- Type
- Castle
- Origins
- 14th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- Finland
- Visiting
- probably – Wikidata lists it as a museum or gives tickets, opening hours or visitor numbers; check before you go
- Coordinates
- 60.2329°, 20.0807°
History
The castle was built in the second half of the 14th century on a rocky headland in what is now the municipality of Sund, and it is first recorded in 1388, when it passed to Queen Margaret together with the estates of the late magnate Bo Jonsson Grip. It was the centre of Swedish administration in Åland and guarded the sea route between Stockholm and Turku. In the 15th and 16th centuries it changed hands several times in the Danish-Swedish wars, and under Gustav Vasa it was rebuilt and strengthened. In the 1570s the deposed King Eric XIV was held prisoner here for a time. After a fire in 1745 the castle fell into ruin; in the 20th century it was secured and partly rebuilt as a museum.
What to see
The castle retains its massive stone walls, main tower and parts of the residential wings, whose restored rooms present the history of Åland from the Middle Ages to modern times. Right next door are the Jan Karlsgården open-air museum, with old farmsteads and windmills, and the 18th-century Vita Björn prison, also now a museum. The walls look out over the bay and the surrounding fields.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q1735335
Popularity: articles about this site in 19 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).