- Type
- Castle
- Origins
- 1555 · 16th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- North Denmark, Denmark
- Coordinates
- 57.0494°, 9.9242°
History
An earlier castle in Aalborg, standing a little further south, is recorded in 1340; it belonged to Queen Margaret I, and King Hans was born there in 1455 and died there in 1513 after falling from his horse. During the civil war known as the Count's Feud it was captured in 1534 by the peasant leader Skipper Clement, who was soon driven out by royal troops. Christian III decided to build a new stronghold closer to the harbour to deter townspeople and peasants from further revolts: from 1539 thousands of tree trunks were driven into the marshy ground, from 1543 the ramparts were thrown up, and from 1547 the royal master builder Martin Bussert raised the castle itself. As early as 1555 royal councillors judged it useless as a fortress, since a garrison under siege would have no clean water, so it became the seat of the royal steward and a store for taxes paid in kind from northern Jutland. The north wing with its granaries was added under Christian IV in the 1630s, the Danes retook the castle from the Swedes in 1644, and in 1952–1964 the old granaries were converted into offices.
What to see
The castle stands by the Limfjord waterfront in central Aalborg, surrounded by earth ramparts that once hid the whole ground floor from outside. Of the original building of the 1550s the half-timbered east wing survives, the north wing dates from the 17th century and the south building from 1808–1809. The interiors are occupied by offices, but the castle park is open all year and visitors can walk through the courtyard; in summer the old dungeon and the 16th-century casemates hidden in the ramparts are open.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q1165691
Popularity: articles about this site in 9 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).