Almare-Stäkets borg

About

Almarestäket's castle (or Sankt Erik's castle) is a medieval castle ruin in Upplands-Bro municipality in Stockholm County. The complex is named after Eric IX of Sweden and was once one of Sweden's strongest and most famous castles, located at the important choke point of Almarestäket, a strait at the inlet to Lake Mälaren. Almarestäket's castle is listed as an ancient monument by the Swedish National Heritage Board.

A castle was built during the 12th century on Stäketsholmen (which was then an island), and served as a defense facility for the cities of Sigtuna and Uppsala. An important waterway ran here between Stockholm and Uppsala, and whoever had control over the waterways also had control over the kingdom. Throughout the Middle Ages, there was a constant tug-of-war between the king and the church over the rule of the castle. The castle was first mentioned at the end of the 14th century and is described in the Swedish rhyming chronicle, Karlskrönikan (1389–1524) as having been burned down on the night of 11 November 1434 by Eric Nipertz, on the orders of Erik of Pomerania and the eunuch of Stockholm Castle Hans Kröpelin. The reason was to prevent Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson...