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Welcome to the Vaxholm Fortress Museum
Welcome to the town of Vaxholm, located in Stockholm middle archipelago.
This place is actually known as the capital of the archipelago.
Well...How to get here?
It's quite simple, you can take SL bus number 670 from "Tekniska Högskolan" in Stockholm,
and travel to the end station (Söderhamnsplan) in Vaxholm.
Another alternative to get here is of course to travel by car.
Then you can drive either the northern route, or by Gustavsberg / Värmdö and take the ferry.
However, I believe that the best way to travel to Vaxholm is by boat.
And, there are actually several options to choose from.
Waxholmsbolaget's boats depart from Strömkajen in front of Grand Hotel, and Strömma kanalbolaget´s boats depart from
Strandvägen in Stockholm.
It was actually Gustav Vasa who started the building of the fort in year 1544.
This first fort was completely different than the one we see here today.
This building is actually built in the 1800s between the years 1833 -1863.
It is an amazing building that you see out there,
which consists of about 30 000 blocks of granite in the outer walls.
I will not tell furthermore now, let's visit this place instead, join me.
One can wonder how to get across to vaxholm citadel and the vaxholm fortress museum?
In fact it's very easy. From this location, berth 9,
boats departs every 20 minutes during the museums opening hours.
The boat behind me is the shuttle boat that runs between Vaxholm and the fortress.
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Now I have come ashore on the island after a lovely boat trip from Vaxholm to the fortress.
Something many people do not know is that you can visit this place with your own boat,
as we have a guest berth available for visiting (small) boats.
Now we have entered the Vaxholm Fortress Museum.
The museum consists of two floors, and you walk through the museum in chronological order, is it not so?
-Yes, that´s right.
One advantage is that if you don`t understand Swedish, you can actually borrow manuals here in the museum.
We have illustrated guidebooks in English and in German.
There is also a movie at the museum that tells the history of the fortress, and It´s translated in English.
-It is a very good introduction to the rest of the museum.
-Yes, but now I would like to visit the museum.
-OK, It all starts on the first floor to the left.
The museum describes the story chronologically, and in the rooms there are sculpted museum figures like this one,
which depicts a Swedish Carolean soldier as they looked, when our Swedish army fought the Russians during the early 1700s.
This Carolean, he looks unhappy, and it´s understandable, he fights for his life and he knows nothing about his future.
The capital is threatened and if he not manages to stop the Russians now, perhaps the whole country is lost.
The Carolean had reason to be afraid, maybe he would face such a horrible man, a Russian grenadier.
The grenadiers were the most feared warriors, who often had to take the and throw their grenades into the fort,
and then with steel and bayonets storm the fortress.
Now we have moved forward in time, for a period that describes the Finnish War in the early 1800s.
Uniforms now look different, they have entirely different hats, there are no longer the three-cornered.
Here you see a gunner who mans a cannon, the model used 1778 .
After the Finnish war, Sweden had lost a third of our nation's territory, and a quarter of our population.
We had lost Finland.
The Russians dominated the Baltic Sea, and we felt obliged to strengthen the defense into Stockholm.
In 1833 started the, rebuilding on the old fort to the great edifice Vaxholm Citadel, which became the new "lock to Sweden".
This was just a taste of what is offered on the top floor of the museum, on the ground floor the 1900s are depicted.
Have you never been to a naval mine station? Then you actually have the chance to visit one in the museum.
During the Cold War, that raged after the Second World War from 1945 to 1989,
we built up a large number of naval mine stations for the Swedish coast, so we could control the mines that were laid out after
the strategically important straits leading into the mainland of Sweden, especially Stockholm.
In our cinema, you see a film about the history of the fortress. This film is translated into English.
To get the most out of your visit, I recommend you to join our knowledgeable guides on a journey through time, in the museum.
These tours are always included in the admission fee. They start 12.30 and 14.30 pm, every day.
sometimes during the summer the 14:30 guidetour will be located outdoors.
Besides the permanent exhibition we have each year special exhibitions,
which can be on different themes, it varies from year to year.
Otherwise our museum website at www.vaxholmsfastning.se is by far the main source of information.
Here you will find all you need to know to visit the museum.
Having been to the museum it can be nice with a little physical exercise,
and exercise you will get if you go up the stairs in the tower at fortress.
There are actually 132 steps up to the tower terrace, once you have come up you will be rewarded,
because here you have a wonderful view over the district, between the archipelago and the town of Vaxholm.
It was quite demanding to go up the tower, now I need to cool me down a bit.
so, I will visit the citadels restaurant which is called ”Minbaren”.
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-May I have a glass of white wine, please.
-Certainly.
-May I recommend this one?
-Excellent.
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-Here you go, sir
-Thanks
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There is much to see on the Citadel, so after I have been to the museum I will stay the night at “Kastellet bed and breakfast".
It is a fantastic place to spend the night! This place have 27 rooms and 70 beds, and it is open year round.
What a fantastic room, it was a good decision that I booked this room for tonight.
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+46-8-541 718 90 (information)
+46-8-541 333 61 (booking)
www.vaxholmsfastning.se