Aug daily ; May-June and Sept daily —; April and Oct Sat—Sun —, closed Mon-Fri; Nov—March open only Sat—Sun — on second weekend of month; tel.
You can buy a too-thorough, kr English guidebook; or, for the highlights, follow my self-guided tour. Peering into the grassy, filled-in moat, look for sunbathers, who enjoy soaking up rays while the ramparts protect them from cool winds. To play "king of the castle," you can scramble along these outer ramparts included in castle ticket, or open and free when castle interior is closed.
In the central courtyard is the canopied Dolphin Well, a particularly fine work of Renaissance craftsmanship. If you haven't bought your ticket yet, buy one in the gift shop on the left. Then follow the well-marked, one-way tour route. Near the gift shop, the models and drawings in the Governor's Quarters illustrate the evolution of the castle over time.
Notice the bulky medieval shape of the towers, before they were capped by fancy Renaissance cupolas; and the Old Town that once huddled in the not-protective-enough shadow of the castle. In the adjoining Prisoners' Tower , you can peer down into the dungeon pit. The room was later converted into a kitchen notice the big fireplace , and the pit became a handy place to dump kitchen waste. Nearby, behind the WCs, the Women's Prison exhibit explains a grim 19th-century chapter of the castle's history.
Then you'll climb up the Queen's Staircase , up steps made of Catholic gravestones. While this might have simply been an economical way to recycle building materials, some speculate that it was a symbolic move in support of King Gustav Vasa's Reformation, after the king broke with the Pope in a Henry VIII—style power struggle.
At the top of the stairs, go through the wooden door into the Queen's Suite. The ornate Danish bed captured from the Danes after a battle is the only surviving original piece of furniture in the castle.
The faces decorating the bed have had their noses chopped off, as superstitious castle-dwellers believed that potentially troublesome spirits dwelled in the noses.
This bed could easily be disassembled "like an Ikea bed," as my guide put it and moved from place to place--handy for medieval kings and queens, who were forever traveling throughout their realm. Adjoining this room is a smaller servants' quarters, called the Maidens' Chambers. Proceed into the Checkered Hall. Examine the incredibly detailed inlaid wall panels, which make use of 17 different types of wood--each a slightly different hue. Notice the unmistakably Renaissance aesthetic of this room, which strives to achieve symmetry and perspective.
Door handles were left off so as not to break up the harmony. When the queen wanted to go into the next room, she'd clap her hands to alert servants to open the doors for her. Speaking of which, continue into the dining room a. Gray Hall, for the frescoes of Samson and Delilah high on the wall. The table is set for an Easter feast based on an actual, detailed account by a German visitor to one particular Easter meal held here. It took more than twenty years to fortify Kalmar Castle.
Finally, around , it became the grandest stronghold of the whole Scandinavia. At the end of the 14th century an event of great political significance for three countries, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, took place in Kalmar Castle.
On 20 July in the presence of the greatest figures Denmark's Queen Margaret announced the Kalmar Union under which the said countries were united under the rule of one king, keeping the right to have their own governments and separate laws. The alliance of the three countries lasted over years and their representatives met many times in the castle in Kalmar to discuss and solve out important issues.
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.
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