Varberg Fortress

Varberg Fortress was built 1287-1300 by count Jacob Nielsen as protection against his Danish king, who had declared him an outlaw after the murder of king Eric V of Denmark.

Jacob had close connections with king Eric II of Norway and did as a result get substantial Norwegian help with the construction. The fortress, as well as the half the county, became Norwegian in 1305.

The grand daughter of king Eric, Ingeborg Håkansdotter came to inherit the area from her father king Haakon V of Norway. She and her husband Erik Magnusson came to establish a semi-independent state out of their Norwegian, Swedish and Danish counties until the death of Erik. They spent considerable time at the fortress. Their son, king Magnus II of Sweden/Magnus VII of Norway, came to spend considerable time at the fortress as well.

The fortress was augmented in the end of the 16th Century and the beginning of the 17th Century by order of king Christian IV of Denmark.

The fortress became Swedish after the Treaty of Brömsebro in 1645. It was used as a military installation until 1830. It was used as a prison from the end of the 17th Century until 1931. It is currently used as a museum, bed and breakfast as well as private accommodation.

The moat of the fortress is said to be inhabited by a small lake monster. In August 2006, a couple of witnesses claim to have seen the monster emerge from the dark water and devour a duck, write "Hallands Nyheter" [http://www.hn.se/m_standard.php?id=603275&avdelning_1=109&avdelning_2=169&] and "Aftonbladet" [http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/nyheter/story/0,2789,876229,00.html] . The creature is described as brown, furless and with a 40 cm long tail.

External links

* [http://www.lansmuseet.varberg.se/page_look.asp?sidnr=36 County Museum of Halland]