My summer travels took me to the Åland Island and more specifically, Kastelholm – the former local administrative base of the Swedish Kingdom in medieval times and the early modern era. This is a place where people such as the King Gustav Vasa visited. Finland does not have many castles and this is one of the few.
The construction started in the late 1300s and it was damaged, rebuilt, and expanded through the centuries until falling out of use around late 18th Century.
Today, it is a beautifully restored historical site with surprising large interior due to the sheer height. A lot of the interior has been fixed although one can see that many floors are missing from the original state. I doubt a lot of people were housed inside the castle and most troops were stationed around the area.
Supposedly, King Erik XIV was locked up in one of the small rooms inside the castle. The space is quite limited, so it is doubful his immediate family and servants were with him…
In one of the ceilings, coats of arms of all the “owners” of the castle were displayed. Quite a sight! It really makes visible what a long history this place has.
