Blue Tower (Copenhagen)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Blue Tower (Danish: Blåtårn), 1611

The Blue Tower (Danish. Blåtårn ) was a tower of the Royal Palace in Copenhagen , Denmark . It existed from the 15th century until 1731.

history

It is not known when the tower was built. It was first mentioned in a document during the reign of King John I of Denmark . It was used as a prison where many well-known prisoners were held. Among them were the grandmother, mother and sisters of the Swedish King Gustav I. Wasa in 1520 . Another known prisoner was Leonora Christina Ulfeldt from 1663 to 1685 . During this time she began to write her autobiography Jammers Minde ( memory of suffering ), which depicts her deprivation-rich imprisonment.

From 1731 to 1732 the tower was demolished. Other towers in Denmark were also referred to as the Blue Tower : a prison on the Frederiksholm Canal in Copenhagen ( demolished in 1848 ), the tower of Sønderborg Castle in South Jutland and the keep of Victory Castle in Holstein.

Known prisoners

Coordinates: 55 ° 40 ′ 31 ″  N , 12 ° 34 ′ 42 ″  E