Svaneholms borgruin, also known as Garpe slott, is an abandoned castle ruin at Kilarpsjön, Västra Hargs parish, Mjölby municipality, Östergötland. The castle was built under the leadership of King Magnus Eriksson on a peninsula in Kilarpsjön. On March 14, 1364, Count Henrik II of Holstein issued a decree from Örebro to the town council of the Hansa, informing them that they would march through the forest towards Svaneholms slott, followed by Varbergs slott.
The castle was besieged and taken the same year by Albrekt of Mecklenburg. At this time, Östergötland was a rod-kingdom, with Svaneholm being one of the king's seats. Another name for the place is Garpe slott, after garp (germans) used to mean Germans. The castle in Ebeleobservates main settlement was built from the 1360s and was occupied in 1364 by a German troop belonging to Albrekt of Mecklenburg. It seems that the castle after 1364 has no function and has fallen into disrepair.
A seal with a four-part shield was found, which probably belonged to Ivar Nilsson (Ivar Nilssons ätt) who may have visited the castle. The place consists of remaining fragments of a round court with surrounding walls, a moat and an outer road. The castle site is located in the eastern part of the fortification and was built in stone masonry construction, with an outer diameter of approximately 18 meters. The moat stone that surrounds the place is 10-20 meters wide.
Legends speak of an Östergötland warrior who, while lost in Norway, met an old man in a hill cave. The old man told him that he once lived in Östergötland and built a castle on a peninsula in Kilarpsjön (Garpe slott), but was forced to flee and left his loyal dog enclosed there.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nik Frost
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