Vaxholm Fortress ( sv, Vaxholms fästning) is a historic

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

on the island of Vaxholmen in the Stockholm archipelago just east of the

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

town of

Vaxholm Vaxholm is a locality and the seat of Vaxholm Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. It is located on the island of in the Stockholm archipelago. The name Vaxholm comes from Vaxholm Castle, which was constructed in 1549 on an islet with this nam ...

. The fortress is accessed by the

Kastellet ferry Kastellet may refer to: Denmark * Kastellet (Roskilde), a historic house * Kastellet, Copenhagen, a citadel Norway * Kastellet tram stop, an Oslo Tramway station Sweden * Kastellet, Stockholm, a citadel * Kastellet ferry, a passenger ferry in ...

, an electrically powered

cable ferry A cable ferry (including the terms chain ferry, swing ferry, floating bridge, or punt) is a ferry that is guided (and in many cases propelled) across a river or large body of water by cables connected to both shores. Early cable ferries often ...

across the channel from Vaxholm town. In 1970, it was used as a movie location for the pirate stronghold in '' Pippi in the South Seas''. A scenic view of the castle may be seen from the car

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

which plies the short distance between

and the island Rindö.

History

The fortress was originally constructed by

Gustav Vasa Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksföre ...

in 1548 to defend

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

against shipborne attacks from the east. This wooden blockhouse was replaced by a stone tower during

Johan III John III ( sv , Johan III, fi, Juhana III; 20 December 1537 – 17 November 1592) was King of Sweden from 1569 until his death. He was the son of King Gustav I of Sweden and his second wife Margaret Leijonhufvud. He was also, quite autonomous ...

's reign. Most of the current structure dates from 1833–1863. Its design was inspired by the ideas on fortifications propounded by the French engineers Marc René Montalbert and

Lazare Carnot Lazare Nicolas Marguerite, Count Carnot (; 13 May 1753 – 2 August 1823) was a French mathematician, physicist and politician. He was known as the "Organizer of Victory" in the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. Education and early ...

. Russian prisoners-of-war were used in part to build the fortress. The stretch of water below the building was formerly the main sea route to Stockholm. Thus, the fortress was strategically situated to defend the city from naval attacks. The

Dane Dane or Danes may refer to: People Pertaining to Denmark * Dane, somebody from Denmark * Danes, an ethnic group native to Denmark * Danes (Germanic tribe) Other people * Dane (name), a surname and a given name (and a list of people with the nam ...

s attacked it in 1612 and the

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

n navy in 1719. Since the mid-19th century, its military importance has ceased. So weak had the fort become that it was said the great Prussian field marshal

von Moltke The House of Moltke is the name of an old German noble family. The family was originally from Mecklenburg, but apart from Germany, some of the family branches also resided throughout Scandinavia. Members of the family have been noted as pigfarme ...

was only ever seen to smile twice – once when they told him his mother-in-law was dead and again when he saw Vaxholm Fort. Today, it is home to the .

References

External links

Vaxholm Fortress
– Official site

at NortFort.ru {{in lang, en Castles in Stockholm County Forts in Sweden Islands of Vaxholm Municipality Islands of the Stockholm archipelago Listed buildings in Sweden Military and war museums in Sweden Museums in Stockholm County Uppland