Visiting Kastelholm Castle - Åland's only medieval castle

Visiting Kastelholm Castle is very interesting and exciting. This is Åland's only medieval castle, founded in the 1380s. Today the castle can be visited in summer, together with the neighbouring open-air museum Jan Karlsgården.

Kastelholm Castle

Kastelholm Castle had its historical heyday under Gustav Vasa and his sons, when Åland and Finland were part of Sweden. After several fires, the castle finally fell into disrepair, but today it is once again a living place.

As well as visiting the restored and well-preserved ruin, you can also see the Vita Björn prison museum and the Jan Karlsgården open-air museum, and enjoy food and drink at Smakbyn and the Åland Distillery.

Kastelholm Castle is located in Sund, Åland.

Kastelholm Castle - with an exciting history

Kastelholm Castle was built at the end of the 14th century as a defence castle. Over the years, many different owners came and went, the most famous being the Swedish Vasa family. Both Gustav Vasa and Duke Johan stayed here, and Gustav Vasa turned the castle into a hunting lodge. Erik XIV was also imprisoned here for a few months.

Why was Erik XIV imprisoned in the castle?

Gustav Vasa's son, Duke Johan, received Finland and Åland as a duchy. He stayed at the castle in the mid-16th century and in the autumn of 1571 he had his brother Erik XIV, who had been deposed as king, imprisoned together with his wife Karin Månsdotter. The background to the imprisonment is a long story, centred on the brothers' disagreement and the struggle for power.

Sieges and fires

The castle has suffered both sieges and fires over the years. The castle was involved in the Engelbrekt rebellion in 1434, and in 1507 it was taken by the feared privateer captain Sören Norby and his fleet.

Administrative centre

Until 1634, Kastelholm was the administrative centre of Åland and the castle was rebuilt several times. The last governor, Stellan Otto Mörner, tried to rebuild the castle after a fire in 1619, but eventually it lost its importance.

From decay to museum

The following fire, in 1745, destroyed almost the entire castle, which then fell into disrepair. The building has undergone several extensive restorations and is now a museum.

Visiting Kastelholm Castle

Visiting Kastelholm Castle today is very interesting. Because the castle is so well preserved, there is a lot to see in the form of rooms, towers, arches, stairs, a well and much more.

In summer, you can walk here with a guide. Since we were here in pre-season, we went on our own, but there were still hosts here and there - dressed in period clothes - who were happy to answer questions and embroider the occasional exciting story.

Peter was in a playful mood and found the box of period clothing. Why not try out one of those chainmails for once? Phew how heavy it was! How did they manage to fight? Not to mention the hassle of getting it off again... It was lucky that one of the experienced hosts came with some tips and tricks!

White Bear Prison Museum

When visiting Kastelholm Castle, you can also check out the White Bear Prison Museum, which is right next door and included in the same ticket.

Kastelholm has a long history of handling prisoners, from the dark dungeons under the castle to the remand centre in Vita Björn. For almost 200 years the Crown Prison was used and it was here, in the jailer's living room where he lived with his family, that prisoners had their sentences read out. Perhaps a death sentence or life banishment to Siberia.

Across the hall were the prisoners' cells. Today they have been reorganised so that there is one cell from the 19th century, one from the 1850s, one from the 20th century and one from the 1950s. Even though the storage became more humane over the years, these walls have a lot of gruesome stories to tell ...

Open air museum Jan Karlsgården

Right next to Kastelholm Castle is the Jan Karlsgården open-air museum. When the museum was founded in the 1930s, it was named after Jan Karls in Finström, where the manor house comes from.

Today there are around 20 buildings in the area, all of which have been moved here from different parts of Åland. You can see houses and stables, but also different kinds of mills and an interesting exhibition about the Post Road.

At certain times of the year, various events are also organised here, such as the Midsummer celebrations on Midsummer's Eve and the Christmas market in December.

Flavour village

Right next to Kastelholm Castle is Smakbyn, which is known for its distillery and pub, and also has a small stall selling delicacies. It also organises cooking classes, wine tasting and other activities.

Åland Distillery

Here is also the Åland Distillery, where we had a meal. It was a soup with pike and root vegetables for me (Helena) and a pizza with different cheeses for Peter. Good and nice!

In addition, we took the opportunity to buy some of the distillery's long drinks to take home with us. In Finland, breweries are allowed to sell alcoholic beverages with a maximum of 12 per cent alcohol by volume directly to customers. However, the distillery's gin can be bought at Alko, Finland's equivalent of Systembolaget.

Where can you stay or park your motorhome?

As we understand it, it may be possible to stay overnight at the Kastelholm guesthouse. We have also heard that motorhomes sometimes stay overnight in the car park of the open-air museum. However, there is no service there.

We stayed one night at Puttes camping, which is located at the Bomarsund fortress. It is also possible to continue over to Vårdö, where you will find Sandösunds camping, where we stayed nicely with a view of the water the following night.

More to see and do in the neighbourhood

If you like historical sights, there is more to discover near Kastelholm Castle in Åland. Right in the neighbourhood you will find the very interesting Bomarsund Fortressthat you won't want to miss. You can also explore Vårdö, Geta and of course, the main town of Mariehamn. Please also read all our tips on things to What to see and do in Åland. Below you will find even more tips for Åland and Finland.

Have you visited Kastelholm Castle?

Have you visited Kastelholm Castle, or maybe Smakbyn or Åland Distillery? If not, did you know about these places? Please tell us!

Facts about Kastelholm Castle on Åland

• Country: Finland
• Landscape: Åland
• Read more: You can find more information at the castle's website

Visiting Kastelholm Castle - opening hours and prices

• Opening hours: Kastelholm Castle is open daily from May to September 10-17 (2023). In addition, the castle can stay open for e.g. Easter.
• Guidance: During summers (2 June - 6 August 2023), in Swedish, Finnish and English. The tour lasts one hour and is included in the ticket price.
• Prices: Admission costs EUR 8 for adults and EUR 5 for pensioners, students and children (2023) and includes admission to the White Bear Prison Museum. Family tickets (€20 for two adults and two children), summer tickets and group discounts are also available.

Visiting Kastelholm Castle - good to know

• Parking: Free parking spaces are available at the Jan Karlsgården Open Air Museum.
• Accessibility: The castle contains several stairs and is not fully accessible to people with disabilities. Contact the museum for more information.
• Food service: Food service is available at Smakbyn and at the Åland Distillery.

History at Katselholm Castle

• 1388: The castle was mentioned for the first time in writing, in the estate of Bo Johnsson Grip.
• 1434: The castle was captured in the Engelbrekt rebellion.
• 1507: The castle was plundered and destroyed by the Dane Sören Norby.
• 1530: Gustav Vasa visited the castle for the first time as king and had it transformed into a royal hunting lodge.
• 1556: Gustav Vasa bequeathed Åland and Kastelholm Castle to his son Duke Johan.
• 1571: The deposed Erik XIV was imprisoned at Kastelholm.
• 1599: Kastelholm was involved in a battle between Duke Charles and King Sigismund.
• 1619-1620: The castle was damaged in a fire.
• 1714-1721: The great storm. A timber pallisade was erected in front of the eastern part of the castle.
• 1745: The castle was severely damaged by fire and most of it was left in ruins. After this, the castle was left to decay.
• 1978: A prison, the White Bear, was built on the site.
• 1809: During the Russian period, the castle served as a granary.