Sweden Guide
The southeast
Kalmar Slott
Opening time: Daily: April, May, Sept to mid-Oct 10am–4pm; late Oct Sat & Sun 10am–4pm; June & Aug 10am–5pm; July 10am–6pm; guided tours in English June & Aug 11.30am & 2.30pm, July also 3.30pm
Price: 75kr
Beautifully set on its own island, a short way from the train and bus stations, the first stones of Kalmar Slott were probably laid in the twelfth century. A century later, it became the most impenetrable castle in Sweden under King Magnus Ladulås when it was reinforced to defend the nearby border between Sweden and Denmark. The castle passed repeatedly between Sweden and Denmark, but despite eleven sieges, remained almost unscathed. By the time Gustav Vasa became king of Sweden in 1523, Kalmar Slott was beginning to show signs of stress and strain, and the king set about rebuilding it, while his sons Eric XIV and Johan III continued with the decoration of the interior.
Unlike many other southern Swedish castles, this one is picture-perfect, with turrets, ramparts, moat, drawbridge, dungeon, and a furnished interior that's fascinating to wander through; especially with the excellent guides who dress in period clothing. Among the many highlights is the bed – stolen from Denmark – in the Queen's Suite; it's decorated with carved faces, but with all the noses chopped off – it was general belief that the nose contained the soul, and so the faces were disfigured to prevent the avenging spirits of the rightful owners from taking revenge. However, it's King Eric's bedroom, the King's Chamber, which is the most intriguing room, with its wall frieze of vividly painted animals and a secret door to a toilet with two escape routes – Eric was convinced that his younger brother Johan wanted to kill him. This isn't as paranoid as it sounds: Eric's death in 1577 is widely believed to have been caused by eating pea soup poisoned with arsenic.