The Swedish navy had been originally based in Stockholm, but in 1680 it was decided that the main base should be moved to the Blekinge archipelago and a new naval town, Karlskrona, was to be established. The location was chosen because this area had recently been ceded to Sweden by the Danes in the Treaty of Roskilde and they didn't wholly trust that the Danes might not try and wrest it back. They were also carrying on a war with Poland and Germany and recently had established territory in that part of the Baltic. See, Sweden was not always this white socks with sandals peace-loving nation.

As an aside, I've been rather fascinated by the number of places that good old King Karl named after himself. I've counted no less than 32 towns in Sweden which are named "Karl's something". As well as Karlskrona (Karl's Crown), we get things like Karlsarvet (Karl's Inheritance) as well as Karl's wood, mountain, fortress, village, field, harbour, town, farm, croft, valley, grove, moor etc. I immediately thought of those seagulls in the Finding Nemo movie going around saying

"Mine?"

"Mine?!"

"Mine!"

"Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine...."

Good one, Karl.

So while I was explaining all of this to my long suffering husband, he was busy sailing us along the skerries to the main town of Karlskrona. The first sign that we were nearing it was when we passed the fortress called Godnatt (Goodnight). "What an odd name for a fortress", I thought. It sounded so Swedishly polite that I laughed. Now, if I was in charge, I would have named it something to strike fear into would-be tresspassers - something with blood, death, gore and fright in it. Lars-Göran just shook his head sadly.





This fortress tower on Godnatt is just like the keeps that were built in Sweden in the Middle Ages and is the last example of older fortification before modern artillery took over. The tower was constructed in the 1850s and was already outmoded by the time it was completed. It has two battery levels and one low cellar level, with the foundations laid directly on the bedrock. On the top is a lighthouse which is still in use. Each floor in the pentagonal tower had space for eight cannons.

It wasn't long before we found ourselves approaching the main town and we were surprised at just how big it was and how interesting. I'm not sure quite what I was expecting as I knew little about the place apart from the fact that our submarines were moving here. What we saw was a fantastic naval town which seamlessly blended the old with the new. Is it any wonder that it is on the UNESCO World Heritage list as an outstanding example of a late seventeenth century European planned naval city.




Shipbuilding, architecture and town planning are the soul of the town and the naval base and shipyard are still in use today. At the old shipyard there were long wooden buildings and an enormous dry dock.It was a really interesting blend of old naval base with a modern harbour town. Today it has a population of 61,000 though at one time it was Sweden's second largest town.




The town is spread out over 33 islands, with the main central area on the island of Trossö. The streets were wide and the buildings really gracious and stately, with centrum dominated by classic architecture and magnificent statues, especially around the great square. And always in the background are the unmistakable reminders that you are in a naval base.




We sailed into an area that had been closed to civilians for over 300 years - the island of Stumholmen, with it's canal like openings and glimpses of stately buildings and where the new naval museum is housed. We have read that it is free to go in and see it, so provided we can smuggle in the dog, we will make an effort to take a look at it.




Everything here spoke of a living, breathing town. Among the waterfront homes there were offices, workshops, well visited and popular bathing beaches and a fantastic array of shops, with everything within walking distance from the water, where you are reminded again of the long history of Karlskrona and its association to the sea.




And while standing on the street, you can look out across the water to the islands and skerries that surround the town. What a great mix of all worlds - a living, growing, dynamic town, a place with a strong sense of history and tradition and to be surrounded by the peace and beauty of a rocky archipelago. It sounded so perfect to us.




We wandered around the town over two days. On the first day we did the boring things like shopping etc, but on day two, we went to look at centrum as well as at the wonderful Marinmuseum. We began with the underwater observation tunnel, from where it is possible to see the wreck of a ship from the 18th century. There are also displays explaining the history of diving and salvage, which include a number of interesting artefacts retrieved from the Baltic. There was a Naval Warfare Gallery with models of big sea battles (though, as I pointed out to Lars-Göran they only showed the ones where Sweden won!). There was also a life-sized reconstruction of the gun-deck of Dristigheten, a 18th century warship, showing the living conditions as well as how the gun-deck would have appeared when the warship was in action. But what I really loved was the figurehead gallery.




They are in a splendid setting, housed in a twelve metre high, glass-topped hall with a view straight out across the piers and the water. It was visually quite stunning. Most of these figureheads, which one time or other graced Swedish naval vessels were carved by the eminent 18th century Swedish sculptor, Johan Törnström. I spent a long time walking around and admiring these sculptures from every angle.




The story behind figureheads is rather interesting and illustrates well the superstitious nature of sailors. The traditional view for centuries was that women had no place at sea and that a woman onboard would bring bad luck. The only woman accepted on board by many sailors was the ship's figurehead. These wooden figures in the bow of the ship have traditionally been used for luck for many centuries and were made to embody the spirit of the ship. They were carved into many designs, mainly mythological creatures. However, from the 1770’s human figures became more frequently used, particularly women. Now get this, despite being viewed as unlucky aboard a ship, women were perversely believed to be the best navigators. Hey, I can vouch for that!

Superstition amongst sailors said that the female figurehead should have eyes to find a way through the seas when lost, whilst her bare breasts would shame a stormy sea into calm. Hmmm.... I can tell that men were writing the script in those days. In fact this theory about the4 power of female nudity was first put forward by Pliny more than 2000 years ago. I really had to laugh out loud at that - as I understand it, having a woman on board would anger the sea, but having a “naked” woman on board would calm the sea. Imagine that!

I wonder what the sea gods would have made of this figurehead:



That looks quite a painful wedgie he has as well. What a limp wristed caricature. I'm fairly sure that I don't want to travel on an ship that he graces, though Lars-Göran seemed interested in the idea of a bare-breasted woman in the fore of our boat. I'm afraid my answer of "In your dreams!" was not totally unexpected.

We wandered around outside as well, checking out a periscope view of the islands and looking at the boats moored nearby as well as inhaling the intoxicating smell of tar mixed with the salty tang of the sea. They even had the very first submarine built in Sweden on display, built all the way back in 1907.




In other parts of Karlskrona there were beautiful buildings everywhere you turned. One place, Admiralitetskyrkan Ulrika Pia (The Admiralty Church of Ulrika Pia), is Sweden's largest wooden church. It was built in 1685 as a provisional church - and here it is still in use 300 years later. Outside of the church is a statue of Matts Rosenbom.




The story goes that he was a seaman who lived in the wharf area around Björkholmen. Around 1700, he fell ill and could not work, so he was granted permission to beg in order to raise money to keep his large family. He apparently froze to death on New Year's Eve in 1717. He was found in the morning with his hand outstretched, his hat pulled over his ears, and a beggar's bundle on his back. A wooden statue was erected on the site and this has been adopted as the symbol for Karlskrona. It is a poor box with the box concealed beneath his hat. You raise his hat to leave a donation.

And look who we found in the town square - none other than a statue of Karl himself.




No doubt he is casting an eye around to mark out some other things to name after himself. I'm sure that Karlskrona, as a naval port is so well preserved because Sweden has not engaged in any war since 1809. The town’s naval heritage has also been passed on thanks to over 300 hundred years of unbroken co-operation between the naval base and the shipyard.

It has been a pleasure to visit the town and see it happily thriving. I am always interested in history and I think you can learn a lot about people by looking at how their history developed. Having a chance to walk around and see this place first hand has added another layer to my understanding of my new homeland and I hope I never stop learning new things about Sweden.

We have filled the fruit and vegetable locker again, the captain's bar is restocked with essential liquids, we have managed to wash and dry all of our laundry, filled up with water and diesel and feel refreshed and ready to tackle the eastern part of the archipelago before turning northwards and heading into more familiar waters. Sail On Sailor!