Kronhuset

Gothenburg, Sweden

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:

Comments

Your name

Website (optional)


Address

Kronhusgatan 2, Gothenburg, Sweden
See all sites in Gothenburg

Details

Founded: 1642-1654
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Sweden
Historical period: Swedish Empire (Sweden)

More Information

www.goteborg.com

Rating

4.1/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Gothenburg Museum of Art (1,6 km)
Karl Johan Church (2,7 km)
Gothenburg Cathedral (0,4 km)
Gothenburg Maritime Museum (2,1 km)
Tuve Church (6,7 km)
Klippan (3,7 km)
East India Company House (0,2 km)
Christina Church (0,1 km)
Haga Church (1 km)


Stråvalla Church (47,9 km)
Carlsten (30,2 km)
Björlanda Church (10,2 km)
Lödöse Museum (38,2 km)
Torslanda Church (11,7 km)
Bohus Fortress (17,3 km)
Upphärad Church (54,3 km)
Koberg Castle (57,2 km)
Säve Church (10,9 km)

User Reviews

kanhokthorn leadkeattiwong (3 months ago)
Very nice Christmas market in here and this is the oldest building in Göteborg.
High Places Films (3 months ago)
Very nice historical site to visit during the Christmas. You can find a nice Christmas market here.
Ulrike Eisengräber (3 months ago)
The Christmas market here is super cute - lots of artisanal and regional products!
ztein susi (3 months ago)
Christmas Market was very nice, and friendly people.
Minna Backman (8 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.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Must-see historic sighs in Luxembourg
Photo from Flickr, copyright kangkeng

Historic Site of the week

Beersel Castle

The moated castle at Beersel is one of the few exceptionally well-preserved examples of medieval fortifications in Belgium. It remains pretty much as it must have appeared in the 15th century. Remarkably, it was never converted into a fortified mansion. A visitor is able to experience at first-hand how it must have felt to live in a heavily fortified castle in the Middle Ages.

The castle was built in around 1420 as a means of defence on the outer reaches of Brussels. The tall, dense walls and towers were intended to hold any besiegers at bay. The moat and the marshy ground along its eastern, southern and western edges made any attack a formidable proposition. For that reason, any attackers would have chosen its weaker northern defences where the castle adjoins higher lying ground. But the castle was only taken and destroyed on one occasion in 1489, by the inhabitants of Brussels who were in rebellion against Maximilian of Austria.

After being stormed and plundered by the rebels it was partially rebuilt. The pointed roofs and stepped gables are features which have survived this period. The reconstruction explains why two periods can be identified in the fabric of the edifice, particularly on the outside.

The red Brabant sandstone surrounds of the embrasures, now more or less all bricked up, are characteristic of the 15th century. The other embrasures, edged with white sandstone, date from the end of the 15th century. They were intended for setting up the artillery fire. The merlons too are in white sandstone. The year 1617 can be clearly seen in the foundation support on the first tower. This refers to restorations carried out at the time by the Arenberg family.

Nowadays, the castle is dominated by three massive towers. The means of defence follow the classic pattern: a wide, deep moat surrounding the castle, a drawbridge, merlons on the towers, embrasures in the walls and in the towers, at more or less regular intervals, and machiolations. Circular, projecting towers ensured that attacks from the side could be thwarted. If the enemy were to penetrate the outer wall, each tower could be defended from embrasures facing onto the inner courtyard.

The second and third towers are flanked by watchtowers from which shots could be fired directly below. Between the second and third tower are two openings in the walkway on the wall. It is not clear what these were used for. Were these holes used for the disposing of rubbish, or escape routes. The windows on the exterior are narrow and low. All light entering comes from the interior. The few larger windows on the exterior date from a later period. It is most probable that the third tower - the highest - was used as a watchtower.

Map Top Sights Tags Historical Periods City Guides About Us Sign Up Upload new site
© 2019 SpottingHistory.com. All rights reserved.