Växjö is a young and vibrant university town where you’re unlikely to get bored. Its numerous lakes are particularly charming, as Växjö is surrounded by water. The town is the ideal base for anyone who loves water sports. The area is also very green and flat. If you’d like to go for a walk by the water without having to tackle any steep hills, you’ll find a wealth of beautiful walking trails. This article, however, focuses primarily on history, as I love old churches, castles and palaces, as well as museums. In this respect, too, Växjö and the surrounding area have a wealth of interesting historical sights to offer. On the outskirts of the city lies an enchanting fairytale castle, and there’s a unique cathedral as well as interesting museums. In the surrounding area, you can discover a forbidding castle ruin and a fascinating open-air museum featuring an imposing manor house. In this article, I’ll introduce you to the historic sites in Växjö and the immediate vicinity, which I can highly recommend.
A Brief History of Växjö in Småland
My first impression of Växjö was that it is a modern, trendy and very young city. Many of the buildings in the city are new or date from the turn of the century. Yet Växjö is a very old city. The first settlements here date back to the Bronze Age. A thousand years ago, Växjö was already a well-populated Viking settlement. A runestone on the outer wall of the cathedral bears witness to this. Växjö has been a bishop’s see since the 12th century and has held town privileges since the 13th century.
Växjö Cathedral and Linnaeus Park
Built in the 14th century, the cathedral has a cool, Nordic feel, yet is nonetheless unique. Whilst the exterior is old, the interior is very modern and colourful. Its foundation walls even date back to the 12th century. Over the centuries, the cathedral has been repeatedly destroyed or burnt down, which is why stylistic elements from various eras can be found both inside and on the façade. Particularly worth seeing are the modern interior design, the colourful geometric altar and the stained-glass windows that complement it perfectly. In the immediate vicinity lies the spacious and idyllic Linné Park, named after the botanist Carl von Linné. Linné went to school in Växjö and later lived nearby. This is why the university also bears his name.
Teleborg Castle – a fairytale castle modelled on medieval architecture
About three kilometres from the city centre, right next to Linnaeus University, stands Teleborg Castle – a veritable fairytale castle. Today, the castle houses a stylish hotel with a restaurant. Guided tours are also regularly offered in the grounds and inside the castle itself. Staying overnight or having a meal there is, of course, a wonderful opportunity to visit Teleborg Castle. An elderly aristocrat had Teleborg Castle built as a gift for his young mistress, who had previously been his ward. At the turn of the century, this caused quite a scandal. However, I have already written about Teleborg Castle in detail in another article.
Kronoberg Castle Ruins – the ruins of a bishop’s castle
About five kilometres north of Växjö lies animposing castle ruin in an incredibly picturesque setting. The castle was built in the mid-15th century as a defensive fortress, as even a bishopric needed protection in those days. As the border between the Kingdom of Sweden and the Kingdom of Denmark ran not far from Växjö at that time, the castle was built as a border fortress. The ruins are beautifully situated on a small island.
The Legend of the Unlucky Christmas at Kronoberg Castle
In 1542, an obscure peasant named Nils Dacke waged war against the Swedish King Gustav Vasa. The peasants led by Nils Dacke occupied the castle and made it their headquarters. The peasant is said to have actually behaved like a king within the castle, as he organised lavish and expensive feasts. He invited the entire local nobility to a Christmas celebration, which ultimately proved to be his undoing. Among his guests were the King’s spies, who reported all the castle’s access points and vulnerabilities to him. Shortly after Christmas, Nils Dacke was killed and the castle was captured by the King.
Huseby Bruk – A castle, a village, an open-air museum
Time seems to have stood still in this museum village. Huseby Bruk consists of an ironworks with village buildings and the owner’s manor house. I spent almost a whole day there, as the open-air museum has so much to offer. The buildings house various exhibitions, for example on industry, the history of settlement, nature conservation and family history. There is also a walking trail through an ‘abandoned forest’, where nature is left to its own devices. My personal highlight, however, was Huseby Castle.
Huseby Castle – A magnificent aristocratic palace with a royal scandal
The Neoclassical manor house was built in 1844 by Count Hamilton. The family had owned an ironworks in Huseby since the late 18th century. The iron trade and their stake in the East India Company had made the family incredibly wealthy. Shortly afterwards, Joseph Stephens, a professor and Member of Parliament, purchased the village and the castle. He married the daughter of a noble admiral, whose family had close ties to the Swedish royal family. As a result , even King Gustav V was a frequent guest at Huseby Castle. The castle is so magnificent that it is fit for a king.
The Stephens family had three daughters. The eldest of them, Florence, inherited the castle. But she put her trust in the wrong man: Prince Carl. Florence Stephens was incredibly wealthy, very naïve, and lived a more lavish lifestyle with her family than most members of the nobility of her time. As a result, the royal family were regular visitors to Huseby. Florence developed a close friendship with Carl Bernadotte, the Swedish prince and nephew of King Gustav V, which proved to be her undoing.
The Prince’s flight and the heiress’s incapacitation
Because he promised her lucrative business deals, Florence transferred almost her entire fortune to the prince. But the prince neglected the village and the forest and squandered the money on dubious ventures. He had the historic forests almost completely cleared and sold the timber, but nobody knew what had become of the money. The invoices were forged and the money had vanished. After the fraud was uncovered, Florence was declared legally incompetent and placed under guardianship. Although Prince Carl was found guilty, he escaped punishment as he claimed he had not been mentally capable of understanding the gravity of his actions. Following the verdict, the prince fled to Spain and never returned to Sweden. Whilst the prince went unpunished, Florence was deprived of her legal capacity for almost her entire life.
Huseby Bruk Café
At this point, I’d like to recommend a café: the nostalgic café at Huseby Bruk not only has a wonderfully nostalgic atmosphere, but also serves excellent coffee and the best cinnamon buns I’ve ever had in Sweden. We enjoyed a perfect fika there. Don’t know what a fika is? A fika is a typical Swedish coffee break, where you take the time to enjoy coffee and cake. You get as much coffee as you like with a slice of cake or a cinnamon bun. Because in Sweden, you can drink as much coffee as you like, wherever you are.
The Bergkvara castle ruins are no longer open to the public!
The Bergkvara castle ruins were also on my list of places I wanted to visit. However, they are no longer open to visitors. They are situated on the private grounds of the Bergkvara estate. It used to be permitted to enter the grounds, but this is now forbidden. Apparently, the new owners of the estate have made this decision. I think this wish should be respected, even though it makes me very sad. That’s why I didn’t get to see the ruins. I believe there are others who, like me, are drawn to the romance of ruins, so I didn’t want to leave my disappointment unmentioned.
Nordic tranquillity tells many stories
People tend to travel to Småland to enjoy the countryside, the water and the forests. However, those with an interest in culture will also discover many fascinating sights in the area around Växjö. The region has been inhabited for thousands of years, which is why there are fascinating sights from a wide variety of eras. Visitors can embark on a journey through time, spanning the centuries. I was also captivated by the blend of nature and culture, as many of the attractions are surrounded by magical forests and enchanting lakes. I’m convinced that every visitor to the area around Växjö will find something to suit them.
Historical sights in Växjö on the map
You are currently viewing a placeholder content from Default. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More Information
Leave a Reply