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AA SUMMARY IN ENGETS FE
HE CASTLE OF KALMAR IS VERY RICH IN HISTORIC
association. Being the most powerful fortress in Scandinavia it
was in former days renowned under the nammn of ”The key of
Sweden”. By holding this strongly fortified place an enemy could
be master of vast parts of the kingdom. During more than five
centuries, really, only Stockholm was of equal importance.
The fortress was originally built towards the close of the 12th
century. From that time onwards it was to play an important
röle in the history of Scandinavia. Especially during the days of
the quarellous union, existing between the kingdoms of Sweden,
Denmark and Norway, (The Kalmar Union), Kalmar was fre-
quently the centre of bloody strife. It was here that Queen Mar-
garet of Denmark wrote her ”Letter of Union”, in 1397, when Eric
of Pommern was crowned to king ina the cathedral of Kalmar.
The union, however, could not be maintained. And it was here,
too, that Gustavus Vasa in 1520 made his earliest efforts io rise
the Swedes in arms against the Danes, who had laid Sweden
under a terror.
The cruellest fights between Scandinavian kinsnmen that Kalmar
has seen under its walls, were raging during the ”Kalmar War”
in 1611—13. The castle was at last given over to the Danes by the
treacherous Krister Some. It was in that war, that the young
Gustavus Adolphus made his first attempt as a soldier.
Kalmar lost her ancient röle as a frontier fortress in the middle
of the 17th century, when Charles X Gustavus gained for his country
its present boundaries to the south. a
Part of the present building dates from the Middle Ages, e. g.
the towers. ’The wings around the courtyard were, for the most
part, built during the reign of Gustavus Vasa (+ 1560). The mighty
fortifications, too, were planned:or built by him. His successor
on the throne, Ericus XIV, was far more interested in the fitting
up of the buildings and he furnished ther in summprtuous style. From
his days dates the marvellous ”Kungsmaket”. King John II
(1568—92), who was himself a most learned man and a fine judge
of art, called in several German and Dutch artists, under the
guidance of whom: the building was formed into the finest castle
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