Kalmar - Kalmar Slott

---

Arriving by train to Kalmar later in the evening, it was dark. There was no one actually working at the station and no maps of the town posted so we were clueless about where our hotel would be. We walked out to find a taxi, and found a very drunk person talking to one. This person insisted on showing us where our hotel was, as it was only 6-7 blocks away. We were agreeable to this as this person seemed harmless. He was just partying it up since the soccer team of Kalmar had just won against their main rival and it was a huge upset. He told Scott all about the rivalry and how the whole town was ecstatic about the win, and obviously celebrating. As we walked to our hotel, we could hear people shouting cheers of joy from the bars we passed. The main plaza had a statue that someone had climbed and put a soccer jersey on.
Kalmar is a smaller town. It is quaint and easily walked.
Kalmar Slott (Castle) first began as a defense tower around 1180 AD, then in the 13th century became a fortress with a ring wall and more defense towers. At that time it was considered the most modern fortress in Sweden. In 1397 the Kalmar Union was founded, which brought Denmark, Sweden and Norway under one common ruler. The Kalmar Slott was used by this common ruler for generations. In the 16th century under various rulers it became the castle we see today, which is a more renaissance palace.
The defense walls are thick and tall, as you can see from a few of our photos. The woodwork, much of it inlayed, was very impressive. It is in excellent condition.
The one thing I found annoying was that they had exhibits set up in different rooms of the castle. An example is they had painting scaffolding set up trying to show how they painted the intricate walls.
If you are in southern Sweden I would recommend this side trip.

---