Vadstena Castle, Vadstena, Sweden

Vadstena Castle was originally built by King Gustav I in 1545 as a fortress to protect Stockholm from enemies from the south. The fortress consisted of three smaller stone buildings facing the lake, Vättern, three 31 meter wide ramparts, a courtyard, a moat and four circular cannons turrets. The original ramparts were torn down in the 19th century and the present ramparts were inaugurated in 1999. The stone buildings later formed the ground floor of the castle.

On August 22, 1552, King Gustav I married his third wife, Catherine Stenbock, in Vadstena. One of the castle banqueting halls is called The Wedding Hall, although its construction wasn't finished in time for the wedding. The reconstruction from fortress into a castle began in the 1550s, when prince Magnus became Duke of Östergötland. Duke Magnus had a mental illness and was the only son of Gustav I who didn't become king of Sweden. Magnus died in 1595 and is buried in the nearby Abbey Church.

In 1620 the castle construction was completed and all the kings of the House of Vasa up till then had led the construction. Since 1620, the castle has been very well preserved, and is one of Sweden's best examples of Renaissance architecture. Vadstena Castle was a royal palace until 1716, when the royal family lost interest in it; after which it became a storage for grain.

Since 1899, the castle has housed the Provincial Archives and today visitors can also find a Castle Museum with 16th and 17th century furniture, portraits and paintings. During summers the courtyard plays host to many concerts; both classical and pop music.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

nicoleta291 (8 months ago)
A very beautiful castle, not much to see inside but worth the visit if you are in town.

Lodhi (8 months ago)
Beautiful Castle to visit. Clean and clear water near Castle. Loved it.

Saifullah Ansari (9 months ago)
Great place for a picnic. Plenty of free parking spaces are available.

John Warren (9 months ago)
Was here for a wedding reception and it was sooooo cool. Getting to eat inside the old rooms with neat backlighting and then getting to dance on some extremely old wooden floors. Getting to go across that bridge into the castle is something else.

samuel palmér (9 months ago)
Was there for "Medeltids dagarna". The entrance fee was almost too high, but it was really worth it. Professional people were there and performing and making you feel a part of the past. With the entrance fee, you also got free tours of the castle, 3 different tours - kids tour, "renässans" tour, and "försvars" tour. Very cool and good market. Nice people and guide.

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