Skokloster Church, Skokloster, Sweden

Skokloster Church, the second oldest brick church in Sweden, was built for nuns of the Cistercian order in the late 13th century. In the 17th century it became the Wrangel family burial church as well as for services.

There are several significant artefacts in the church, like medieval crucifix and other wooden sculptures. The pulpit and altar were brought in the 17th century from Oliwa monastery in Gdansk, Poland.

Behind the church, a Viking horseman hurtles along on Burestenen (Bure’s Stone). There are several runestones, because Lake Mälaren was an important Viking shipping route.

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User Reviews

Nick Nikolov (5 months ago)
One of the most impressive castles in Sweden. Owned by Carl Gustaf Wrangel, commanding general of the Swedish armed forces, it was designed to impress from inception. It houses one of the oldest arsenals in the world, and the best-preserved weapons collection in all of Europe. It also boasts the oldest crystal chandelier in existence, which is falling apart by the minute. Don't miss the chance to visit this gem!

Tommy Liikamaa (9 months ago)
The guided tour is a must and highly recommended to see the top floors and rooms. One of the biggest collections of antique guns in the world as kept by the original owner, quite amazing to see.

Victoria Cruz (9 months ago)
Lovely scenery. The castle is worth a visit. I find it more interesting than the Royal Castle in Stockholm

Dubravka Marinkov (9 months ago)
Incredible place, beautiful landscape and amazing lake ❤️?

Mathias Jansson (11 months ago)
Great guides and an interesting history of this place. The gardens are lovely and you can stroll around freely on the caller grounds. On the bottom floor there's a nice cafe with good sandwiches.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Göran Höglund (Kartläsarn)

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Varberg Fortress was built in 1287-1300 by count Jacob Nielsen as protection against his Danish king, who had declared him an outlaw after the murder of King Eric V of Denmark. Jacob had close connections with king Eric II of Norway and as a result got substantial Norwegian assistance with the construction. The fortress, as well as half the county, became Norwegian in 1305.

King Eric's grand daughter, Ingeborg Håkansdotter, inherited the area from her father, King Haakon V of Norway. She and her husband, Eric, Duke of Södermanland, established a semi-independent state out of their Norwegian, Swedish and Danish counties until the death of Erik. They spent considerable time at the fortress. Their son, King Magnus IV of Sweden (Magnus VII of Norway), spent much time at the fortress as well.

The fortress was augmented during the late 16th and early 17th century on order by King Christian IV of Denmark. However, after the Treaty of Brömsebro in 1645 the fortress became Swedish. It was used as a military installation until 1830 and as a prison from the end of the 17th Century until 1931.

It is currently used as a museum and bed and breakfast as well as private accommodation. The moat of the fortress is said to be inhabited by a small lake monster. In August 2006, a couple of witnesses claimed to have seen the monster emerge from the dark water and devour a duck. The creature is described as brown, hairless and with a 40 cm long tail.

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