Karl X Gustav - Malmo, Sweden
Posted by: 
Metro2
N 55° 36.371 E 013° 00.019
33U E 374028 N 6164064
This sculpture of King Karl X Gustav is located in Malmo's Stortorget Square.
Waymark Code: WME8Z7
Location: Skåne, Sweden
Date Posted: 04/20/2012
Views: 30
Wikipedia (
visit link) informs us \ :
"Charles X Gustav also Carl Gustav, Swedish: Karl X Gustav (8 November 1622 – 13 February 1660) was King of Sweden from 1654 until his death. He was the son of John Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg and Catherine of Sweden. After his father's death he also succeeded him as Pfalzgraf. He was married to Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, who bore his son and successor, Charles XI. Charles X Gustav was the second Wittelsbach king of Sweden after the childless king Christopher of Bavaria (1441–1448) and he was the first king of the Swedish Caroline era, which had its peak during the end of the reign of his son, Charles XI. By his predecessor Christina, he was considered de facto Duke of Eyland (Öland)before ascending to the Swedish throne.
His numbering as Charles X derives from a 16th century invention. The Swedish king Charles IX (1604–1611) chose his numeral after studying a fictitious history of Sweden. This king was the fourth actual King Charles,[2] but has never been called Charles IV."
The 1896 bronze sculpture by John Borjeson depicts the King on horseback in regal attire and a high tophat. The work is probably 3 or 4 times lifesize and sits on a tall marble(?) pedestal that has additional bronze flourishes and reliefs.
This local tourism site (
visit link) adds:
"The equestrian statue of King Karl X Gustav, who took Skåne from the Danes through the Roskilde Treaty of 1658, stands in the midst of the largest square in Malmö. Stortorget was built in 1536 at the initiative of Jörgen Kock, Malmö's powerful mayor and master of the mint. Stortorget became Malmö's new marketplace and was the largest city square in Northern Europe for a very long time. The city well was located in Stortorget,with the site now marked by a bronze water sculpture. Jörgen Kock built a new and stately city hall as well as a home for himself, Kockska huset next to Stortorget."