June 24, 2025
Take the train to Karlskrona, my friend joins in Kristianstad. Start by going to Dockside in the harbor, conference center and tourist office. Get a map of Karlskrona. With the map in hand, we go to Hogland Park, dating back to the 1820s. Named after the Battle of Hogland in 1788. There is a flea market going on there. A nice statue is the Blekinge Girl "When beauty came to the village". Further up to Stortorget, where Fredrikskyrkan is located. Built in the 18th century and named after Fredrik I. In the middle of the church stands a baptismal font in black diabase. Hard to see but it is filled with running water, a guide encourages you to poke into the water and create small waves.

We leave the church and go to the Naval Museum on Stumholmen. There is, among other things, the model room with old ship models from the navy's rearmament in the 18th century, life on board warships, galleon hall with figureheads. On the quay outside, a number of boats are moored, such as the robot boat Västervik. Sweden's oldest submarine, the Shark, is exhibited in the Submarine Hall. We board the submarine HMS Neptun, which participated when the Soviet submarine U 137 ran aground off Karlskrona. I wouldn't be able to work on a submarine, you almost get cellulitis. Go to the bistro for lunch, long queue, but we get a table and a buffet with, among other things, raggmunk.

Walk around Stumholmen past the lower lighthouse. Out in the water lies Godnatts fortress tower, inaugurated in 1862, but became outdated by 1870. Over to Vallgatan with the Aurora bastion and the statue of Erik Dahlbergh (1625-1703), a military man, architect, draftsman, etc., i.e. a polymath. He drew some of Karlskrona's military buildings and the first city plan. Turn off into the Admiralty Church. Initially intended as a temporary church, it is obvious that it did not become so. Erik Dahlberg is suspected of having designed the wooden church. Outside the church, Rosenbom has been standing since 1793, perhaps longer, asking for a penny for the poor. It is a copy but the original is in the armory. There is a ceremony in the church, so we have to wait outside for a while. When we enter, we are offered leftover coffee. Nice in a beautiful church.

Passes the Admiralty Bell Tower in Admiralty Park. Built in 1699 as a bell tower for the naval shipyard, it only became a church bell tower in 1909. The railway track under the bell tower runs between the railway station and and the shipyard. The tunnel was used to supply the shipyard with materials for the new armored ships that were built in the late 19th century.

Continues to Stortorget, where the founder Carl XI stands with a statue. Behind Fredrikskyrkan is the ice cream bar Glassiären, where we have ice cream before heading home.

Map
GPS: WGS84 decimal (longitud, latitud) 56.1662,15.5869