Stegeborg

#122 Stegeborg Castle
Near Söderköping, Östergötland, Sweden
~1200 - 1590
This is NOT an official Lego site

Note: I am indebted to Krister Johannesson of Skövde for his interest in castles, Lego and for many
of the photographs on this page, and to Britt Danielsson, owner with her husband Casimir, of
Stegeborg Estate, for her excellent history of Stegeborg Castle and technical assistance.
Tack så mycket!!

Stegeborg Castle is situated on a small island guarding the narrowest point of a roughly 13-mile long bay which stretches from the Baltic Sea to Söderköping. The first "castle" on the island was probably a quadrangular brick watchtower at what is now the southeast corner of the castle. It was built about 1200 and may have been protected by a wooden palisade. By 1310, the first time Stegeborg is mentioned in written literature, a stone castle of unknown design was bequeathed to King Birger as part of the estate of his father, the Swedish king Magnus Ladulås. Birger conspired to imprison his two brothers, who shared his inheritance, but the brothers' subjects, irate at their lieges' confinement, stormed Birger's stronghold at Stegeborg and "crumbled [the castle so] not a single stone was left"! Some version of a castle at Stegeborg was rebuilt in the 14th century under the guidance of the very wealthy Bo Jonsson Grip, Vizier to King Albrekt von Mecklenburg, and probably improved during the reign of Queen Margareta of Denmark and Sweden. The castle was strong enough to withstand three seiges in the early 15th century by the legendary Karl Knutsson Bonde. However, Karl's daughter had the foresight to marry a very rich Danish nobleman, Ivar Axelsson Tott. Ivar was granted Stegeborg Castle in 1472 and it was his re-enforcement of Stegeborg with 10 meter high curtain walls which gave the castle its lasting reputation. He also built the initial round donjon tower which is so prominent today - the Tott family coat of arms can still be seen on the tower.

When the Danes conquered Sweden in 1520, capturing Stockholm, 24-year old Gustav Eriksson Vasa raised a small army of rebels in Dalarna in central Sweden and, in a series battles over the next several years, gradually retook much of his native land from Christian II of Denmark. By no means universally loved, Gustav I was elected King of Sweden on June 6, 1523. His reign included dramatic reconstruction at Stegeborg, unification of Sweden under one language, the introduction of Lutheranism, and revolts in Dalarna and Småland. He was succeeded by his son Erik XIV in 1560, but madness led to his being deposed in 1568. He was succeeded by his half-brother Johan, who was born at Stegeborg Castle in 1537. As John III, King of Sweden and Grand Prince of Finland, he turned his birthplace into a royal palace, increasing the height of the great tower to 87 feet (see below). At John's death in 1592, his 24-year old daughter Anna became resident of Stegeborg. However in 1599 she and her brother Sigismund, King of Sweden and Poland, were forced to flee to Poland when Sigismund was defeated by his uncle Duke Karl (Charles IX) at Stångebro. In 1622 Karl's daughter Katarina took possession of Stegeborg with her husband Count Palatine Johan Casimir of Poland. Their oldest son, Karl Gustav X of the House of Palatinate-Zweibrucken, became King of Sweden in 1654. His younger brother, Adolf Johan, was the last royal resident at Stegeborg, which gradually deteriorated. In 1731 the Swedish Riksdag ordered the castle pulled down.


In this courtyard series, the absent entrance is on the left with Gustav Vasa's personal kitchen under the tin roof, then his residential range.	The residential range along the north wall ends with later ruins. The roofed area is the main stairs with remnant of Great Hall left.	The "Rikssal" remnant ends with a rebuilt Ivar Axelsson tower at the SE corner, then on the left mainly additions by King John III.	The southwest corner of the court- yard shows ruins of the buildings in front of the Great Tower (photos 2 & 3 were taken from the window)	Completing the courtyard are older buildings such as the gunpowder room, with the main entrance on the right.


A model of Stegeborg as it might have looked under Ivar Axelsson Tott about 1400.	A rough drawing of the castle about 1530-45. *I used this* *drawing to design my model.*	A cardboard or wooden model of Stegeborg about 1570 at the peak of her elegance under John III.	A rough drawing of how the castle ruin looked to an observer about 1900

Construction Photos of the Lego Model Under construction from May 15, 2008

First the outer perimeter of Stegeborg is laid out and baseplates adjusted.	Then the buildings and curtain wall are outlined, here from the SW.	I've added several labels for purpose of orientation.	Landscaping occupies much of the May 17-18 weekend!


On June 4 the curtain wall is up to the level of the wallwalk, the floor of which can be seen.	And the windows of the Rikssal (right) and Gustav I's quarters (left) on the second floor.	On June 11 the big job of roofing the castle begins in ernest.	The final height of the great tower and how to top it has yet to be determined.

Photos of the Lego Model May-June, 2008 To my surprise, I ran out of black 2x4 roofing slopes. It eventually took 9 additional orders of this Lego brick, including 800 directly from Lego Group, to complete the roofs of the castle.

Here is the massive fortress from the northwest, showing the old and current entrances	From the southwest the donjon, old watchpost and courtyard can be appreciated.	The view from the SSE shows off the west range, and the ancient tower corner.	Finally the view from the north- east shows the rikssal and King's ranges, and the postern.


By May 20 the substructure of the courtyard is added...	...so on May 24 the buildings are better defined, and the courtyard almost complete.	The long, mostly rainy holiday allows major work on the cellars and the first floor.	The castle from the southeast on May 27 - this may be the last until Stegeborg is done.


Plan of Slätbaken Bay with light blue current and green showing the size of the island duringthe Viking era.	Plan of the castle about 1525-40 after King Gustav Vasa's additions.	Castle Plan about 1570 after Johan (John) III's improvements.


A closeup of the donjon, with doors to storage at the ground level and wallwalk above.	This courtyard closeup features King Gustav I and his minoins.	The main event this morning is evaluation and training of recruits.


Cross-section looking West	Cross-section looking North	Cross-section looking East


West Elevation	South Elevation	East Elevation