Karlskrona isn’t just another coastal city, it’s a completely planned naval fortress from the 1680s. It’s so perfectly preserved that UNESCO named it a World Heritage Site. On this self-guided audio tour, you’ll discover how a Swedish king transformed a farmer’s fields into one of Europe’s most powerful naval bases, and hear the stories of the farmers, soldiers, and royals who shaped this unique maritime city.
The tour starts at Hoglands Park, where farmer Vitus Andersson once owned all this land before King Karl XI seized it to build his new naval city. You’ll cross onto Stumholmen Island, once a strictly forbidden military zone, and explore the heart of naval operations. There, you’ll find the clothing workshop with oversized windows for tailors, and the barracks designed like a ship’s interior where 500 sailors slept in hammocks. The tour ends at the Karlskrona Naval Museum, where the historic ship Jarramas launched in 1900 to train young naval cadets.