Visingsborg Castle Ruins

Visingsö, Sweden

The foundations of Visingsborg Castle date from 1560s. It was square formed with a moat four towers. The Brahe Family lived in Visingsborg Castle during the 16th and 17th centuries. During their time was one of the most impressive buildings in Sweden. Sculptures and paintings embellished the walls and a large number of books filled the library. The castle also had an armoury that equipped up to 800 soldiers. Outside the walls were large orchards and gardens.The Visingsborg Castle was empty for several years after the death of Count Per Brahe the Younger in 1680. Later, in the early 18th century, it was used as a camp for Russian war prisoners. It is said that it was these prisoners who finally burnt down the castle in 1718. What is left today is only the left wing.

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Visingsborg 2, Visingsö, Sweden
See all sites in Visingsö

Details

Founded: 1560s
Category: Ruins in Sweden
Historical period: Early Vasa Era (Sweden)

More Information

wikimapia.org

Rating

4.1/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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User Reviews

Denon (5 months ago)
Nice energetic place, you can rest here and fell the energy
Lewis Liu (10 months ago)
An interesting old ruin on the island, the view around us very beautiful and pleasant. I would suggest anyone who’s interested to visit it. You could also check the photos I took, I hope it will help you decide. However, the island isn’t as small as I thought, you better have some kind of transportation on the island. Could be your own car or you could also take the horse and carriage. I’m just going back now I’m gonna morning you want anything I just don’t know if it’s okay but you know what I’m talking too and it’s like you know you don’t have any money but I’m gonna you want you to be there at the house I your family I know that I do that but you gotta was a little too nervous about the kids that we had together but you didn’t tell you I wanna talk now.
Atila K (11 months ago)
Really nice views and it's open 24h.
Micheal Ulasi (11 months ago)
This is a very nice place to have family picnic or just relax with your loved ones.
Sue DelSignore (12 months ago)
beautiful ruins with overlook of the original and in use harbour of the island. History plaques are placed around the ruins. Great place to picnic around the base of the ruins with fire pits to the north of the castle. Beautiful backdrop for weddings or wedding pictures.
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Moszna Castle

The Moszna Castle is one of the best known monuments in the western part of Upper Silesia. The history of this building begins in the 17th century, although much older cellars were found in the gardens during excavations carried out at the beginning of the 20th century. Some of the investigators, including H. Barthel, claimed that those cellars could have been remnants of a presumed Templar castle, but their theory has never been proved. After World War II, further excavations discovered a medieval palisade.

The central part of the castle is an old baroque palace which was partially destroyed by fire on the night of April 2, 1896 and was reconstructed in the same year in its original form by Franz Hubert von Tiele-Winckler. The reconstruction works involved an extension of the residence. The eastern Neogothic-styled wing of the building was built by 1900, along with an adjacent orangery. In 1912-1914, the western wing was built in the Neo-Renaissance style. The architectural form of the castle contains a wide variety of styles, thus it can be generally defined as eclectic.

The height of the building, as well as its numerous turrets and spires, give the impression of verticalism. The whole castle has exactly ninety-nine turrets. Inside, it contains 365 rooms. The castle was twice visited by the German Emperor Wilhelm II. His participation in hunting during his stay at the castle was documented in a hand-written chronicle in 1911 as well as in the following year. The castle in Moszna was the residence of a Silesian family Tiele-Winckler who were industrial magnates, from 1866 until the spring of 1945 when they were forced to move to Germany and the castle was occupied by the Red Army. The period of the Soviet control caused significant damage to the castle's internal fittings in comparison to the minor damage caused by WWII.

After World War II the castle did not have a permanent owner and was the home of various institutions until 1972 when it became a convalescent home. Later it became a Public Health Care Centre for Therapies of Neuroses. Nowadays it can be visited by tourists since the health institution has moved to another building in the neighbourhood. The castle also has a chapel which is used as a concert hall. Since 1998 the castle housed a gallery in which works of various artists are presented at regular exhibitions.

Apart from the castle itself, the entire complex includes a park which has no precise boundaries and includes nearby fields, meadows and a forest. Only the main axis of the park can be characterised as geometrical. Starting from the gate, it leads along the oak and then horse-chestnut avenues, towards the castle. Further on, the park passes into an avenue of lime trees with symmetrical canals running along both sides of the path, lined with a few varieties of rhododendrons. The axis of the park terminates at the base of a former monument of Hubert von Tiele-Winckler. On the eastern side of the avenue there is a pond with an islet referred to by the owners as Easter Island. The islet is planted with needle-leaved shrubs and can be reached by a Chinese-styled bridge. The garden, as part of the whole park complex was restored slightly earlier than the castle itself. Preserved documents of 1868 state that the improvement in the garden's aesthetic quality was undertaken by Hubert von Tiele-Winckler.

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