# Karlskrona - the baroque city in Sweden



## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

Karlskrona is a locality and the seat of Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with 63 912 inhabitants in 2013. [SCB] It is also the capital of Blekinge County. Karlskrona is known as Sweden's only baroque city and is host to Sweden's only remaining naval base and the headquarters of the Swedish Coast Guard.
The city of Karlskrona is spread over 30 islands in the eastern part of Blekinge archipelago, Trossö being the main one. Other populated mentionable islands are Saltö, Hästö, Långö and Aspö. The islet of Stumholmen was formerly property of the Navy and today it houses the National Naval Museum (Marinmuseum). Outside the city lies the archipelago of Karlskrona, the most southern of the Swedish archipelagos. Several islands are connected to the city by ferries.

History

The city was founded in 1680 when the Royal Swedish Navy was relocated from the Stockholm area to the Trossö island which had up until then been used chiefly for farming and grazing. At the time Sweden was the dominant military power in the Baltic sea region, but needed a better strategic location against Denmark, since southern parts of Sweden had been conquered only a few decades ago (see the Torstenson War). The Swedish fleet tended to get stuck in the ice during winter while located close to Stockholm and was therefore moved south. The island had a very strategic position with short sailing distances to the German and Baltic provinces. The city name means Karl's Crown in honour of King Karl XI of Sweden, the name being inspired by the name of the city Landskrona.
The city grew quickly and by 1750 Karlskrona had about 10 000 inhabitants. It was then one of the biggest cities in the country. Most of the baroque buildings from this era are still standing, which is why the city centre is architecturally uniform.
The shipyard in Karlskrona was established almost at the same time as the city. It was a necessity because of the heavy losses the Swedish navy had suffered in 1689. In 1711, the shipyard was Sweden's largest industrial employer with 1 100 workers. The oldest dock, the Polhem dock, is cut in the cliff itself and is still in use. It got its name from Christopher Polhem ("The Swedish da Vinci", a famous scientist with several inventions still in use).
The city has kept its street structure since its foundation. Since the streets all follow a grid pattern the winds can blow freely from the sea right into the heart of the city.
Parts of the city (mainly the Naval Port) have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In October 1981 the Whiskey-class Soviet submarine S-363 (called "U137" by the Swedes) ran aground in the archipelago just outside Karlskrona. The media characterized it as the "Whiskey on the Rocks" affair. The incident caused a temporary rise in tensions between Sweden and the Soviet Union. While the submarine's grounding was inadvertent, and likely the result of inebriation among the crew, the submarine almost certainly was engaged in an unspecified covert mission at the time.

Culture

The most important day in Karlskrona is the day before midsummer's eve. On that day a big fair takes place and attracts tens of thousands to visit Karlskrona. The fair is called Lövmarknaden (The Leaf Fair) and is very popular among the locals.
The main square of Karlskrona is the biggest in Scandinavia.
Every year in late July/early August a popular festival called The Sail takes place in the harbor of Karlskrona. Usually it is a place where families go to have something to eat and drink, and perhaps watch the sailing boats lined up at the pier. During the sail, the seascouts of Karlskrona will row a boat carrying torches along the docks while playing the national anthems for the visiting ships.
Lately The Sail has been replaced with a festival called Skärgårdsfest.
The old architecture together with the naval installations comprise the major tourist attractions of Karlskrona. The city has a pleasant atmosphere and is one of the highlights of south-east Sweden.

Religion

There are three important churches in Karlskrona. Fredrikskyrkan (The Frederick church) was designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger, who was influenced by European architecture. The foundation of that church were laid in 1720, and it was inaugurated in 1744. It differs from usual Swedish churches in its yellow color and its adornment.
Trefaldighetskyrkan (Church of Holy Trinity), also called The German Church, was built between 1697–1709, following Tessin's drawings. It is likewise located at the market square in the centre core. The dome-shaped roof takes its influence from Italian architecture and is rarely seen on Swedish churches.
Karlskrona Admiralty Church (Amiralitetskyrkan) was built in 1685 in red-painted wood. Outside the church there is a well-known statue called Rosenbom.

Economy and transport

Some of the biggest employers in Karlskrona are Telenor, Ericsson and Roxtec. The city has an overall strong presence in information technology based industries.

The city is positioned at the south east corner of Sweden with excellent connections to the other side of the Baltic Sea. There is a ferry line to Gdynia in Poland transporting both goods and passengers.

Most of the islands of Karlskrona are connected by roads. One of the bigger populated Islands Aspö is connected with a small road ferry.


Flygbild över Karlskrona by Joakim K E Johansson, on Flickr


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

Visit Karlskrona_ HeliAir_flygbild_ par Ehrenberg Kommunikation, sur Flickr


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

Kalskrona 200705 (174) by erlinda.yuson, on Flickr

Kalskrona 200705 (173) by erlinda.yuson, on Flickr

Kalskrona 200705 (112) by erlinda.yuson, on Flickr


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/14254934976/in/photostream/









https://www.flickr.com/photos/zima80/14491753668/in/photolist-o5A2Cw-ooQDDX-o5AaiQ-omNfkg-o5A2tS


140607_PBH_2310.jpg por Peter BH, en Flickr


Brandaholm por Liam Cheasty, en Flickr


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

The big square - Karlskrona by miabacke, on Flickr


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

On the topic of small cities, this is where I was born. Karlskrona, Sweden. (2010) [1864x419][OC] by godfrieddaniels, on Flickr


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

Karlskrona night II by Mattias Stålbrand, on Flickr


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

A few pictures from Visit Karlskrona Facebook page:

The Kungsholm fortress










A square in the city center


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

Courthouse Karlskrona by AndreasNikon, on Flickr

Old church by AndreasNikon, on Flickr


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

Leaving Karlskrona throught the Swedish archipelago at sunset. by ake severinson, on Flickr


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

Svezia " Karlskrona " by Andrea Federighi, on Flickr

Svezia " Karlskrona " by Andrea Federighi, on Flickr

DSC_3336 by Grzegorz Dymon, on Flickr

DSC_3354 by Grzegorz Dymon, on Flickr

DSC_3367 by Grzegorz Dymon, on Flickr

DSC_3371 by Grzegorz Dymon, on Flickr


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

Stumholmen, Karlskrona by Lukas Lagerlöf Ljung, on Flickr

Stumholmen, Karlskrona by Lukas Lagerlöf Ljung, on Flickr


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

Stumholmen Karlskrona by Marinmuseum, on Flickr

Slup- och barkasskjulet by Marinmuseum, on Flickr


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

Kranar i by pākiki, on Flickr


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

Nightly view by qwarngard, on Flickr


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

^^ Great, very nice updates from Karlskrona :cheers:


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## TimothyR (Feb 17, 2011)

dj4life said:


> Courthouse Karlskrona by AndreasNikon, on Flickr


Very imposing, handsome and beautifully designed.


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## TimothyR (Feb 17, 2011)

dj4life said:


> Svezia " Karlskrona " by Andrea Federighi, on Flickr


I love this. Very charming and unusual. Marvelous colors.


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## TimothyR (Feb 17, 2011)

dj4life said:


> Kalskrona 200705 (173) by erlinda.yuson, on Flickr


Marvelous colors again. The design is highly detailed and also elegant:cheers:


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

Karlskrona by misspiano, on Flickr

DSC_3336 by Grzegorz Dymon, on Flickr

DSC_3348 by Grzegorz Dymon, on Flickr

Karlskrona by Simon Heywood, on Flickr


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

Marinmuseum Karlskrona_2015maj16_0142.jpg by News Oresund, on Flickr


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

Karlskrona (2) by Łukasz Skowron, on Flickr


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

SAM_9613 by Weronika ef, on Flickr


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

Cityscape of Karlskrona by Pawel Szczepanski, on Flickr


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

Karlskrona, Sweden by iamdziadek, on Flickr


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

Karlskrona Five Finger Drydock by Tomasz Grotnik, on Flickr


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## musiccity (Jan 5, 2011)

Source


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## musiccity (Jan 5, 2011)

68706511


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

^^

A very nice presentation of Karlskrona. Thank you for sharing.


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

Cityscape of Karlskrona by Pawel Szczepanski, on Flickr

Cityscape of Karlskrona by Pawel Szczepanski, on Flickr


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

Fisktorget by Frida Olausson, on Flickr


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

dsc_9400_karlskrona_8103300343_o by bLuE, on Flickr

dsc_9387_karlskrona_8103669114_o by bLuE, on Flickr


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

Untitled by highshot .se, on Flickr

Untitled by highshot .se, on Flickr

Untitled by highshot .se, on Flickr

Untitled by highshot .se, on Flickr

Untitled by highshot .se, on Flickr

Untitled by highshot .se, on Flickr


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

A few more pictures:

Süd-Schweden-061 by Wolfgang Wähner, on Flickr

Süd-Schweden-058 by Wolfgang Wähner, on Flickr

2016, Supertrip Cruise 1, Karlskrona, Sweden Amway of Australia & New Zealand by Amway of Australia and New Zealand, on Flickr


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## dj4life (Oct 22, 2009)

Karlskrona, Sweden by Jochem van der Blom, on Flickr


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