Varberg Fortress

Building started 1287

In 1287, Count Jacob Nielsen began building a fortress at Vardberget in what was then the Danish province of Halland. The north and south ranges and a connecting wall were constructed at this time. The building was extended to become a castle in the 14th century, when residents included Magnus Eriksson, King of Sweden and Norway. King Christian IV of Denmark was another resident.

400 years in present form

The castle was besieged on numerous occasions in the 16th century, and much of the original fabric was destroyed.

The castle alternated between Danish and Swedish hands, coming under fire from the Danes against German invaders in 1536 and from the Swedes in 1563, for instance. The chain of bastions around the castle was constructed in the late 16th and early 17th century to the design of Hans van Steenwinckel, a Danish fortification engineer, turning the castle into a proper fortress. These external defensive positions were reinforced in the 1630s and 40s, when the fortress largely took on its present appearance.

Swedish since 1645

In 1645 the fortress became Swedish. In the 18th century it received occasional funding for improvements, but in the 19th century it fell into disrepair. In 1822 it lost its status as part of the nation's permanent defences, and some years later the city was allowed to remove stones from the outer walls for use in building projects.

19th-century prison

The fortress was used as a prison from 1848 to 1880. A Crown jail was built here in the mid 19th century and remained in use until 1930. Around 1920-30 the fortress was restored and the castle façades replastered. Most of the facing walls date from this time. Since the 1950s the castle has been renovated internally and externally. The courtyard façades were treated with a cement rendering in the early 1960s, but this was later sandblasted away so that plaster could be applied.

The castle is now home to Varberg County Museum, which also runs guided tours of the fortress.

External link

County Museum of Halland