Kalmar Castle

A couple hours north of Kristianstad is the city of Kalmar.  It used to be a very strategically important town since it was on the old border between Sweden and Denmark.  The city was fortified with walls and a castle to help protect the border.

Construction of Kalmar Castle began in the late 1100's -- at first it was just a single defense tower, but over the centuries it grew to the size it is today.  After the Swedish/Danish border moved further south, the castle wasn't really needed for defense and was used as a prison, grain storage, and finally -- a tourist attraction.  Yes, the tour guides are required to dress the part.

We spent most of the day at the castle, and had a fantastic lunch at the cafe inside.  Our lunch didn't feature swan on the menu, but we did have some delicious Swedish meatballs.  And, of course, herring for Kevin.

This area of Sweden is known for its glass artists, and the castle had a temporary exhibition with some works on display.  My favorite was this glass forest that looked like hanging ice sculptures.

Here's the view of the castle from the park across the inlet.  Very imposing, even from a distance.  Definitely worth a visit to Kalmar!