Sweden - Vadstena Slott

Vadstena Slott (Vadstena Castle) is a former royal castle, originally built by King Gustav I in 1545 as a fortress to protect Stockholm from possible attacks by the Danes and the Smålanders. The fortress consisted of three smaller stone buildings facing Lake Vättern, three 31-meter wide ramparts, a courtyard, a moat and four circular cannon turrets.

However, the plans changed and in the 1550s the reconstruction from fortress into a habitable castle began and the buildings were turned into a Renaissance palace for Duke Magnus, the King’s son. It was not fully completed until 1620. It is still one of Sweden’s best examples of Renaissance architecture.

Vadstena Castle was a royal palace until 1716, when the royal family lost interest in it; after which it became a storage barn for grain. The original ramparts were torn down in the 19th century and the present impressive ramparts were inaugurated in 1999

Since 1899, the castle has housed the Provincial Archives and nowadays it houses also the International Vadstena Academy, an opera house and the Castle Museum