The gray louse of Drottningskär

Drottningskär, located on the island of Aspö near Karlskrona, was a fortification built in the late 17th century. It was designed by Erik Dahlbergh, a military officer and architect, who stated there would hardly be anything more beautiful than SiööCastel in all of Europe. The core of the construction is a three-story high donjon, a long building that was used for covered placement of cannons and quarters (förläggningar). Four bastions surround the donjon, each named after the queens Kristina, Hedvig, Maria, and Ulrika. The bastions at the sea front are connected by walls, so-called curtains.

Additional defenses, including walls (murar), a moat (vallgrav), and a ravelin on Aspö, were built in the 1730s. Drottningskär was built so that cannons could be placed in three levels, meaning 44 cannons could simultaneously fire at enemy ships. Since its construction, two enemy fleets have attempted to attack Karlskrona, but neither managed to pass the fortifications. The first attempt was by Russia's Empress Katarina II during the war of 1788–1790; she famously called the fort the 'gray louse' in her diary. The second failure occurred in 1801 when Lord Nelson's fleet was deterred by a test shot in the fog, which scared the British away from the sound and caused them to return home annoyed.

Ultimately, Drottningskär served as the main defense for the outer defense line of the Karlskrona area until the 1820s, but it was disarmed in the 1870s and removed from the defense organization in 1895. Today, Drottningskärs kastell is a well-preserved museum. It has been a state-protected building since January 25, 1935.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons