Is it a Castle? Is it a Palace?

We wanted to break our journey from Stockholm back to England. Kalmar seemed the perfect spot. It’s a coastal town, and a busy one. But at its heart is a quiet community, featuring a Proper Castle.

Back in the 1180s, there were nuisance pirates. So a fortified watchtower was needed. Here, the castle began. It was strategically – and ideally -placed near Denmark.

It was here that the Kalmar Union took place in 1397, a treaty signed at the castle that unified Denmark, Norway, and Sweden under a single monarch. Scandinavia’s history has long been intertwined in different ways over the centuries. Then in the 16th century King Gustav Vasa and his sons upgraded the medieval stronghold into a spectacular Renaissance palace.

That didn’t stop it being a defensive castle though. There were sieges throughout much of the first half of 17th century, though they petered out when national borders moved further south. Kalmar Castle’s strategic days were over. By the late 1600s it was used first as a prison and then – the shame! – a granary. It had to wait until the 19th and 20th centuries to be restored to glory, and recognised as a National Treasure.

Midsummer meant that opening hours were fairly restricted, and we didn’t see inside. But we enjoyed the outside, and even some internal courtyards.

It was almost as much fun to watch the seabirds. One small island nearby was so very noisy with seaside birdlife that I promptly named it Bempton Cliffs, though there wasn’t a cliff in sight. Herons seemed omnipresent – and successful fisherfolk they were too.

One extra bit of history, noticed by us and a black headed gull, near the castle.

This is a memorial to Kalmar Nyckel‘s first voyage to America in 1638, taking (in 4 voyages) the first Swedish colonists to America. I assumed that Kalmar Nyckel was a man. Silly me. It was a ship. Since 1963, Kalmar has been twinned with Wilmington, Delaware, the site of the New Sweden colony.

And finally, for the Instagram generation, here’s the castle again. A view through one of the helpful ‘frames’ which surrounded the castle.

I’ve probably not done with Stockholm yet. I’m jumping around our holiday as the fancy takes me.