Hammershus
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Hammershus is a former Danish fortress located on Hammeren, the northern tip of Bornholm and erected in the 12th century. It is located 74 meters above sea level, it is believed to have been constructed by one of the Archbishops of Lund, the primate in Catholic Denmark. The exact founder is still unknown.
During a number of successive struggles between the kings of Denmark versus the Archbishopric the fortress was conquered by the king's army on a number of occasions, e.g. 1259, 1265, 1319, and 1325. In 1521, it was taken by king Christian II who used it to imprison Bishop Jens Andersen Beldenak of Funen. The fortress was conquered by forces of Lübeck the same year.
In 1658, Hammershus was occupied by Swedish forces but a rebellion on the island terminated the Swedish rule and Sweden returned sovereignty of the island to Denmark in 1660. Corfitz Ulfeldt and his wife Leonora Christina were imprisoned in Hammershus 1660–1661, and the fortress was used as a prison on several other occasions.
The fortress was partially demolished around 1750 and is now a ruin. It was partially restored around 1900.
Hammershus Fortress features a 750 metre-long perimeter wall and features a grand tower called the "mantel" tower.
Hammershus is the largest medieval fortification in Northern Europe.[1]
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This article is partially based on the corresponding articles on the Swedish and German Wikipedias, accessed on July 20, 2006.
