Malmö Castle

Malmö, Sweden

Malmö Castle (Malmöhus) was founded in 1434 by King Eric of Pomerania. This structure was demolished in early 16th century. The castle acquired its present appearance following major reconstruction in the 1530’s, when King Christian III ordered the building of a modern fortress, splendid Renaissance castle and county governor´s residence, all on the one site. Historically, this fortress was one of the most important strongholds of Denmark.

Denmark´s coins were minted there in the Middle Ages. Crown Prince Frederick held wild parties in the 16th century. Prisoners were beheaded in the courtyard in the 19th century. Malmöhus has now been restored in the spirit of the 16th century and is part of the Malmö Museums, the largest museum in southern Sweden. The castle is part of Sweden´s cultural heritage and is managed by the National Property Board.

The castle was for five years (1568-1573) the prison of James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. The earl was taken into custody on the orders of the Protestant Danish king Frederick II of Denmark when his ship ran aground in Bergen, Norway during a storm. He was sent to Malmö Castle to be imprisoned, although he had previously been released from Tower of London for lack of evidence in the murder of Mary's second husband, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. As a bachelor, Frederick II courted Elizabeth I of England and was made a Knight of the Garter. Some sources suggest a second reason for the involvement in this matter by the Danish king; he is thought to have held hopes of collecting a ransom from Scotland. However, the Earl of Bothwell died in 1578 in Dragsholm Castle, Zealand, where he had been moved after the first five years in Danish captivity, without ever being the subject of Danish-Scottish negotiations for his release.

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Details

Founded: 1434
Category: Castles and fortifications in Sweden
Historical period: Kalmar Union (Sweden)

Rating

4.2/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Kirti Mehrotra (23 days ago)
Really liked the experience of going over there and exploring the history. There are exhibitions lots of other things in science museum ....vintage cars and also art exhibitions....and the castle looks beautiful....with lots of artifacts and historical facts over there....anyone can go over there with friends and family i have shared the path showing on what is on which floor.
Bithy Soptorshi (2 months ago)
I have always loved history, and the same goes for museums. Malmö Castle has a very relevant and creative exhibition of Art, Culture, and History. It immerses people in the time and the stories behind the presentations. You will not be disappointed if you want to take a journey through history, especially with good company.
Viktorija Vlad (3 months ago)
Malmo Castle - fortress. I didn’t have a chance to come inside. I have decided not to visit museum, but I just wanted to walk around and see this castle. To be honest if I would be going inside probably I would have a better option about it. I hope to visit the museum one day.
Ana Sremcevic (4 months ago)
This is a wonderful place where you can see and hear a lot of different things like history of the castle, art gallery, the beginning of life on the our planet, mini zoo with some very special animals from all around the world... Be aware that you need 2-3 hours to visit everything.
Mihnea Boiangiu (5 months ago)
Not quite the castle vibe that you’d expect. They had an aquarium which was really nice. The art gallery is also something interesting to see, but the actual castle looks a bit unorganized and lacks the interesting historical facts and stories about it. I wasn’t impressed, but you might like it.
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