Description of the attraction
Castle Kastelholm was first mentioned in chronicles in 1388 as "House of Kastelholm". The exact date of the foundation of the castle, however, is unknown. From the end of the 15th century, the castle was the administrative center of the archipelago and played an important strategic role, as well as the hunting castle of the Swedish queen.
In its current form, the castle is a complex architectural complex, built and expanded during the period from the end of the 14th to the middle of the 17th centuries. In 1745, a devastating fire broke out in the castle. Only in the twentieth century it was restored and opened to the public.
There are two museums near the castle. One is the Vita-Bjorn State Prison Museum, housed in an old prison building. The second is the Jan Karlsgården Open Air Museum, where you can see more than twenty traditional Åland houses and mills of the 19th century. At the old inn, visitors are treated to national dishes.
