Nykopingshus
The ruin and surviving tower of the castle where the Nykoping banquet of 1317 ended with two dukes starved in the cellar.
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The castle guarded the river mouth from the twelfth century and grew into a royal residence, and what it is remembered for happened in December 1317, when King Birger invited his brothers Erik and Valdemar to a Christmas banquet, had them seized in the night and left in the cellar, where they died. Most of the building burned in 1665 and was not rebuilt; the Kungstornet, the king's tower, survived and holds the museum, with the foundations and outer walls standing around it. The exhibitions cover the banquet, the castle's Vasa period and the region generally. It sits in a park in the middle of Nykoping and is free to walk around.
What you actually see
- The Kungstornet - the surviving tower, now the museum.
- Foundations and outer walls - what the 1665 fire left.
- The 1317 banquet story - told in the exhibition.
- A park in the town centre - open and free to walk.
When to go
May to September for full opening. An hour and a half.
Honest expectations
Opening is seasonal and limited outside summer. The ruin itself is fragmentary. Exhibition labelling in English is partial. Nykoping is a small town with little else to fill a day.
Nearby
Nykoping's harbour is downstream; Stendorren nature reserve is east.
What to pack for Nykopingshus
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
