Fortification of Kristianstad

The city of Kristianstad was founded by Christian IV in 1614 in response to Swedish raids into eastern Scania. The new city was supposed to be a stronghold so it was heavily fortified with a modern defense around the town.

The town hasn’t actually had a working fortification for a long time but at the north eastern corner of the city you find Konungen bastion which has been restored and give a good impression of what the old fortifications surrounding the entire city used to look like.

You can just walk here from the center or park nearby if arriving by car and walk in and have a look at the area. The bastion is an interesting sight but it seems like not many people go here to explore – there was nobody but us when we went to have a look around at a Sunday in the fall.

The Danish army didn’t hold the fortification for very long since Scania and the surrounding lands were lost to Sweden at the peace treaty of Roskilde in 1658. The peace was more like a ceasefire than a true peace and soon war broke out again between Denmark-Norway and Sweden. The Danish army quickly conquered almost all of Scania except for Malmø.

The war lasted for a long time and in the end the Swedish army went on the offensive and the Danish army had to take up defensive positions within the fortification of Kristianstad – hence the bastion was in active use.

The Danish army was caught within the walls of the city for two years – but the Swedish army never managed to break through – I guess they were impressed with the fortifications. Instead the Swedish army laid siege to the city trying to starve it out. It almost worked but a Danish relief army came and saved the day. The Danish army kept the control of large parts of Scania, Blekinge and other lost possessions until the end of the war. Unfortunately the great power came together and decided to broker a peace treaty which wasn’t favorable to the Danes who had to give up most of their conquest during the war. This included the unbroken fortress of Kristiansand which once again became a Swedish city and has remained in Swedish hands until today.