So Vagn and I stayed in the Varberg Fortress (the yellow arrow on the photo below pointing at the building where we stayed). It was really an experience, because… well, how often do you get a chance to stay in a fortress?
At the highest point of the fortress you stand on the natural rock of Wartberg. Wartberg was a free-standing cliff, which was used as an observation post since ancient times and was the reason the city got the name Varberg.
The moat of the fortress is said to be inhabited by a small lake monster. In August 2006, a couple of witnesses claimed to have seen the monster emerge from the dark water and devour a duck. The creature was described as brown, furless and with a 40 cm long tail.
In the garden of our hostel there was a very special tree with an interesting story behind:
The tree was planted by The Children’s Tree association led by Jonas Paulman. Jonas had a difficult childhood, and he often sought refuge in the forest. The trees became the only point of reference for his existence. Through the founding of the association The Children’s tree, Jonas Paulman has made it his life calling to lecture adults and children about the children’s rights. Since 2010, Jonas has been going on tours through the country – running, cycling, or kayaking – with the purpose of creating awareness in the society to the problems some children still have. During these tours, he plants individual trees to symbolise the right of each and every child to have a decent childhood. Every tree is sponsored by schools, municipalities, companies, and individuals. On the association’s website you can see where the trees have been planted, and also the tours schedule where you can meet Jonas.
A hand water pump in the garden – it could surely still be used, but the force nod was removed:
Varberg Fortress was built in 1287-1300 by the Danish Count Jacob Nielsen as a shielding against Eric VI of Denmark, who had declared him an outlaw after the murder of his father King Eric V of Denmark. Jacob Nielsen had close bond with the King Eric II of Norway and as a result got considerable Norwegian assistance with the construction.
From the large bastions you can enjoy a wonderful view to the city at the foot of the fortress:
14th century brought wars, and Varberg changed his rule and sometimes even the kingdom no less than eight times. Varberg fortress became one of the crown’s castles. From 1365, the situation stabilised and Denmark ruled Varberg for almost 300 years.
During 16th century, the weapons arsenal had evolved from arrow, spear, stone lung and crossbows to cannons. Many of those cannons can be seen today in the fortress’ mighty bastions:
There also was a small residential area of red-painted houses, with picturesque gardens and signs “private”:
Going inside the fortress was like stepping back in time. Please note the thickness of the walls:
Varberg was besieged multiple times in the 16th century. Much of the original structure was destroyed. Only the northern part of the fortress is from the 13th century, the time it was built in. The inner courtyard with a water well in the middle:
We walked around and admired all those remaining buildings, walls, and structures. When we walked through the gate of the red building on the photo below, we saw something interesting.
A good-looking building with small barred windows… looking like a … jail? One more? A fortress of prisons?! We thought we already stayed in the one and only prison? Puzzled, I asked Google.
Since the 17th century, the Varberg fortress has been used to incarcerate prisoners, but the main prisoner era was from 1848 to 1881 when 400 to 500 inmates were housed here at any one time. The prisoners worked mainly with stone masonry. The building on the photo above was a prison built in 1856, and the adjacent buildings (in one of which we stayed) were previously used for other purposes, like bakery, hospital, or barracks. Today, there is a hostel in 3 buildings with 39 rooms in total, where the 23 prison cells with spartan furnishings are in the real prison on the photo above, and the rest are more modern ones in the two other buildings. I just want to mention that the hostel is excellent, tidy with modern facilities, good breakfast, and … the location!
Varberg Fortress is one of the best preserved Middle Ages fortresses in the world. It is a popular tourist destination, and we were happy that we visited it off-season.
At the end of the day, we sat down on its top, embraced in the wings of history, and enjoyed the magic views:
Impressive fortification, binding Swedish and Danish history. And the marvellous sunset only added a wonderful note to our experiences.
Sources of information I used to write this post:
https://www.guidebook-sweden.com/en/guidebook/destination/varbergs-faestning-historic-fortress-varber
https://www.museumhalland.se/varbergs-fastning/fastningens-histori
https://www.fastningensvandrarhem.se/En/About-the-hostel/9/From_castle_and_fortification_to_experience_centr
https://milhist.dk/kuppet-paa-varberg-faestnin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
