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Karlsvärd Fortress () is a former
fortification A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...
on the island of Enholmen near
Slite Slite is a locality situated in Gotland Municipality, Gotland County, on the island of Gotland, Sweden with 1,500 inhabitants in 2014. Geography Slite is situated on the northern east coast of Gotland. The town is divided by the Sjuströmmar in ...
on
Gotland Gotland (; ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a Provinces of Sweden, province/Counties of Sweden, county (Swedish län), Municipalities of Sweden, municipality, a ...
,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
. In its place Enholmen Fortress () was built in the mid-1800s. It was decommissioned in 1905 and was then used as a training ground for the
coastal artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of ...
. During the 1990s it was used as a naval mine control station before the island was demilitarized in 2011. Karlsvärd Fortress ruin is since 2015 managed by the National Property Board.


Karlsvärd Fortress

In 1650, a technical drawing of Enholmen was submitted by Quartermaster general Johan Wärnschiöldh which included a pentagonal
bastion A bastion is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fire from the ...
sconce with lower walls and
counterscarp A scarp and a counterscarp are the inner and outer sides, respectively, of a ditch or moat used in fortifications. Attackers (if they have not bridged the ditch) must descend the counterscarp and ascend the scarp. In permanent fortifications, the ...
ditches, a drawing, which after some modifications by himself, was approved by the
King in Council The King-in-Council or the Queen-in-Council, depending on the gender of the reigning monarch, is a constitutional term in a number of states. In a general sense, it refers to the monarch exercising executive authority, usually in the form of app ...
in 1656. In 1657, the construction of the two western bastions was started. Little was done in the following years and in 1663 King Charles XI decided that the fortress would be closed. In 1710, however, the Defense Commission (''Defensionskommissionen'') ordained that a sconce was to be built at
Slite Slite is a locality situated in Gotland Municipality, Gotland County, on the island of Gotland, Sweden with 1,500 inhabitants in 2014. Geography Slite is situated on the northern east coast of Gotland. The town is divided by the Sjuströmmar in ...
, and the County Governor Anders Sparrfelt now made a drawing in which he "corrected" the old planning and in 1711 started the work on the Karlsvärd Fortress which Enholmen's sconce was then called, and the two bastions of intermediate curtain walls were constructed. Quartermaster general Magnus Palmqvist suggested, however, that instead of the completion of the "fortress", a couple of batteries and a
redoubt A redoubt (historically redout) is a Fortification, fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on Earthworks (engineering), earthworks, although some are constructed of ston ...
would be built, and already in 1712, the batteries and the ''s'' for the
infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
and
cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...
were finished. In 1719, Palmquist also considered that the construction of Karlsvärd ought not to be continued, but works constructed in 1711-12 would instead be retained, and this met with approval in the same year by Prince Frederick. In 1723, however, the resuming thought of accomplishing Karlsvärd came about, which at that time had the two south bastions in good condition, the northwestern and eastern bastions unfinished and the northern hardly begun. Now a lower sea defence across the entire stronghold was proposed. In 1739, a new drawing was made and again in 1741, then based on the 1723 plan. The construction of the actual stronghold was now continued, while a
ravelin A ravelin is a triangular fortification or detached outwork, located in front of the innerworks of a fortress (the curtain walls and bastions). Originally called a ''demi-lune'', after the ''lunette'', the ravelin is placed outside a castle a ...
and a beach bastion was constructed and four shore batteries were built. The construction lasted until 1752, when one of Gabriel Cronstedt's prearranged draft of detached bastions in front of the curtain walls were met with approval. Later Johan Bernhard Virgin suggested the construction of the shoreline under the new plan, and three bomb-free vaulted bastioned towers, but in 1756 it was decided that Karlsvärd would be fulfilled according to the 1752 decision, and colonel F. K. Wrede was commanded to draw proposals for the sea defences, which, however, should not become big or expensive. The construction resumed in 1764 and then continued to 1770 when the Secret Committee (''Sekreta utskottet'') considered that "the so-called fortress" Karlsvärd, which construction begun during
Charles X Charles X may refer to: * Charles X of France (1757–1836) * Charles X Gustav (1622–1660), King of Sweden * Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon (1523–1590), recognized as Charles X of France but renounced the royal title See also * * King Charle ...
's reign, could be completed only this year, but not the shore batteries and as well as the bomb free barracks and storehouses, to which Virgin had prepared drawings, which had been upheld by 1766 Secret Committee and should now be carried out. In 1773, von Arbin was commanded to submit a "shortened" design for Karlsvärd's placing into capable defense operations for the least cost possible, and in 1779 he had prepared a design for the shore batteries with bastioned towers besides another more discursive proposal with a large
dungeon A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably derives more from the Renaissance period. An oubliette (fr ...
, which was simultaneously submitted. Further constructions were not made, and on 22 April 1788, the King in Council considered Karlsvärd, which was still unfinished, had an inappropriate plan and could not protect the country, why the fortress now was condemned as being useless, pointless and costly. Major General
Johan Christopher Toll Count Johan Christopher Toll (1 February 1743 – 21 May 1817) was a Swedish statesman and soldier. Early life He was born in Mölleröd, Scania (now part of Hässleholm Municipality, Skåne County). Toll came of from an old family of Dutc ...
was instructed to blow-up the fortifications and redirecting the defense funds to other locations. The military commander of Gotland,
Michael Silvius von Hohenhausen Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...
, made a request in 1834 for an engineer officer to help in drawing the proposal for a masonry fortification on the site of Karlsvärd but this did not lead to any result.


Enholmen Fortress

In 1831
cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...
reached the Baltic coast and a
quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals, and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have bee ...
station was established on the island. A cholera hospital was also built. Slite Harbour had since olden times been fortified, but the fortification, which in the 1650s was built on Enholmen and later was called Karlsvärd was long since decayed, when the 1839 Fortification Committee suggested that a new fortification was to be established to protect the harbour. Nothing was, however, done with this, but when the
Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...
broke out in 1853 and the
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
became a probable
theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...
of war, it was quickly decided that Enholmen's once again would be fortified, and during 1854–58 two
casemate A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armoured structure from which guns are fired, in a fortification, warship, or armoured fighting vehicle.Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary When referring to antiquity, the term "casemate wall" ...
fortification were built underneath the former Karlsvärd's dilapidated eastern and western fronts, exclusively for artillery defense of the two inlets to Slite. The batteries, which were armed with four seven-inch bomb cannons m/1840 and eight 24-pounder mortar guns each, were maintained afterwards, and some wooden buildings for the accommodation of officers and crew were erected on the island, but no permanent crew was ever placed there. The cholera hospital and the quarantine station was moved to the Asunden island when the island was re-fortified. When the town of Slite ceased to be a naval port, the King in Council prescribed on 15 December 1905, that the cannons of Enholmen would to be sold and batteries and other buildings to be leased.


Later use

During
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Enholmen was manned by military guards. A number of firing and observation bunkers was built during this time along the beach. After the wars, the coastal artillery in
Fårösund Fårösund is a locality situated on the Swedish island of Gotland with 800 inhabitants in 2014. The village can be reached by car from Visby. The island of Fårö can be reached by ferry from Fårösund. Fårösund is the northernmost town in t ...
used Enholmen as the location for emergency response exercises. From the 1950s to the 1990s a naval mine control station was situated in the old fortress. About fifteen meters underground were three large containers where dozens of people worked, slept and kept supplies before the station was closed in the 1990s. In 2008 it was decided that Enholmen would be sold by the
Swedish Fortifications Agency The Swedish Fortifications Agency () is a Swedish government agency under the Ministry of Finance, tasked with managing government-owned defence-related buildings and land. The agency functions as the landlord for the Swedish Armed Forces (), m ...
. During 2010-11 Enholmen was demilitarized. In 2013 the Cultural Property Inquiry proposed that Enholmen would remain under state ownership. The National Property Board manages Karlsvärd Fortress ruin since 2015.


See also

*
Fårösund Fortress Fårösund Fortress () is a decommissioned fortification in Fårösund on Gotland, Sweden, which was built from 1885 to 1886. History Sweden's capacity to protect its neutrality was questioned after the Crimean War 1854–56. England and France ...


References


External links


Karlsvärd Fortress


{{Gotland County Forts in Sweden Buildings and structures in Gotland County Coastal fortifications