Rating
4/5 (based on Google user reviews)
Falsterbohus was the name of a number of historic castles made by Danish dating from the mid-1200s. The first castle was destroyed in 1311, when Hanseatic League attacked against Eric VI of Denmark. The second one was also destroyed in a battle only couple of years later, at this time by Swedish soldiers.
The castle was rebuilt again in the late 14th century as the residence of king’s bailiff. The market of Scania was also moved from Skanör to Falsterbo at this time. The bailiff’s house was moved to Malmö in the 15th century and the stategic value of Falsterbo decreased quickly. The castle was demolished already in 1596.
Today there are only castle foundations remaining. The building now known as Falsterbohus was built in 1908 as a hotel and casion and today it functions as a condominium.
References:Ängsö Castle was first named as "Engsev" in a royal charter by king Canute I of Sweden (r. 1167-1196), in which he stated that he had inherited the property after his father Eric IX of Sweden. Until 1272, it was owned by the Riseberga Abbey, and then taken over by Gregers Birgersson.
From 1475 until 1710, it was owned by the Sparre family. The current castle was built as a fortress by riksråd Bengt Fadersson Sparre in the 1480s. In 1522, Ängsö Castle was taken after a siege by king Gustav Vasa, since its owner, Fadersson's son Knut Bengtsson, sided with Christian II of Denmark. However, in 1538 it was given by the king to Bengtsson's daughter Hillevi Knutsdotter, who was married to Arvid Trolle.
In 1710, the castle was taken over by Carl Piper and Christina Piper. Ängsö Castle was owned by the Piper family from 1710 until 1971, and is now owned by the Westmanna foundation. The castle building itself was made into a museum in 1959 and was made a listed building in 1965. It is currently opened to visitors during the summers.
The castle is a cubical building in four stores made by stone and bricks. The lower parts is preserved from the middle ages. It was redecorated and expanded in the 1630s. The 4th storey as well as the roof is from the expansion of Carl Hårleman from 1740-41. It gained its current appearance in the 1740s.
