Bohus Fortress

Hakon V of Norway began the fortress in 1308 on a rock where the river divides, and for three centuries it marked the meeting point of Norway, Sweden and Denmark, which is why it was attacked so often - the count is usually given as fourteen sieges, none of which took it by assault. It became Swedish by treaty in 1658. Demolition began in 1789, with the townspeople of Kungalv allowed to take building stone, and went on in fits until Karl XIV Johan stopped it, leaving high broken walls, the tower called Fars Hatt with a stair to the top, and vaults and dungeons below. The view from the tower covers the river split and Kungalv. Summer brings concerts and events in the courtyard.

The main sights

• Walls broken by the 1789 demolition - stopped part way.
• Fars Hatt tower - climbable, with the river split below.
• Vaults and dungeons - under the courtyard.
• A three-kingdom border site - fourteen sieges, never stormed.

When to go

May to September; largely closed in winter. Two hours.

Things to know

It is a ruin with no furnished interiors. Stairs are steep and uneven. Opening is seasonal. Event days close parts of the site.

Nearby

Kungalv is below; Gothenburg is south.

Key facts