Kastelholm

Kastelholm

Kastelholm (Swedish: Kastelholms slott , Finnish: Kastelholma ) is a medieval castle in Sund , on the Finnish island group Åland . The castle-like castle was built on a small island surrounded by a moat filled with stakes. Kastelholm is very significant in Åland's history and is now a tourist attraction. The building, which dates back to the 14th century, is one of the oldest on the island. In one wing of the castle is the cultural history museum of the Swedish-speaking Åland Islands.

The Jan Karlsgården open-air museum and Vita Björn prison museum are right next to the castle .

history

Historical representation of Kastelholm (late 17th century)

The construction date of Kastelholm Castle is believed to be 1384. Kastelholm was first mentioned in a document in 1388 in a treaty from Queen Margaret I of Denmark. The castle represented much of her legacy, which she received from large landowner Bo Jonsson Grip . Kastelholm Castle was a strategically important point of defense. A writing from 1525 describes it as "Key to Sweden", which illustrates the important outpost in the defense of Stockholm.

The heyday of the castle was in the 15th and 16th centuries. King John III held his deposed brother Erik XIV prisoner here until autumn 1571. The castle was built in 1598 during the battles of King Charles IX. destroyed by Joachim Scheel in the civil war, again in 1599. It was not until 1631 that the damage was repaired. In 1745 the castle burned out almost completely. The ruin was abandoned in the 1770s. Large parts of the castle have since been reconstructed.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Virtual Finland: Medieval Castles in Finland ( Memento of the original from September 25, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 

Web links

Commons : Kastelholm  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Information about Kastelholm Castle (Swedish)
• Information on the museum Kastelholm Castle (English)
• Information from the museum administration on Kastelholm Castle ( Memento from June 15, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (Swedish)
• Government information on Kastelholm Castle (Swedish)
• Pictures from Kastelholm Castle
• Kastelholm Castle on Burgenwelt.org (German)

Coordinates: 60 ° 13 ′ 59 ″  N , 20 ° 4 ′ 50 ″  E