What to See in Karlskrona - Top Sights and Attractions

Historical landmark in Karlskrona, Sweden. In front of the Karlskrona Admiralty Church, in Sweden, the popular wooden figure of Gubben Rosenbom has been standing since the mid 18th century. In 1956 the original was replaced by a copy and put in a safer place inside the church. The life-size figure is actually a poor box, which means, if you lift its hat, you can insert a coin for the poor.

The figure holds a placard in one hand which states in a slightly old-fashioned Swedish:

The last sentence is from the Bible.

The figure of Rosenbom is particularly well-known because it is featured in Selma Lagerlöf's book The Wonderful Adventures of Nils. There, the title hero meets Rosenbom and speaks with him.^[3]

Christian church in Karlskrona, Sweden. The Trinity Church is located at Karlskrona in Blekinge, Sweden. Along with the Karlskrona Admiralty Church, the church is situated in the main square, at the center of the island of Trossö.

The church was built in Baroque architecture for the town's German-speaking population. The first foundation stone was set in 1697. The church was inaugurated on June 27, 1709. The church was designed by architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger 1654–1728). The structure includes a domed rotunda. At the time of the citywide fire in Karlskrona in 1790 the church burned and only the walls remained. The church was rebuilt after the original drawings.

After the fire in 1790, only the severely damaged outer walls remained. In 1791, architect Olof Tempelman (1745-1816) was commissioned to draw up proposals for the reconstruction of the church. His simplification of architectural details for the exterior of the church resulted in a building with Neoclassical architecture style. In 1802, the church was re-inauguration. In 1814, the church interior was completed. The principal responsible for this work was Admiralty sculptor Johan Törnström (1743-1828). Most notably he created both the altarpiece and pulpit for the Church.

The church was listed as part of the Naval Port of Karlskrona on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998.^[4]

Stortorget in Karlskrona is the largest square of the city. The square lies centrally on Trossö island. The square lies on the highest point of the island and is bounded by several monumental buildings. The Fredrick Church, the Church of the Holy Trinity, and the town hall are part of the World Heritage Site.

The square encompasses an area of about 200x100 square meters and is quadratic with the exception of its eastern side which has an extension where Kyrkogatan street connects. The full extent of the square cannot be viewed completely since the Frederick Church lies in near the middle of the square, slightly to the west of the actual center where a statue of Charles XI stands. The visible area of the square is only about 140x100 square meters.

The large size of the square in relation to the surrounding city attests to the significance its planners placed on Karlskrona at its founding as Sweden's principal naval base in 1680.^[5]

Island in Karlskrona, Sweden. Stumholmen is a small island to the east of Trossö in Karlskrona, Sweden. It is connected to the center of Karlskrona by the Bastionsgatan bridge. Formerly the property of the Navy, today it houses the National Naval Museum, one of Sweden's oldest founded in 1752, the Hyper Island educational complex, and several other historic buildings. The unusual Slup- och barkass- skjulet is noted for its remarkable roof while buildings on Laboratorieholmen once served as an isolation hospital when the town was struck with disease. Comprehensive restoration and renovation work has been undertaken since the 1990s, providing a variety of interesting sights for tourists as well as residential accommodation for senior citizens. Since 1998, the Naval City of Karlskrona, of which Stumholmen is a key component, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[7]