Karlskrona
UNESCO World Heritage Site (1998): The Best Preserved Planned Naval Town Of Late 17th Century Europe, Still Sweden'S Naval Base, Set On Islands In The Blekinge Archipelago · Karlskrona, Blekinge County
Karlskrona was founded in 1680 by King Charles XI as the base for Sweden's navy in the Baltic, built from scratch on a cluster of islands in the Blekinge archipelago, and it is still the country's main naval base today. UNESCO listed it in 1998 as the best-preserved planned naval town of its period in Europe: the grid of wide streets on the island of Trosso, the huge Stortorget square with its two churches, the shipyard with its dry docks and ropewalk, and the fortresses of Kungsholm and Drottningskar guarding the sea entrance all survive. Visitors come for the Naval Museum, one of Sweden's great museums, the big wooden Admiralty Church, the islands and the summer boats. The honest caveat: much of what made Karlskrona is still an active military area, so the shipyard and fortresses can be seen only on guided tours or from the water, and outside summer the town is quiet and the boats and tours largely stop.
Central Karlskrona on the island of Trosso, with the naval base, the Naval Museum on Stumholmen and the fortresses at the archipelago's mouth, Karlskrona, Blekinge County, Sweden
The town is open all year. The Naval Museum on Stumholmen is usually open daily in summer and on fewer days, often closed on Mondays, the rest of the year - check the current schedule; entry has been free in recent years, but confirm locally. The Admiralty Church is typically open in summer and on limited days otherwise. Boat tours to Kungsholm Fortress and guided tours of the naval base run mainly in the summer season, roughly late June to mid August, and must be booked through the museum or the tourist office, often with ID required. The free road ferry to Aspo, for Drottningskar, runs all year. Archipelago boats to Tjurko and other islands run mainly in summer - confirm timetables. Getting there: trains reach Karlskrona station from Malmo on the coast line and from Gothenburg via Vaxjo; Ronneby Airport, about 30 km away, has flights from Stockholm.