Örebro Castle

County governor's residence since 1764.

The island castle in the Svartån

Örebro Castle is built on a small island in the Svartån river in the city centre. The site of present-day Örebro was a major centre even in ancient times, thanks to its strategic location on the river. Early on, a bridge was built over the Svartån and became an important link between the areas north and south of Lake Hjälmaren.

To protect this important route and the community that grew up around it, a fortress was built in the late 13th century on a small island in the river. It consisted of a ring wall surrounding a rectangular courtyard with a strong defensive tower in the southwest corner. This was Örebro Fortress, later to become Örebro Castle.

Karl IX - the King with an interest in architecture

Gustav Vasa's youngest son, Duke Karl, later to become Karl IX, inherited Örebro Fortress from his father and began an extensive building programme.

The works undertaken 1573-1627 resulted in a building consisting of four three-storey ranges surrounding a courtyard with a round tower in each corner. Ramparts ran between the towers, with outer walls up to two metres thick. The outer walls were made to look rough and fortified, whereas the façades facing the courtyard were richly ornamented with sculpture. Örebro Castle was now complete, but its primary role remained that of a fortress.

Restoration inspired by Vadstena Castle

By the time the building works were finished in 1627, Karl IX was dead and there was no longer any real use for the great house, which was left to fall into disrepair until the late 19th century. In 1897-1901, the castle underwent extensive restoration under the direction of architect Thor Thorén.

The work was designed to give the place the atmosphere of a Vasa castle, and Vadstena Castle was probably the immediate model. In all likelihood, the rebuilding work was inspired by the major restoration of Gripsholm Castle in the 1890s. All the plasterwork on the façades was chipped away to reveal the bare limestone.

In 1992-93, Byggnadsstyrelsen, the predecessor of the National Property Board, restored the two upper storeys of the castle under the direction of architect Gunnar Mattsson. The aim was to re-create the Renaissance character of the interiors as far as possible.

In brief

• Address: Kansligatan 1, Örebro
• Built: 1573-1627, rebuilt 1897-1901
• Architect: Originally Herkules Mida et al., rebuilding Thor Thorén
• Tenants: Länsstyrelsen i Örebro län, Destination Örebro AB, Högskolan i Örebro, Stora hotellet, Karolinska skolan, Slottskrogen i Örebro AB
• Manager: Jon Henriksson, National Property Board, Phone +46 18 56 48 32, E-mail jon.henriksson@sfv.se
• Military architectural heritage specialist: Kenneth von Kartaschew, National Property Board, Phone +46 8 696 7328 / +46 70 205 5964, E-mail kenneth.von. kartaschew@sfv.se

External links

Destination Örebro, Örebro University