Kalmar Castle

About this place

Kalmar Castle is a castle in the city of Kalmar in Småland, southeastern Sweden, whose origins go back to a defensive tower built on the site around 1180. Its strategic position earned it the name «the Key to the Kingdom», and it stands near the city centre on the shore of the Kalmar Strait. In the late 13th century King Magnus built a new fortress around the original tower, with a curtain wall and round corner towers. In 1397 the castle saw the founding of the Kalmar Union, which brought Denmark, Norway and Sweden under one monarch. In the 16th century the Vasa kings turned the fortress into a Renaissance palace, and the Swedish National Property Board calls it the best-preserved Renaissance castle in the Nordic countries. The stone castle, with massive round towers and green copper domes, stands behind a moat and grassy earth ramparts. It mirrors in the water of the moat, and paths and gardens surround it down to the sea. The interiors are open on a tour, with exhibitions on the castle's history. The park around it is open for walks at any time.