The history of Stegeholm ruins in Västervik

Stegeholm was a medieval fortified fortress on Slottsholmen in Västervik, near the shallow and narrow waters where Gamlebyviken meets the sea. Construction began before 1370, likely by hertig Albrekt den store av Mecklenburg. It was given by him to German knights until the possessions were taken over by Bo Jonsson (Grip), whose heirs owned it until 1419. It was then held by Erik of Pomerania, and in 1434, Jösse Nilsson attempted a failed storming of the fortress. In 1436, it was besieged by Tjustborna under Bo Knutsson (Grip) and later surrendered to Karl Knutsson (Bonde).

During the union period, the site was held alternately by Swedish-separatist and union-friendly or Danish-leaning nobles. In 1517, the Danish fleet of Kristian II burned Stegeholm, but Sweden reclaimed and rebuilt it in 1521. For part of 1612, it was occupied by the Danes again. In 1562, Stegeholm was given to the Sture family together with Västervik and associated farms as the grevskapet Västervik. In 1570, Johan III expanded Stegeholm to benefit his aunt, the widow of Svante Sture, and at this time the grevskapet received the name Stegeholm and Västervik.

In 1651, the site was given to Field Marshal Hans Christoff von Königsmarck, but it was later reclaimed during the great reduction. The Königsmarck family built a magnificent palace in place of the old ruined fortress, which was destroyed along with the city by the Danish-Dutch fleet in 1677. The ruins and Slottsholmen fell into disrepair thereafter, and in 1734, the townspeople were granted the right to quarry stone from the ruins.

The Sällskapet för Westerviks Förskönade began restoring the ruins of Slottsholmen and planting in 1881. In 1903, the city of Västervik took over responsibility for the park and the ruins. Since 1966, the Visfestival has been held annually at the ruins, and archaeological excavations of medieval layers were conducted at the site in 2016.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons