Tuesday, July 14, 2026
During a holiday to Sweden, Dan and I visited the Karlsborg Fortress. It was a massive complex to explore, with most of the area behind the walls open to casual walking around, and then a small museum set up in the main redoubt. The museum was much more interesting than I expected, with some displays offering information I never even thought to wonder about before! Here are some pictures I took during our time there.
One of the many old buildings located within the walls
Retro-fitting fire escape stairs into an older building
A view outside from the top of the grassy “walls” (mounds)
What the top of the “wall” looks like
Simply massive structures inside the walls!
Many tree-lined cobblestone streets throughout the complex
Across from the the museum entrance
I transcribed the signage that was nearby and included it here simply because I found it really interesting and thought that you might, too!
CALIBRE: 21.6 cm
BARREL: Grooved barrel, 32 rifling (grooves) twisting to the left
MAX RANGE: 6,800 m
PROJECTILE WEIGHT: 89.5 kg
RATE OF FIRE: 1 shot every 5 minutes
“The howitzer was developed for the defence of Karlsborg fortress as a test model. The idea was to produce 20 howitzers. Because of the howitzer’s design the rate of fire was too low, so only one was produced. The barrel was manufactured in Finspång and its carriage in Stockholm at AB Atlas’ railway workshop. The list of armaments from the period 1874-82 included 440 artillery pieces intended for the defence of the fortress.In a subsequent list from 1904, Crusebjörn is not mentioned as part of the defence of the Karlsborg fortress. Tests were carried out at the end of July 1902, whereby the howitzer was fired at the armoured tower in the eastern part of the land front. Between 1928-1981 Crusebjörn was placed in the armoury building as an “ornamental weapon”. It was subsequently stored in Karlskoga, and in 2019 it was returned to Karlsborg for renovation and was placed on display.”
The building that houses the museum and Garrison church
We had been too early to enter the museum so wandered around some more, but now it was time to go in and see what treasures were behind this impressive entrance to the old “Central Keep”.
The museum wasn’t huge – at least, that was my first impression. We were in a big room with lots and lots of full-size mannequin displays and signage and display cabinets, all nicely laid out on an easy-to-follow path.
First: a carriage, probably a lot like one my Grandfather would have helped to make
An overview of the room’s layout
Something interesting! A display that shows what the interior of various weapon heads look like
A 12kg explosive bomb interior
The manufacturing process of bullet casings
I’m used to museums that have static displays that just show you some of the basic and rudimentary things that would be pretty obvious just by looking at them. But the above displays really opened up my mind to just what kind of skills, engineering, and manufacturing processes that are needed to, well, kill other people. I think I just might have preferred my mind closed to such things, come to think of it.
Interspersed among the informative cabinets of death were mannequins demonstrating some of the tools used in past conflicts.
A device to help triangulate the precise distance to a target
What Europe looked like in the 1770s – thank goodness for the European Union now!
From the museum room we climbed the stairs to the Garrison Church. It was highly recommended as a wonderful and interesting space, but…well, I am not sure what the fuss is about. They say that the chandelier is made up of 276 bayonets, which I find unusual and note-worthy!
Coming down from the church we returned to the main hallway, near the entrance to the museum room we had just visited. Then we noticed the door across the hallway: more museum!
This section was devoted to larger items (like horses and a motorcycle) and beyond that were rooms that contained more advanced kit.
There was a massive display devoted to saddles and the various types of saddles that were constructed. The photos, of course, don’t do any of them justice. I shall blame The Reflective Glass for keeping me from getting clear shots.
Boot-carrying saddle
Even a display of bits and snaffles
Diorama that attempts to show just how many horses could be involved in a war operation
Oooh, a dog!
Recreation of an officer’s, well, office
I love the details
Hat boxes!
One of a few displays showing some of the military strategies
Leaving the calvary behind, we entered the hall of Modern Warfare. Dan loved this section. I found it not-so-interesting. It just reminded me too much of what is currently going outside of these walls. And I guess I found it so “uninteresting” that this is the only photo I have of this section.
Oh, and this one, but it is just a silly picture
