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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Address

Malmöhusvägen 6, Malmö, Sweden
See all sites in Malmö

Details

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

More Information

www.malmo.se
en.wikipedia.org
www.malmotown.com

Rating

4.1/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Malmö Stortorget (0,8 km)
St. Peter's Church (1 km)


City Hall (27,4 km)
Charlottenborg Palace (26,5 km)
Christiansborg Palace (26,8 km)
Rundetårn (27,2 km)
Trinitatis Church (27,2 km)
Amalienborg (26,3 km)
Caritas Well (27,3 km)
Rosenborg Castle (27,3 km)
National Museum of Denmark (27,1 km)

User Reviews

Bren Verde (8 months ago)
Very nice museum and also very cheap. Inside there are 3 museums and u can visit also the museum across the street in the same price . Around 5€ entrance fee for adult.
Dhaval Patel (8 months ago)
it was wonderful museum, go up stairs and spend much time over there, if u r history lover. very good information and aquarium on ground floor, do not forget to visit wind mill behind the building. you can spend almost 3-4 hours easily in museum and you will not realize at all...!
Steffon Cumberbatch (9 months ago)
Malmö Castle is beautiful inside and out. I recommend taking a nice stroll around the perimeter of the castle and taking in the beauty of the grass and water features against the castle itself. Inside the castle there is no shortage of interesting historical information, beautiful artwork, and ornate decor. It was definitely worth stopping by while we were in town.
Kendra Lamont (10 months ago)
Very cool museum. Kind of a weird layout so lots of walking and backtracking to see it all. A little spooky with the human skeleton and the weird music.
Marcus Forelius (11 months ago)
Pretty cool castle museum with an interestingly wide variety of exhibits. The history portion is top notch but a little twisty-turns in its layout. For me that just added to its charm. There was a portion on the military and royal history of the fortress and an aquarium, which is certainly an interesting mix. I especially liked the 20-40’s fashion and the exhibit on Capa’s photos from the Spanish Civil War, a random and awesome find. If you are in Copenhagen for a couple of days come to Malmö and come to this museum.
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Hochosterwitz Castle is considered to be one of Austria's most impressive medieval castles. The rock castle is one of the state's landmarks and a major tourist attraction.

The site was first mentioned in an 860 deed issued by King Louis the German of East Francia, donating several of his properties in the former Principality of Carantania to the Archdiocese of Salzburg. In the 11th century Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg ceded the castle to the Dukes of Carinthia from the noble House of Sponheim in return for their support during the Investiture Controversy. The Sponheim dukes bestowed the fiefdom upon the family of Osterwitz, who held the hereditary office of the cup-bearer in 1209.

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Over the next 30 years, the castle was badly damaged by numerous Turkish campaigns. On 5 October 1509, Emperor Maximilian I handed the castle as a pledge to Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg, then Bishop of Gurk. Bishop Lang undertook a substantial renovation project for the damaged castle.

About 1541, German king Ferdinand I of Habsburg bestowed Hochosterwitz upon the Carinthian governor Christof Khevenhüller. In 1571, Baron George Khevenhüller acquired the citadel by purchase. He fortified to deal with the threat of Turkish invasions of the region, building an armory and 14 gates between 1570 and 1586. Such massive fortification is considered unique in citadel construction.

Since the 16th century, no major changes have been made to Hochosterwitz. It has also remained in the possession of the Khevenhüller family as requested by the original builder, George Khevenhüller. A marble plaque dating from 1576 in the castle yard documents this request.

A specific feature is the access way to the castle passing through a total of 14 gates, which are particularly prominent owing to the castle's situation in the landscape. Tourists are allowed to walk the 620-metre long pathway through the gates up to the castle; each gate has a diagram of the defense mechanism used to seal that particular gate. The castle rooms hold a collection of prehistoric artifacts, paintings, weapons, and armor, including one set of armor 2.4 metres tall, once worn by Burghauptmann Schenk.

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