Landskrona Citadel

Do you like old castles and historical sites? Then Skåne is the place for you to go!

The wars between Denmark and Sweden left numerous forts, castles and citadels like the one in Landskrona scattered all around Skåne! This is paradise for castle enthusiasts!

The west wing and western tower seen from the drawbridge leading across the inner moat.

The Citadel in Landskrona is one of the best preserved earthwork fortresses in Northern Europe, which was built by the danish king Christian III in 1549. A monastery of the Carmelite order had been here at the western gate of this old medieval town. The castle consists of four towers with walls that are 5 meters thick, a main wing that faces west and barricades to all sides. When this monster citadel was in use, cannons were sticking out of every floor of the western tower and on top of the walls. The only way to get into the castle was to follow the thin strip of land that led around the castle, while being bombarded by cannons in the castle. Than you had to either swim across the wide moat or cross the drawbridge. Finally, you would have to break down the gate. You would want to be the one guarding the Landskrona Citadel, rather than attacking it! There was a big grain storage in the west wing, so the defenders could withstand quite a longdrawn siege.

The courtyard with the eastern tower in the background.

The castle was occupied by Sweden in 1644-45, and came into swedish possession in 1658. During the Scanian war, it was again occupied by the Danes between 1676 and 1679. As time passed by, it became less useful as a military facility, and from the beginning of the 18th century prisoners of war were kept inside. During the 19th century it was used as a prison for lifers and female prisoners. The main wing was renovated after a big fire in 1886, and during the 1970s a restoration of the whole Citadel begun. Today, it's a museum.

The different buildings now hold shops for handicraft as well as domestic arts and craft, museum exhibitions with guided tours in the summer and a café. You will find information about the guided tours and other events at the drawbridge or at the tourist bureau. The main building has several floors with cannon emplacements which you can have a look at, and there's a dungeon in the western tower. In the eastern tower, the prison interior is preserved from the 19th century and one of the courtyard buildings holds an exhibition of the Citadel and prison history.

Just beside the Citadel you will find the Landskrona Museum, which exhibits the history of Landskrona among other things, the Landskrona Art Gallery and the Rothoff Allotment Museum.

I truly recommend visiting Landskrona on your trip through Skåne! Near the Citadel you can also take a ferry to the beautiful Ven Island or take a walk among the old inner town of Landskrona, which celebrates its 600 years history this year!

Recommended lodging: Hamnhotellet Kronan

Recommended food: Walters Strandpaviljongen

Västerstad Church Ruins

Skåne really has something for everyone! 

If you're travelling through Skåne by car or bicycle and like creepy old ruins and graveyards, the Västerstad church ruin is the place for you! Take a look at these pictures!

This church is believed to be built in the 12th or 13th century, but when the new church was built in 1877-1878, this one was left to decay.

Still there are events like weddings (!) at this site!

 Just beside the ruins, there is also the Dala museum, which exhibits old school furniture and materials from the beginning of the 20th century. The school building itself is located in Dala, the neighbouring village. A private person lives there today, so obviously you cannot visit there. If you would like to see the stuff they used though, you can book a guided tour by calling +46 415-40416. The church ruins are of course free to visit and there is big parking spot where you can park for free.

To get here, you should follow the road east from Löberöd, or if you come from the west, turn toward Löberöd if you are following road 13. Please check the location link to get here, you'll probably need to bring a GPS receiver or a map! 

You don't want to get lost here...

Recommended lodging: Elisefarm Golf Resort

Recommended food: Rönås byakrog

Knivsåsen Ridge

Hi! This is the first post on this blog, so I'm just trying it out!

Here's a photo I took when passing the Knivsåsen Nature Reserve just east of Dalby, Lund municipality. This whole area is perfect for hiking, riding, bycycling or a picnic... you name it! And the scenery is just stunning! 

The picture was taken on October 18:th 2013 and the weather was really nice for this season. I truly recommend visiting Skåne and especially the area around Dalby in the fall, because all the trees have beautiful colors. 

Knivsåsen is a ridge covered with meadows. There are many animals grazing here and there, like cows and sheep. This area of Skåne is very famous for horse-riding, and you can often see riders on the roads. Nearby there are great beech tree forests, and the Dalby quarry, which is filled with water and is basically a lake nowadays! So you can pretty much spend a whole day in this area.

The Dalby Quarry has become a great place for fishing and bathing.

I truly recommend to visit Knivsåsen Ridge, preferably in spring, summer and fall.

You can get here by car (there are plenty of free places to park) or bus no 160 from Dalby station (5 min). Just follow Veberödsvägen east and you will see it on your left! Please check the location link below!

Recommended food: Dalby Gästgiveri

Recommended lodging: The Lodge