Kronhuset, Gothenburg, Sweden - SpottingHistory.com

The old Kronhuset (the Crown House) behind the Gustav Adolf Square is one of the oldest buildings in Gothenburg. It was built in 1642-1654 as a storehouse for military uniforms and other military equipment. Now it is a living craft center in historic buildings.

Around Kronhuset is Kronhusbodarna (the Crown House Sheds).The west wing served as carriage storage and warehouse, and was built around 1750 after the previous wooden buildings around Kronhuset burned down. The east wing was built in 1759 for artillery weapon smiths, turners and saddlers. Sweden was at this time mobilizing for war with Denmark and the demande for a warehouse in Gothenburg was therefore high.

Kronhuset was built in Dutch style, and apart from the brick walls and ceiling, it's made entirely of wood. It is six stories high and the ground floor has no supporting pillars, which means that you could more easily move around guns and vehicles.

When the parliament convened in Gothenburg Kronhuset also functioned as parliament house. Nowadays the neighborhood is a vibrant craft centre. In the small sheds the are shops for glassworks, chocolate, candy, furniture, clocks, pottery and leather. There is also a popular cafe and bakery.

References:

Göteborg & Co

User Reviews

kanhokthorn leadkeattiwong (26 days ago)
Very nice Christmas market in here and this is the oldest building in Göteborg.

High Places Films (29 days ago)
Very nice historical site to visit during the Christmas. You can find a nice Christmas market here.

Ulrike Eisengräber (35 days ago)
The Christmas market here is super cute - lots of artisanal and regional products!

ztein susi (42 days ago)
Christmas Market was very nice, and friendly people.

Minna Backman (6 months ago)
Visited during Christmas Market and place was absolutely worth for a visit. You could buy mulled wine and other hot drinks as well as different delicacies and handicrafts. Outside were people serving food and drinks from old military field kitchen wearing costumes from same age.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

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Historic Site of the week

Eketorp Fort

Eketorp is an Iron Age fort in southeastern Öland, which was extensively reconstructed and enlarged in the Middle Ages. Throughout the ages the fortification has served a variety of somewhat differing uses: from defensive ringfort, to medieval safe haven and thence a cavalry garrison. In the 20th century it was further reconstructed to become a heavily visited tourist site and a location for re-enactment of medieval battles. Eketorp is the only one of the 19 known prehistoric fortifications on Öland that has been completely excavated, yielding a total of over 24,000 individual artifacts. The entirety of southern Öland has been designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The Eketorp fortification is often referred to as Eketorp Castle.

The indigenous peoples of the Iron Age constructed the original fortification about 400 AD, a period known to have engendered contact between Öland natives with Romans and other Europeans. The ringfort in that era is thought to have been a gathering place for religious ceremonies and also a place of refuge for the local agricultural community when an outside enemy appeared. The circular design was believed to be chosen because the terrain is so level that attack from any side was equally likely. The original diameter of this circular stone fortification was about 57 metres. In the next century the stone was moved outward to construct a new circular structure of about 80 metres in diameter. At this juncture there were known to be about fifty individual cells or small structures within the fort as a whole. Some of these cells were in the center of the fortified ring, and some were actually built into the wall itself.

In the late 600s AD the ringfort was mysteriously abandoned, and it remained unused until the early 11th century. This 11th century work generally built upon the earlier fort, except that stone interior cells were replaced with timber structures, and a second outer defensive wall was erected.

Presently the fort is used as a tourist site for visitors to Öland to experience a medieval fortification for this region. A museum within the castle walls displays a few of the large number of artefacts retrieved by the National Heritage Board during the major decade long excavation ending in 1974. Inside the fort visitors are greeted by actors in medieval costumes who assume the roles of period artisans and merchants who might have lived there nine centuries earlier. There are also re-enactment scenes of skirmishes and other dramatic events of daily life from the Middle Ages.

Eketorp lies a few kilometers west of Route 136. There is an ample unpaved parking area situated approximately two kilometers west of the paved Öland perimeter highway. There is also a gift shop on site. During peak summer visitation, there are guided tours available. Visitors are assessed an admission charge.

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