Varberg Fortress
The fortress Varberg ( Swedish Varbergs Fästning ) is located at the port of the city of Varberg in the province of Halland County . It was only slightly destroyed in modern times and can therefore be viewed almost true to the original. A youth hostel, restaurants and the cultural history museum are located on the premises.
Since 1993 the fortress has been managed by Statens Fastighetsverk in cooperation with the municipality of Varberg . The name "Varberg" is interpreted as "Wehrberg" or "Wachtberg".
history
When Erik V of Denmark was murdered in 1286, his cousin Jakob Nielsen († approx. 1308), Count von Halland, was suspected of being the mastermind behind the crime. This therefore began in 1287 with the construction of a castle to protect it. The construction work was finished around 1300. The construction took place on a cliff above the port of Varberg, where the warning beacons of the port guards were lit. Jacob Nielsen was under the protection of the King of Norway Håkon V (Norway) . In 1305 Jakob had to hand over Halland to Erik Magnusson , the king's son-in-law. It began a turbulent time and to 1365 eight changes of ownership were to be reported, including Albrecht II. Of Mecklenburg (he had married a daughter of Erik Magnusson) and Margaret I of Denmark (she was with the Norwegian king Haakon VI. (Norway) married ). In 1366 the Danish king Waldemar IV conquered the fortress. It then remained Danish for 300 years.
In 1535, in the course of the count's feud, Lübeck's war captain Marx Meyer was arrested here, and he managed to turn his prison into a nest of resistance. He was not overpowered and executed until 1536.
In the following years the weapons developed further and the fortress was also expanded. Palisades and moats should be able to withstand cannons. Nevertheless, the Swedes were able to conquer the area from 1564 to 1569 during the Seven Years' Northern War . In 1569 the Danes conquered the fortress under their general Daniel Rantzau , who died in battle. A memorial stone marks the place of his death. In the Peace of Stettin the Swedes had to give up Halland.
At the beginning of 1588 the fortress was expanded. The Dutch architect Hans van Steenwinckel the Elder (1545–1601) was hired. By 1618 the fortress had become one of the most modern in Europe, completed by son Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger (1587–1639). The fortress never had to prove itself. In the Treaty of Brömsebro in 1645 Denmark renounced Halland and handed over the fortress.
After the Thirty Years' War the fortress began to have a long dormant period; the Swedish military expanded it, only to abandon it in 1830. After that, the fortress became a prison. In the meantime, prisoners were housed again and again, but only between 1848 and 1880 did their number rise to 400 to 500. From 1856, cells were also built for the prisoners. In 1931 the prison was closed.
Today the fortress is used as a museum.
literature
- Varberg Fortress . In: Theodor Westrin, Ruben Gustafsson Berg, Eugen Fahlstedt (eds.): Nordisk familjebok konversationslexikon och realencyklopedi . 2nd Edition. tape 31 : Ural vertex . Nordisk familjeboks förlag, Stockholm 1921, Sp. 642 (Swedish, runeberg.org - city map with fortress around 1920).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Information video of the Hallands Kulturhistoriska Museum on Youtube with the year of closure; Retrieved October 21, 2013
Coordinates: 57 ° 6 ′ 4 ″ N , 12 ° 15 ′ 0 ″ E