Winter has had a hard time letting go this year. The days have gotten long again-- it is light at 6 a.m.-- but we still haven't gotten much above 5 C and the snow showers have dragged on. We thought about escaping to Spain for spring break, but my husband has had so much work travel this month it didn't sound fun to him. So we decided to spend a week mostly being lazy at home. To help with my wanderlust, we did take one road trip a few hours north along the coast of the Baltic to see a few castles I've been wanting to visit.
First stop was Kalmar. Living in southern Sweden, it seems like all the exciting history took place in the 1500s and 1600s when Denmark and Sweden were constantly fighting for control of the area. Kalmar is now firmly in the middle of the Sweden, but at that point in history it was a border town and the site of many battles. It was built from the 12th-16th centuries and then restored in the 1800s.
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| Kalmar Slott |
I'd checked the website for the castle and understood that it would be open Easter week (its usually only open on weekends in the off-season) so we came by on a Thursday. Unfortunately, either the website was wrong, or more likely, my brain was, and the castle was not open for visitors. (The way Europeans write date/month rather than month/date can still play tricks on me, even though I know that is how it is done. The really sad thing is that I'd rechecked the website MULTIPLE times). This was disappointing. Luckily the grounds were open. We walked back to the car to bundle up better and then explored the ramparts, the courtyard and checked out all the moats and defenses. Honestly, the bulk of my family would have probably enjoyed that part most anyway. So far, they haven't been overly thrilled with any interiors that we have visited.
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| The inner courtyard. That is a very pretty well in the center-- and a lot of snow. |
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| A very decorative castle entrance from the courtyard |
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| Canons on the ramparts guarding the sound |
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| Looks like Spring break, doesn't it? |
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| Swans and ducks in one of several moats |
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What's left of the medieval harbor between the castle and the town.
This was originally much bigger-- it could handle large boats. |
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| Walking just inside the castle walls |
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| Some of the walls from the inside |
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The bridges into the castle. There was a series of moats and dry moats.
The final bridge was a draw bridge. |
Next we headed over the Öland Bridge (one of the longest bridges in Europe) to Öland, a long narrow island.
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On the bridge-- bridges never look as impressive while you are on them
as they do from a distance. |
We drove a about 20 minutes north along the coast to Borgholm where we wandered the small town looking for lunch. When we couldn't find a promising restaraunt, we opted for the grill stand in the town square and then took the food back with us to the castle ruins (Borgholms Slottsruin). It was a bit chilly for a picnic, so we sat in the car and ate with a view of the castle then we headed in to explore.
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| Castle in our mirror |
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| Borgholms Slottruin |
Like most fortresses, Borgholm has an extensive history of construction, damage and rebuilding. The site was used as a fortification and palace from the 1100s through the early 1700s, then it was abandoned to decay and eventually severely damaged in a fire. The result today is a really cool mix of architecture and nature-- a grassy, open-air environment surrounded by massive stone walls. It's probably more impressive this way than if it still had a roof.
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| The fortress began with a guard tower here. |
Models showing various configurations of the castle over the years.
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| From just outside the wall |
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Beautiful views from the upper stories-- Borgholm
and Kalmar Sound |
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| The harbor |
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| A section of roof-- which another floor was added above. |
The play of light and color and angles was amazingly beautiful. I could have taken pictures there all day long. I've tried to control myself and not post too many.
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| One of the round corner towers |
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| Beautiful natural chandeliers |
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We ignored the grafitti all over the walls, until we noticed
one section protected by plexiglas. If you look you'll find
dates in the 1600s and 1700s (and notice that in those days
vandals had much nicer handwriting) |
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There were some very dark and narrow passageways to
creep through. |
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| Ramparts |
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I loved this giant Elm tree in the courtyard between the
main fortress and some attached residences |
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| The kitchen-- with some HUGE ovens |
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| A circular ceiling still in place. |
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One section has been enclosed and restored as a museum and
event location. What an awesome site to rent! |
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Help! It's a monster! It did feel a bit weird to run
into this reminder of the 21st century. |
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| One last shot as we were leaving |
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A pile of rocks-- why? No idea. This was on the castle grounds but
there was way too much snow and mud for us to get over
to the sign to find out why it was there. |
Another thing Öland is known for is windmills. In the 1800s there were thousands of them on the island. Pretty much every farm had one to mill their grain plus there were some in the north used to polish flagstones to export. There are a few "Holland-style" but most are "post-style" (also called "stump-style") where the mill house sits on a post and the whole housing can turn to face the wind. There are still several hundred remaining and they are protected now as one of Öland's attractions. It is funny to see them in back yards, parking lots, etc. They seem to just spring up everywhere. We counted 23 on the 20 minute drive between the castle and the bridge.
Öland is a very popular tourist destination in the summer and you could see signs of that-- lots of campgrounds, beaches, amusement parks, etc. It is a beautiful area, but being Sweden there are not too many months of the year when you can really enjoy it.
