Linköping Castle, Linköping, Sweden

Linköping Castle is Sweden's oldest profane building. The oldest part, west wing, dates from the 12th century. Currently the residence of the County Governor of Östergötland, the castle has been home to governors and bishops since the 13th century. The most famous bishop to live in castle was probably Hans Brask, Sweden's last Catholic bishop.

The Linköping Bloodbath, the public execution by beheading of five Swedish nobles in the aftermath of the Battle of Stångebro, in 1600 was held in either in Linköping market square or in the castle courtyard.

In 1700 most of Linköping city burned down, but the cathedral and castle survived. The decayed castle was moved as a city prison. The restoration began In 1796 and then the castle got its classicism style appearance. In 1880 it was again renovated to the neo-Renaissance style, but restored back to the current classicism in 1930s.

The old tower of the museum features an exhibit of the history of the castle, cathedral and diocese from the 12th century to today. Unique 14th century textiles and other valuables - especially from Sweden's empire period - are on display in the treasury. You can see a big model of the castle's state apartments in the great hall.

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User Reviews

Light Code (3 years ago)
Great

Jenneke van der Velden (3 years ago)
Nice museum with very interesting history

Dennis H (4 years ago)
It's wonderful

Henrik Berglund (4 years ago)
Nice and old

Eva Km (5 years ago)
Having a boyfriend who is a history freak means that I get dragged into visiting various museums in various cities. There are worse things that can happen, you may say... but let's say I'm usually obliged to follow his request and accompany him to see all the archaic relics. This museum is no exception. Located a stone's throw away from the Linköping cathedral, the Linköping castle used to be the bishop's residence (It turned out, I did learn something about history). It's pretty neat if you lived there and worked at the church, no commuting necessary. When you get inside the museum entrance, the museum shop is right there on the entrance and you buy the ticket (60 kr for adult) from the cashier. You go to the right wing first to learn about the building's history where you could see the inside construction of the building, sort of. After that, you continue your visit to the upper floor. We were there during the exhibition called "Årets mat" and I was hoping to learn more about what kind of food they grew and eat during the year 1500 but was disappointed to see that the exhibition turned out very small indeed. We gave it a round and that's it. It could have been very interesting otherwise. That's why I only gave it two stars, not because I was dragged into this place (ha!) but because their exhibition turned out to be disappointing and the museum was actually very small, it was just one wing of the castle - they could've opened more part of the castle and showed more relics, after all it's a Castle and Cathedral museum.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Varvara_R

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Trinity Sergius Lavra

The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius is a world famous spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church and a popular site of pilgrimage and tourism. It is the most important working Russian monastery and a residence of the Patriarch. This religious and military complex represents an epitome of the growth of Russian architecture and contains some of that architecture’s finest expressions. It exerted a profound influence on architecture in Russia and other parts of Eastern Europe.

The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, was founded in 1337 by the monk Sergius of Radonezh. Sergius achieved great prestige as the spiritual adviser of Dmitri Donskoi, Great Prince of Moscow, who received his blessing to the battle of Kulikov of 1380. The monastery started as a little wooden church on Makovets Hill, and then developed and grew stronger through the ages.

Over the centuries a unique ensemble of more than 50 buildings and constructions of different dates were established. The whole complex was erected according to the architectural concept of the main church, the Trinity Cathedral (1422), where the relics of St. Sergius may be seen.

In 1476 Pskovian masters built a brick belfry east of the cathedral dedicated to the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. The church combines unique features of early Muscovite and Pskovian architecture. A remarkable feature of this church is a bell tower under its dome without internal interconnection between the belfry and the cathedral itself.

The Cathedral of the Assumption, echoing the Cathedral of the Assumption in the Moscow Kremlin, was erected between 1559 and 1585. The frescoes of the Assumption Cathedral were painted in 1684. At the north-western corner of the Cathedral, on the site of the western porch, in 1780 a vault containing burials of Tsar Boris Godunov and his family was built.

In the 16th century the monastery was surrounded by 6 meters high and 3,5 meters thick defensive walls, which proved their worth during the 16-month siege by Polish-Lithuanian invaders during the Time of Trouble. They were later strengthened and expanded.

After the Upheaval of the 17th century a large-scale building programme was launched. At this time new buildings were erected in the north-western part of the monastery, including infirmaries topped with a tented church dedicated to Saints Zosima and Sawatiy of Solovki (1635-1637). Few such churches are still preserved, so this tented church with a unique tiled roof is an important contribution to the Lavra.

In the late 17th century a number of new buildings in Naryshkin (Moscow) Baroque style were added to the monastery.

Following a devastating fire in 1746, when most of the wooden buildings and structures were destroyed, a major reconstruction campaign was launched, during which the appearance of many of the buildings was changed to a more monumental style. At this time one of the tallest Russian belfries (88 meters high) was built.

In the late 18th century, when many church lands were secularized, the chaotic planning of the settlements and suburbs around the monastery was replaced by a regular layout of the streets and quarters. The town of Sergiev Posad was surrounded by traditional ramparts and walls. In the vicinity of the monastery a number of buildings belonging to it were erected: a stable yard, hotels, a hospice, a poorhouse, as well as guest and merchant houses. Major highways leading to the monastery were straightened and marked by establishing entry squares, the overall urban development being oriented towards the centrepiece - the Ensemble of the Trinity Sergius Lavra.

In 1993, the Trinity Lavra was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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