Malmöhus Slott

Malmö's castle has an intriguing history, although not much remains of the older citadels built on the site: today, with its red-brick, Functionalist buildings (dating from 1937), it looks more like a factory! Some of the Malmö Museer are based inside the castle.

Erik of Pomerania built the first fortress here in 1436, to control the growing medieval town and Öresund shipping. This castle was destroyed between 1534 and 1536 during a popular uprising in Skåne. In the years immediately after the rebellion, King Christian III of Denmark had the castle rebuilt in forbidding late-Gothic and early-Renaissance styles.

The most famous prisoner at Malmöhus Slott (from 1567 to 1573) was the Earl of Bothwell. Bothwell married Mary, Queen of Scots, but was forced to flee from Scotland after she was deposed. On reaching Europe, he was detained by the Danes until his death in 1578.

After the Swedish takeover of Skåne in 1648, the Danes made a futile attempt to recapture the castle in 1677. When peace was restored, interest in the castle waned and most of it became derelict by the 19th century. A devastating fire in 1870 left only the main building and two gun towers intact: these sections were renovated in 1930.

Inside the castle, the especially interesting aquarium has a nocturnal hall (with bats, slow lorris, skinks etc), as well as coral reefs, brightly coloured tropical fish and representatives of local species such as cod and pike. It was being revamped at the time of writing, so should be even better when you visit! The aquarium is associated with the Naturmuseum (Natural History Museum), which has typical collections of rocks, stuffed animals and birds.

The galleries of Malmö Konstmuseum contain the largest Swedish collection of 20th-century Nordic art, and the Stadsmuseum (City Museum) deals with the cultural history of Malmö and Skåne (mostly in Swedish). The Knight's Hall has various late-medieval and Renaissance exhibits, such as the regalia of the order of St Knut. The northwest gun tower is intact and atmospheric, with cannons pointing in every direction.