Naval Port of Karlskrona
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member Kantspringerne
N 56° 09.571 E 015° 35.343
33V E 536586 N 6223989
Karlskrona is an outstanding example of a late-17th-century European planned naval city. The original plan and many of the buildings have survived intact, along with installations that illustrate its subsequent development up to the present day.
Waymark Code: WMTF
Location: Sweden
Date Posted: 09/02/2005
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Tervas
Views: 117
Download this waymark:
.GPX File
.LOC File
.KML File (Google Earth)

During Sweden's Age of Greatness in the seventeenth century there was an increasing need for a naval base in southern Sweden to defend the state, which then comprised present-day Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and parts of northern Germany. The leading experts in the art of fortification were summoned to Karlskrona to build up a modern naval base using new techniques. The town was founded solely with a view to the strategic location, in the middle of Sweden's Baltic empire.

Karlskrona was proclaimed the new headquarters of the navy, and construction of the naval base and the surrounding defences began under the direction of Erik Dahlbergh. At the same time, the major part of Sweden's shipbuilding was moved to the new town. The original shipyard from 1680, which is still intact, thus became the biggest workplace in the kingdom.

Today the whole area – the central parts of the naval town with the shipyard area, the naval base, and the surrounding defences – is a reference work for a 300-year history of fortification. Unlike similar naval bases elsewhere in Europe, Karlskrona has lived on and developed. This is because Sweden has not had any war within its boundaries since 1809.

The buildings of the naval port – which are of very high architectural, artistic, and technical quality – are well preserved, with several of them still functioning. It is a unique port in naval history but it still houses an ultramodern naval base. The Swedish Navy has one of its headquarters here, and shipbuilding is still carried on, producing both civil and military vessels.
Type: Site

Reference number: 871
Visit Instructions:
Please upload at least one photo.
Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest World Heritage Sites
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
Date Logged Log User Rating  
Walking Boots visited Naval Port of Karlskrona 02/11/2022 Walking Boots visited it
campanulas visited Naval Port of Karlskrona 10/06/2017 campanulas visited it
hennes1389 visited Naval Port of Karlskrona 07/20/2015 hennes1389 visited it
Snapphanen13 visited Naval Port of Karlskrona 09/07/2013 Snapphanen13 visited it
Organisator visited Naval Port of Karlskrona 08/02/2011 Organisator visited it
llavids visited Naval Port of Karlskrona 07/21/2011 llavids visited it
Maliniak visited Naval Port of Karlskrona 09/28/2010 Maliniak visited it
rogge88 visited Naval Port of Karlskrona 03/14/2010 rogge88 visited it
mikr visited Naval Port of Karlskrona 09/05/2009 mikr visited it
olandstoken visited Naval Port of Karlskrona 07/05/2008 olandstoken visited it
Gösta&Marianne visited Naval Port of Karlskrona 08/13/2006 Gösta&Marianne visited it
Kantspringerne visited Naval Port of Karlskrona 07/31/2005 Kantspringerne visited it

View all visits/logs