Kalmar Castle

Kalmar Castle (Kalmar slott) stands right on the Kalmar Strait in Småland in southern Sweden. Around 1180 a round defensive tower stood here, which King Magnus Ladulås surrounded with a larger fortress at the end of the 13th century. Until 1658 the Danish–Swedish border ran about 50 km further south, and the fortress was known as “Rikets nyckel” (“the Key to the Kingdom”). In 1397 the Kalmar Union of Denmark, Norway and Sweden was sealed here under Queen Margaret I. Under the Vasa kings Gustav I, Erik XIV and John III the fortress was converted into a Renaissance palace, with the architect Domenicus Pahr starting work in 1574; according to the National Property Board of Sweden (Statens fastighetsverk) it is the best-preserved Renaissance castle in the Nordic countries.

The moat and drawbridge were restored in work between 1919 and 1941. After 1658 the castle lost its strategic role, and its halls were later used for purposes including grain storage and distilling spirits. Today permanent and temporary exhibitions tell its story, and touchscreens offer about 400 texts in Swedish, English and German. It is a 10-minute walk from the railway station and about a 10-minute drive from the airport.