Bohus Fortress
Kungälv, Sweden
Bohus Fortress
Built	1308
Construction materials	Granite, brick
In use	1308-1658
Controlled by	Norway, Denmark-Norway, Sweden

Bohus Fortress (also Baahus or Båhus, originally: Bagahus) lies along the old Norwegian - Swedish border in Kungälv, Bohuslän, Sweden, north east from Hisingen where the Göta river splits into two branches (20 kilometres north of Gothenburg). Kungälv is a city (pop 20500 in Bohuslän on the Swedish west coast and the seat of Kungälv Municipality, Västra Götaland County "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Denmark–Norway ( Danish: Danmark-Norge Norwegian: Danmark-Norge or Danmark-Noreg is the historiographical name for a former political entity union "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Kungälv is a city (pop 20500 in Bohuslän on the Swedish west coast and the seat of Kungälv Municipality, Västra Götaland County is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative Provinces of Sweden ( landskap in Swedish situated on the west coast of the country "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Hisingen is the fourth largest Island of Sweden, at 199 km² and most populated forming part of Gothenburg Municipality, Västra Götaland County The Göta älv is a River that drains lake Vänern into Kattegat, and the North Sea, at the city of Gothenburg on the western Gothenburg ( Swedish:) /jœte'bɔrj/ is a city, a municipality, and an urban area on the west-coast of Sweden. It commands its surroundings from a 40 meter high cliff, with the river forming a natural moat about it.

Initial Construction

Bohus Fortress (Norwegian: Båhus Festning and Swedish: Bohus Fästning) construction began in 1308 under King Håkon V Magnuson, king of Norway from 1299 until 1319. Norwegian ( norsk) is a North Germanic Language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is an official language Swedish ( is a North Germanic language spoken by more than nine million people predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the Haakon V Magnusson ( 1270 - May 8, 1319) was king of Norway from 1299 until 1319 Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Håkon V also initiated construction of Norwegian Fortresses at Akershus and Vardøhus as part of a broader defensive policy. Norwegian Fortresses or Fortifications have been constructed from some of the earliest recorded periods down through the 20th century Akershus Fortress or Akershus Castle ( Akershus Festning, Akershus slott) is the old Castle built to protect Oslo, the capital Vardøhus Fortress is located in Vardø municipality in the county of Finnmark on the Barents Sea on the mouth of the Varangerfjord At the time Bohuslän (Båhuslen) was Norwegian territory and it served as a main Norwegian defense against Sweden along the coast as well as the strong point for the Bohuslän region from 1308 until 1658. is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative Provinces of Sweden ( landskap in Swedish situated on the west coast of the country

Bohus fortress

Medieval Castle

According to Kavli, “by 1310 records show it was constructed, as normal for that period, out of granite and brick, perhaps under the guidance of Count Jacob of Halland. is one of the traditional Provinces of Sweden ( landskap in Swedish on the western coast of Sweden. By 1450 it included a continuous surrounding wall, 3 meter thick at the base, with a height which varied from 8. 5 to 13. 5 meters, varying with the terrain. It was approximately rectangular, with four rectangular corner towers. At the eastern end there was a brick tower, and in the center of the west side a gate house and drawbridge. Along the inside of the surrounding wall buildings were located which among other things included the "Kings hall," the castle commander’s residence, the chapel, the guardroom, the barracks and the kitchen. The fortress had secure vaulted positions, partly cut into the mountain, and beyond that strong outer-works. At the time Båhus was Norway's strongest fortress. The approaches were very difficult and the area to be defended was small, only 250 x 150 meters, so it did not require a large defensive force. ”

Fortress

Picture of model of Bohus fortress, as it was before it was ceded to the Swedes

The Norwegian fortress was invested numerous times, but was never captured. Norwegian Fortresses or Fortifications have been constructed from some of the earliest recorded periods down through the 20th century During the Northern Seven Years' War (1563-1570) it was seriously damaged. The Northern Seven Years' War (also known as the Nordic Seven Years' War, the First Northern War or the Seven Years War in Scandinavia) was the war This occurred in 1566, when 250 Swedish soldiers successfully stormed the northeastern-most tower. The Norweigan commander sent a volunteer to blow up the ammunition stores underneath the tower, killing the Swedes and repelling the attack.

The Norwegians rebuilt the fortress of stone & brick, and substantially reinforced it. The reconstruction immediately after the war was directed by Hans Paaske (Påske) from the Netherlands. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands

In 1593-1604, similar to the construction then undertaken at Akershus in Oslo, Bohus was upgraded to a bastion fortress. is a county in Norway, bordering Hedmark, Oppland, Buskerud, Oslo and Østfold. (called Christiania from 1624 to 1878 and Kristiania from 1878 to 1924 is the Capital and largest city of Norway. A bastion is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a Fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall (termed curtain with the shape A new outer fortification was raised. This construction was one of the early works by Hans van Steenwinckel, also from the Netherlands, who was later famous for his Dutch Renaissance style design in Denmark. Hans van Steenwinckel the younger ( June 24 1587 - August 6 1639) was a Flemish - Danish architect who specialised The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe in which there was a

As Swedish invasions continuously threatened Norwegian Båhuslen in this period, the improvements to the fortifications continued for years. For example from the summer of 1651 through the autumn of 1652 the Dutch engineer Isaac van Geelkerck directed the construction of two corner towers along the south face and a new ring wall was constructed around the arsenal building. An arsenal is an establishment for the construction repair storage and issue of Weapons and Ammunition.

Loss to Sweden

Under the terms of the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658, Denmark-Norway ceded the Danish provinces of Scania, Blekinge and Halland (the latter was agreed to be Swedish for a period of 30 years after the Peace of Brömsebro, but was in the treaty of Roskilde given to Sweden permanently) and the Norwegian provinces Trondhjem and Bohuslän (including Bohus Fortress). The Treaty of Roskilde was signed on February 26, 1658 in the Danish city of Roskilde. Denmark–Norway ( Danish: Danmark-Norge Norwegian: Danmark-Norge or Danmark-Noreg is the historiographical name for a former political entity union Scania ( in Swedish and Danish) is a geographical region on the southernmost tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, a traditional province ( is a one of the Provinces of Sweden ( landskap) situated in the south of the country is one of the traditional Provinces of Sweden ( landskap in Swedish on the western coast of Sweden. (Trondhjem is a city and municipality in the county of Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative Provinces of Sweden ( landskap in Swedish situated on the west coast of the country

After Denmark-Norway ceded the territory which included Bohus Fortress, Fredriksten Fortress was constructed in Fredrikshald on the newly established Norwegian-Swedish border. Fredriksten is a Fortress in the city of Halden in Norway. History This Norwegian fortress was constructed in the 17th Halden is a town and municipality in the county of Østfold, Norway.

Since Bohus Fortress no longer lay on the border, it was of minimal future use to Sweden, which relied on the existing Älvsborg Fortress at Gothenburg and a new Carlsten Fortress erected at Marstrand. The Old Älvsborg Fortress (Älvsborg castle was located at the Klippan area at the harbour entrance of Gothenburg, Sweden. Gothenburg ( Swedish:) /jœte'bɔrj/ is a city, a municipality, and an urban area on the west-coast of Sweden. Carlsten is a stone Fortress located at Marstrand, on the western coast of Sweden. Marstrand is a seaside town in Kungälv Municipality, Västra Götaland County in western

As prison

Instead the fortress was used as a prison. The most famous prisoner was the radical pietist Thomas Leopold, who during his life spent 42 years behind bars, 32 years at Bohus, for his alleged heresies. Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century and later Thomas Leopold, born 1693 near Kristianstad, Scania, dead 1771 in Kungälv, was one of the prophets and martyres of the Swedish Pietist His stone cell can be visited at the castle today.

Modern times

At the end of the 18th century it was decided that the now unused fortress should be demolished. Demolition crews worked at the fortress for two months, at which time the money allocated for the task had run out. Residents of the surrounding town of Kungälv used the dressed stone of the fortress for building houses. Kungälv is a city (pop 20500 in Bohuslän on the Swedish west coast and the seat of Kungälv Municipality, Västra Götaland County Still, much of the fortress is still intact, including the large northern tower, "Fars hatt". The fortress is now a museum and open to tours in the summer.

References

Norges festninger by Guthorm Kavli; Universitetsforlaget; 1987; ISBN 82-00-18430-7