- Bohus Fortress
Infobox Military Structure
name=Bohus Fortress
location=Kungälv ,Sweden
caption=Bohus Fortress
built=1308
materials=Granite, brick
used=1308-1658
type=
controlledby=Norway ,Denmark-Norway ,Sweden
garrison=
commanders=
battles=Bohus Fortress (also "Baahus" or "Båhus", originally: "Bagahus") lies along the old Norwegian - Swedish border in
Kungälv ,Bohuslän ,Sweden , north east fromHisingen where the Göta river splits into two branches (20 kilometres north ofGothenburg ). It commands its surroundings from a 40 meter high cliff, with the river forming a natural moat about it.Initial Construction
Bohus Fortress (
Medieval Castle
According to Kavli, “by 1310 records show it was constructed, as normal for that period, out of granite and brick, perhaps under the guidance of Count Jacob of
Halland . By 1450 it included a continuous surrounding wall, 3 meter thick at the base, with a height which varied from 8.5 to 13.5 meters, varying with the terrain. It was approximately rectangular, with four rectangular corner towers. At the eastern end there was a brick tower, and in the center of the west side a gate house and drawbridge. Along the inside of the surrounding wall buildings were located which among other things included the "Kings hall," the castle commander’s residence, the chapel, the guardroom, the barracks and the kitchen. The fortress had secure vaulted positions, partly cut into the mountain, and beyond that strong outer-works. At the time Båhus was Norway's strongest fortress. The approaches were very difficult and the area to be defended was small, only 250 x 150 meters, so it did not require a large defensive force.”Fortress
The Norwegian fortress was invested numerous times, but was never captured. During the
Northern Seven Years' War (1563-1570) it was seriously damaged. This occurred in 1566, when 250 Swedish soldiers successfully stormed the northeastern-most tower. The Norweigan commander sent a volunteer to blow up the ammunition stores underneath the tower, killing the Swedes and repelling the attack.The Norwegians rebuilt the fortress of stone & brick, and substantially reinforced it. The reconstruction immediately after the war was directed by Hans Paaske (Påske) from the
Netherlands .In 1593-1604, similar to the construction then undertaken at
Akershus inOslo , Bohus was upgraded to abastion fortress. A new outer fortification was raised. This construction was one of the early works byHans van Steenwinckel , also from the Netherlands, who was later famous for his Dutch Renaissance style design in Denmark.As Swedish invasions continuously threatened Norwegian Båhuslen in this period, the improvements to the fortifications continued for years. For example from the summer of 1651 through the autumn of 1652 the Dutch engineer Isaac van Geelkerck directed the construction of two corner towers along the south face and a new ring wall was constructed around the
arsenal building.Loss to Sweden
Under the terms of the
Treaty of Roskilde in1658 ,Denmark-Norway ceded the Danish provinces of Scania,Blekinge andHalland (the latter was agreed to be Swedish for a period of 30 years after the Peace of Brömsebro, but was in the treaty of Roskilde given to Sweden permanently) and the Norwegian provincesTrondhjem andBohuslän (including Bohus Fortress).After Denmark-Norway ceded the territory which included Bohus Fortress, Fredriksten Fortress was constructed in
Fredrikshald on the newly established Norwegian-Swedish border.Since Bohus Fortress no longer lay on the border, it was of minimal future use to Sweden, which relied on the existing
Älvsborg Fortress atGothenburg and a newCarlsten Fortress erected atMarstrand .As prison
Instead the fortress was used as a prison. The most famous prisoner was the radical
pietist Thomas Leopold , who during his life spent 42 years behind bars, 32 years at Bohus, for his alleged heresies. His stone cell can be visited at the castle today.Modern times
At the end of the 18th century it was decided that the now unused fortress should be demolished. Demolition crews worked at the fortress for two months, at which time the money allocated for the task had run out. Residents of the surrounding town of
Kungälv used the dressed stone of the fortress for building houses. Still, much of the fortress is still intact, including the large northern tower, "Fars hatt". The fortress is now a museum and open to tours in the summer.References
"Norges festninger" by Guthorm Kavli; Universitetsforlaget; 1987; ISBN 82-00-18430-7
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.