VAXHOLM FORTRESSES AND MUSEUM (VAXHOLMS FÄSTNING)

The strategic situation of Vaxholm, the maritime gate of Stockholm, was established in the early th century, when the regent Sten Sture decided to build a fortified house there. King Gustave Vasa encouraged the site 50 years later, fearing attacks by the Danes and Russians. The construction was then limited to a large armed circular circular of canons, from which a chain of protection was ordered rainforests the straits. In order to force maritime traffic to take this passage, the king undertook the pharaoh project to butcher a neighbouring strait, a task that will take over 300 years. The fortress quickly proved to be effective in countering enemy attempts to approach Stockholm by the Baltic Sea: in 1598, the Polish fleet of King Bondsmen was discouraged by the opposition met in Vaxholm. 14 years later, an army of 8 000 Danes had to go back after being seriously bombed by the Swedish guns. In 1719, the Russians tried to force the Strait, without Success. In the th century, other constructions complétèrent the defence apparatus of the archipelago, including the fort of Fredriksborg. Over time, the fortress of Vaxholm lost its military importance and, in the middle of the th century, the old tower of Gustave Vasa was demolished. A new construction was born today (it is visible today), which the Swedish army finally left in 2006.

The visit. It is possible to walk freely in the fort: the court of parades and its elegant pink buildings and cream, the thick granite ramparts on which ancient and modern canons blend, the tower dominating Vaxholm and the surrounding islands (130 steps to climb), the promenade which makes the tower of the walls, and finally the museum dedicated to the history of the fort, opened since 1964 and renovated in 2003.