Ritning öfver Skansen Götha Leijon vid Götheborg

Skansen Lejonet ("the Lion Sconce"), formally Westgötha Leijon ("the Westrogothic Lion"), is a

redoubt A redoubt (historically redout) is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, although some are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldi ...

on the hill Gullberg in Gothenburg, Sweden, built in 1687-92 on the site of an earlier medieval castle. It was decommissioned in 1822 and has since served a range of other purposes. The fortress and its twin, Skansen Kronan, were built to protect the city of Gothenburg against possible

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

attack, and thus had a similar purpose to the sea fort of

New Älvsborg New Älvsborg, so-called to distinguish it from the earlier fortress at Old Älvsborg, is a sea fort on the island of Kyrkogårdsholmen within the urban area of modern Gothenburg, Sweden. Situated near the mouth of the Göta River, it protected wh ...

, which was built around the same time.

Gullberg Castle

Skansen Lejonet was erected on the site of an older medieval castle, known as ''Gullbergs hus'' (literally 'Gullberg's House'). According to the '' Erik's Chronicle'', it was built in 1285 by King Birger. It had evidently fallen into disrepair by 1455, as it had to be rebuilt in that year by Tord Karlsson Bonde, only to be destroyed by the Danes in 1523, during the Swedish War of Liberation; it was rebuilt again by the early Vasa kings, only to be destroyed once more by the Danes in July 1612, during the

Kalmar War The Kalmar War (1611–1613) was a war between Denmark–Norway and Sweden. Though Denmark-Norway soon gained the upper hand, it was unable to defeat Sweden entirely. The Kalmar War was the last time Denmark-Norway successfully defended its ''dom ...

History

The city of Gothenburg was founded in 1621. The new settlement was equipped with an impressive network of fortifications, but military engineers were concerned by the fact that the city was overlooked by two hills, the Gullberg and the Risåsberg, and so it was decided to construct forts on both hilltops in order to prevent potential attackers from siting artillery there. The two forts were designed by

Erik Dahlbergh '' Count Erik Jönsson Dahlbergh (10 October 162516 January 1703) was a Swedish military engineer, Governor-general and Field marshal. He rose to the level of nobility through his military competence. As an architect and draftsman, he was reno ...

, with the one on the Risåsberg being named Skansen Kronan and the one on the Gullberg being named Skansen Westgötha Leijon. The latter name, which alluded to the fact that the lion is a symbol of

Västergötland Västergötland (), also known as West Gothland or the Latinized version Westrogothia in older literature, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish), situated in the southwest of Sweden. Väs ...

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

, was soon truncated in colloquial speech to ''Skansen Lejonet'', or simply ''Lejonet'' ('the Lion'). Suecia 3-037 ; Göteborg

At the time, Gullberg was separated from the city walls by a substantial expanse of open ground, as can be clearly seen in Dahlbergh's illustrations of Gothenburg, including the by-then finished Skansen Lejonet, from his famous '' Suecia antiqua et hodierna'' (1690–1710). However, as the city expanded, Gullberg was enveloped by urban sprawl, and today Skansen Lejonet is situated in the middle of the

marshalling yards A classification yard (American and Canadian English (Canadian National Railway use)), marshalling yard ( British, Hong Kong, Indian, Australian, and Canadian English (Canadian Pacific Railway use)) or shunting yard (Central Europe) is a railway ...

outside

Gothenburg Central Station Gothenburg Central Station ( sv, Göteborgs centralstation, Göteborg C) is the main railway station of Gothenburg and it is the oldest railway station in Sweden still in use. The station serves 27 million passengers per year, making it the second ...

. The fortress is nevertheless still accessible on foot. The construction of Skansen Lejonet began in May 1687. On 10 September 1689, the construction site was visited by King Charles XI, accompanied by a number of other dignitaries. According to later accounts of the occasion by Dahlbergh and other witnesses, the king and his entourage climbed onto the roof of the half-finished fortress and drank a series of toasts. The seven-year old Crown Prince Charles, the future King Charles XII, was also present, and drew a picture of Skansen Lejonet which is still preserved. The fortress was complete by 1692, when the finishing touch was applied in the shape of a lion ornament fashioned by the sculptor Marcus Jäger the Elder. The lion was depicted wearing a gilded crown, brandishing a sword and bearing a shield with the Swedish

three crowns Three Crowns ( sv, tre kronor, links=no) is the national emblem of Sweden, present in the coat of arms of Sweden, and composed of three yellow or Gilding, gilded coronets ordered two above and one below, placed on a blue background. Similar de ...

emblem, imitating the lion on the

coat of arms of Gothenburg Coat of arms of Gothenburg consists of images from Sweden's great coat of arms and is meant to symbolize the city as Sweden's western defence. The lion is from the arms of the Folkunga dynasty, which in the 17th century was considered to be the ar ...

. At some point over the following two centuries the original ornament was removed for unknown reasons, and subsequently lost. However, after the roof of the building was destroyed by a fire in 1891, it was decided that once the damage had been fixed, a new lion should be made to adorn the tower again. The architect Eugen Thorburn designed the replacement ornament, which is four metres high and made of

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

. The new lion was lifted into place atop Skansen Lejonet on October 6, 1893. Skansen Lejonet is currently used as a venue for wedding banquets, conferences and private parties; the building is owned by a fraternal order, ''Götiska Förbundet'', not to be confused with the literary society of the same name which was active in the early

nineteenth century The 19th (nineteenth) century began on 1 January 1801 ( MDCCCI), and ended on 31 December 1900 ( MCM). The 19th century was the ninth century of the 2nd millennium. The 19th century was characterized by vast social upheaval. Slavery was abolish ...

References

Sources

* * 17th-century fortifications Castles in Västra Götaland County Forts in Sweden History of Gothenburg Listed buildings in Gothenburg {{Sweden-struct-stub

Gullberg Castle

History

See also

References

Sources