Örebro Castle ( sv, Örebro slott) is a
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
castle 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' ...
at
Svartån in
Örebro County
Örebro County ( sv, Örebro län) is a county or '' län'' in central Sweden. It borders the counties of Västra Götaland, Värmland, Dalarna, Västmanland, Södermanland and Östergötland. It is frequently culturally divided into the hilly ...
,
Sweden. It was expanded during the reign of the
royal family Vasa (
House of Vasa) and finally rebuilt about 1900. Some of the rooms are used as classrooms for pupils from Karolinska gymnasiet.
History
The castle lies on an island in the river
Svartån.
The name of Örebro comes from the small stones ("ör") that the river transports. The second part of the word comes from the bridge ("bro") .
The oldest part of the castle, a defence tower, was erected in the latter half of the 13th century. It was probably built during the reign of King
Magnus IV of Sweden
Magnus IV (April or May 1316 – 1 December 1374; Swedish ''Magnus Eriksson'') was King of Sweden from 1319 to 1364, King of Norway as Magnus VII (including Iceland and Greenland) from 1319 to 1355, and ruler of Scania from 1332 to 1360. By ...
(1316–1374). In 1364,
Albrecht von Mecklenburg (ca 1340–1412) captured a fortress in Örebro. That was probably a predecessor of today's castle, which was built on the small island within the Svartå river. The fortress is supposed to have consisted of a defence tower with a surrounding wall. The tower was added to in the 14th century to make a larger stronghold. Under King
Charles IX of Sweden (1550–1611), the fortress was rebuilt into a Renaissance castle. Since 1764, the castle has served as the residence of the governor of Örebro County.
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References
External links
*
Örebro slott website
Castles in Örebro County
Official residences of Swedish county governors
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