- Alsnö hus
"Alsnö hus" (Swedish for "Alsnö House", where Alsnö is the old name for the Adelsö island) are the ruins of an old castle and a palace at the
Hovgården settlement. It is located onAdelsö island, in Lake Mälaren in central-easternSweden . As part of Hovgården, it is declared aWorld Heritage Site .History
Next to the ruin is five burial
mound s — the largest with a diameter of 45 metre — dating back to the Vendel Era (i.e. Late Iron Age, c. 500-800 CE) when Hovgården was a so called King's House ("Kungsgård"). The royal castle "Alsnö hus" reflects the importance ofBirka , the trade settlement onBjörkö island just south of Adelsö. However, Birka was abandoned around 975, but apparently the royal mansion continued to be of importance as therunestone U 11 (c. 1070 CE) was erected next to it.Bratt]"Alsnö hus" first appears in historical records in 1200 as "mansionem regiam Alsnu", i.e. a house of more than ordinary proportions. However, 70 years later King Magnus Barnlock had the old fortress replaced by a summer residence built in brick. In contrast to the many fortifications built during the era, this building was a summer residence more adapted to offer comfort than defence and it regularly served both Magnus and his son Birger during summers. The
Ordinance of Alsnö ("Alsnö stadga") was made here in 1279, often said to be the foundation of theSwedish nobility as a separate social class and the start the Swedishfeudal system. Large parts of the Romanesque parish churchAdelsö Church next to the present ruins date from this period and was possibly commissioned by the king.The building was ruined by the end of the 14th century, and little remains today. When the ruins were excavated in 1916-18, a huge number of
crossbow arrows were found, indicating the palace might have been burnt down by the pirates of Albert von Mecklenburg who raided the Baltic in an attempt to reclaim the Swedish crown to Albert.The ruins were bought by the
Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities ("Vitterhetsakademien") in the 1950s and 1960s and is today preserved by theSwedish National Heritage Board ("Riksantikvarieämbetet").Notes
References
* cite book
title = Mälaröarna - kulturhistoriska miljöer
first = Peter | last = Bratt | pages = 86-89
publisher = Stiftelsen Stockholms Läns Museum
year = 1988 | language = Swedish | isbn = 91-870006-06-5
* cite web
url = http://www.kms.raa.se/cocoon/fmis-public/kont-33702f486c267a4f1d1d721e406844097f14335b
title = Adelsö 47:1
publisher =Swedish National Heritage Board ("Rikantikvarieämbetet", RAÄ)
accessdate = 2008-03-05 | language = Swedish
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