Borgholm Castle

There was a fortress on this ridge from the twelfth century, but what stands is Nicodemus Tessin the Elder's rebuilding for Karl X Gustav in the 1650s - a square baroque palace round a courtyard, with round corner towers, meant as a royal residence. It was never really finished for that purpose, served as a barracks and then a cloth factory, and burned in 1806, after which the walls were left. They are almost complete to full height with the floors gone, so you walk into an empty stone box the size of a palace with sky above. Concerts are held in the courtyard in summer. Solliden, the royal summer villa, is just south.

Highlights

• Full-height walls with nothing inside - the 1806 fire took the rest.
• Tessin the Elder's baroque plan - a square round a courtyard.
• Round corner towers - on the limestone ridge above the town.
• Summer concerts in the courtyard - the current use.

When to go

May to September; largely closed in winter. An hour and a half.

Practical notes

There are no interiors at all - this is a shell. It is exposed with no shelter from wind or rain. Concert days restrict access. Oland is very busy in July.

Nearby

Solliden is south; Borgholm town is below the ridge.

Key facts