Jönköpings slott

Did you know that there was once a castle in the middle of Jönköping? At Hamnparken, there is a model of the castle, and at the western shore of Munksjön, you can see the walls that were once part of the castle.

Today, parts of the police station, the County Administrative Board, Per Brahe Gymnasium, and the residence stand on the site where the castle once stood. The castle occupied what we today call the west, bordered by Lake Vättern to the north, Munksjön to the east, the police station to the south, and Kyrkogatan to the west.

Monastery as a place for peace mediation

The castle was built as a monastery in the Middle Ages, established in 1283, and was a monastery until the Reformation by Vasa. It served not only as a monastery but also as a political meeting place, and it was here that Magnus Eriksson and his son Erik Magnusson made peace with the help of Albrekt of Mecklenburg. Gustav Vasa rebuilt the monastery during the 1540s and 1550s, and this is where Jönköpings Castle began to take shape. They started by laying earthworks around the buildings, and later the earthworks were equipped with round corner towers.

1600s and onwards

Throughout the first half of the 1600s, the castle underwent major renovations and expansions. The bastion system began in the early 1600s with the two southern bastions, Gustavus and Carolus, which were likely completed before the city burned in 1612. The northwestern pointed bastion, Adolphus, was also likely nearly completed at this time, while Christina in the northeast was given lower priority and was completed a few years later.

One of the country's largest fortresses

In its fully developed state, Jönköpings Castle was one of the country's largest fortresses, occupying an area of about 10 hectares. However, its strategic importance decreased after the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658, when Jönköping was no longer a border town, although the fortress's importance as an administrative center with the County Administrative Board and the governor, as well as for mobilization purposes, remained.

A fire ends the castle

In the 1700s, the castle fell into disrepair, and in 1737, Jönköpings Castle burned to the ground. After the fire, the castle was never rebuilt. In the 1800s, the city of Jönköping wanted to take over the land, but the castle's land was owned by the crown. In 1850, the crown released the land outside the castle to the city, and they helped to demolish what was left of the castle. In 1862, the city also received the remaining land. By 1870, the castle was completely gone.

Archaeological excavations

Several archaeological excavations have been carried out in the area since the early 1970s. Today, you can see remnants of the walls in a window on the western shore of Munksjön. At the western quay, there is also Bastionsparken. The park's design is meant to reflect Bastion Carolus, and here you can see, among other things, a wall and a moat.

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