The moat
The castle mirrored.
Stephenperies — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zeddok — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Alexandru Baboş Albabos — CC BY 3.0 · RuprechtN — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Stephenperies — CC BY-SA 4.0
Vadstena Castle is a former royal castle in the town of Vadstena in Östergötland, on the shore of Lake Vättern in southern Sweden. It lies about 43 km in a straight line from Linköping. King Gustav I built it in 1545 as a fortress of three small stone buildings facing the lake, with earth ramparts, a courtyard, a moat and four round towers. On 22 August 1552 the king married his third wife here, and one hall is still called the Wedding Hall. Work to turn the fortress into a palace began in the 1550s, and by its completion in 1620 every king of the Vasa line had contributed, making it one of Sweden's finest examples of Renaissance architecture. The long grey stone building, with massive round towers and green copper domes, stands in a broad moat that mirrors it. Sailing boats moor in the small harbour in front, and grassy earth ramparts surround it. The rooms are open on tours in summer. You can walk around the moat and along the lakeshore at any time.
The castle mirrored.
Green domes.
Sailing boats.
Vadstena, on Lake Vättern, Östergötland, Sweden
On a summer tour.
Named for the king's 1552 wedding.