Västerås Castle

Västerås, Sweden

Västerås Castle was built in the 13th century. The castle taken over by Gustav Vasa was in poor condition after battles and sieges so during the middle of the 16th century he altered and extended it. In 1544 the government gave the Crown Prince, Prince Erik, his own quarters in the castle, “The Young Man’s Apartment”. Later the castle was to be his prison.

From 14 June 1573 to 16 October 1574 Erik XIV was imprisoned in Västerås castle. He sat in “the dark prison”, always separated from his wife, Karin Månsdotter and his child. The dethroned king moved to Örbyhus shortly before his death, from poisoned pea soup says the story, but later his body was brought back to Västerås for burial in the cathedral.

Västmanland’s county museum is today housed in Västerås Castle including the county archive, library and administration. The museums objectives are to deepen knowledge of Västmanländ’s cultural heritage, to facilitate and encourage interest, to deepen insight into the past and thereby enrich perspectives of the present and the future.

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Details

Founded: 13th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Sweden
Historical period: Consolidation (Sweden)

Rating

3.8/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Somesh Pathak (4 years ago)
Nothing like a castle. Just a gallery of few photos.
Jamie Goatman (4 years ago)
Nice place with a lot of history.
Azura Star (4 years ago)
Such a nice place. Architecture is beautiful and you should taste the food of the restaurant as well. Really nice experience eating there! Pretty good prices!
Jannik Munch Wagner (5 years ago)
I was here with my company for a Christmas Dinner. The food was okay, but the place it self was not anything special. Maybe it was because of the way they had the tables setup for the buffet.
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