The Famous Castle of Kalmar

Kalmar Castle is said to be the best-preserved Renaissance castle in the entire Nordic world. It began its life as a simple defensive tower back in the turbulent 12th century, built because the locals – and I quote – were constantly afraid of attacks from the sea. The sea in question is the Baltic, represented by the Öland Strait, which separates the Swedish mainland and the city of Kalmar from the island of Öland. At that time, Kalmar was located on the southern border of the country (all of present-day southern Sweden was then Danish), and the strait enjoyed an extremely active maritime life.

A century later, the current king expanded the fortification and built a circular defensive wall around it. Over the years, the castle has been a main character in more than one important story, such as the creation of the Kalmar Union in 1397 between Sweden, Denmark and Norway. The goal was to resist the German Hanseatic League, which insisted that the Baltic trade routes were theirs. A wise initiative by the then Queen Margareta – a formidable woman and a brilliant politician. No one else could hold this union together and it fell apart after her death.

In 1544, King Gustav I decided to renovate all the defensive fortresses in the kingdom, starting with Kalmar. New solid walls were erected with four round towers at the corners, and inside a real castle was built with apartments for the king and queen and other luxuries. In 1658, Sweden took the southern parts in and the castle lost its strategic importance. In the following centuries, it was used successively as a prison, a distillery and a warehouse. Restoration work was carried out mainly in the last century, and today it is a national cultural monument.

The castle was first opened to visitors in 1870 and was staffed by a host, called the “Castellan”. The first Castellan of Kalmar indulged himself and his family with the governor’s apartments inside the castle until it became clear that the premises were unsafe and in need of renovation. The Castellan’s House was then built outside the castle walls, on the ruins of a small triangular fortification from the 18th century. From 1911 onwards, a succession of Castellans lived in it until 1994 when it was converted into the offices of the site’s management.

In the former prison of the museum site, an exhibition has been arranged about the conditions in which women declared criminals were placed – their offenses and their punishments. In 1751, for example, Helena Dretch was brought to court by her own husband, on charges of drinking and swearing. She pleaded that her husband was no better material than her, but in the end he left a free man while she was sentenced to two years in the Spinning House – a correctional home / workshop for “strong” women. The conditions in the prison were not to be told.

Inside the royal apartments, things look very different. Carved four-poster beds, coffered ceilings and eye-catching flooring. The so-called Checkered Room, for example, has wall decorations made from 17 different types of wood (not all from Kalmar) with colorful appliqués. It dates back to 1585, when the queen wanted a fancy reception room. A small door connected the reception room to the private apartments, and a secret passage, which today leads nowhere, connected the room to the royal summer pavilion.

Another jewel is the royal banquet hall. The walls were painted in now faded ancient Roman motifs, which has always amazed me greatly in medieval castles. The main character in the hall is the royal banquet table for at least 18-20 people. Royal banquets were distinguished by extravagance and – perhaps according to the king’s own understanding – a sense of humor. The highlight of the program were foods that were made to look like others (pear-shaped cookies) or pies in which various strange things such as birds were hidden.

The most colorful spot in Kalmar Castle is the room of Eric XIV, the heir to the throne of King Gustav Vasa, without whom (King Vasa I mean) no visit to a historical site in Sweden is complete. Eric lived in Kalmar while he waited for his turn to reign. It is said that his father prepared him very carefully for this role. However, he did not prepare him to beware of poisonous pea soups, or so the legend goes. Official authors of the time claim that the king died after only 17 years on the throne from a mental disorder, and not that he was poisoned by his own brother.

Finally, we will take a look at the castle chapel. In its current form, it looks like a calm and elegant place, but this was not always the case. At some point, it was open to all citizens, but there was no room inside. Someone thought of erecting a scaffolding along the entire wall at the entrance, which the commoners could climb on. But what else could a commoner think of except to curse the important people upon entering, and then throw whatever they could on their heads. The operation was hastily stopped and benches were placed in the adjacent hall, hear what you can.