Godnatt Fortress Tower

Godnatt and Kurrholmen

In 1680 it was decided that the main base for Sweden's navy should be moved to Blekinge archipelago, and a new naval town, Karlskrona, was to be established. The location was chosen in part because of its proximity to Swedish territories on the other side of the Baltic Sea.

The mid-nineteenth century saw a need to strengthen the defences surrounding the southern entrance to Karlskrona's naval harbour, and so fortifications were proposed on six small skerries, including Godnatt and Kurrholmen.

The fortress towers on Godnatt and Kurrholmen, which are just like the keeps built in Sweden since the Middle Ages, are the last two examples of older fortification techniques in Sweden, before modern artillery took over. Usually referred to as Godnatt and Kurrholmen, the towers were constructed in the 1850s and 1860s, and were already outmoded by the time they were completed.

Godnatt Fortress Tower

The tower has two battery levels and one low cellar level, with the foundations laid directly on the bedrock. On the top is a lighthouse which is still in use. Each floor in the pentagonal tower had space for eight cannons.

The tower, which quickly came to be used only as a lighthouse, has a unique staircase design. The stairwell is circular, with two spiral staircases running parallel, one above the other.

The tower was fitted with a removable roof in 1996, a reconstruction based on old drawings from the Military Archives of Sweden. The tower was then restored inside and out in 1997-98 and now visitors can take guided tours. In summer, the tower is occasionally used for art exhibitions.

External links

• Karlskrona
• The Naval City of Karlskrona