Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Brief history
The town's colourful
history
- as so often in western Sweden - mainly revolves around
fish. Founded under Norwegian rule in the thirteenth century, it achieved remarkable
prosperity through herring fishing during the following century, when the ruling king,
Håkon of Norway, obtained permission from the pope to allow fishing in the town even
on holy days. Rich herring pickings, however, eventually led to greed and corruption,
and Marstrand became known as the most immoral town in Scandinavia. The murder
of a cleric in 1586 was seen as an omen: soon after, the whole town burned to the
ground and the herring mysteriously disappeared from its waters, neither the fish nor
Marstrand's prosperity to partially return until the 1770s. The town fell behind
Gothenburg in importance, and by the 1820s, the old herring salting-houses had been
converted into bathhouses as Marstrand reinvented itself as a fashionable bathing resort.
St Maria kyrka
On leaving the ferry, head up Hospitalsgatan and turn right into Kyrkogatan and after a
couple of minutes, you'll arrive at a small square, surrounded by beautiful wooden
houses painted in pastel hues; the locals play
boules
here beneath the shade of a huge,
ancient beech tree. Across the square is the squat, white
St Maria kyrka
, whose interior is
simple and unremarkable. From here, all the streets, lined with wooden villas, climb
steeply to the castle.
Carlstens fästning
Kungsgatan • Daily: early to mid-June & Aug 11am-4pm; mid-June to July 11am-6pm; rest of year 11am-4pm • 75kr including guided
tour • For English-language tours, book ahead on
T
0303 602 65 •
W
carlsten.se
Carlstens fästning
is an imposing sweep of stone walls solidly wedged into the rough rock
above. You could easily spend half a day clambering around the castle walls and down the
weather-smoothed rocks to the sea, where there are always plenty of places to bathe in
private. The informal
tours
take 45 minutes, and guides will explain about Carlstens'
most noted prisoner-resident,
Lasse-Maja
, a thief who got rich by dressing as a woman to
seduce and rob wealthy farmers. A sort of Swedish Robin Hood, Maja was known for
giving his spoils to the poor. Incarcerated here for 26 years, Lasse-Maja ingratiated
himself with the officers by deploying his cooking skills in a kitchen not renowned for its
cuisine. His culinary expertise eventually won him a pardon: when the new king - who
was reputed to hate Swedish cooking - visited, Lasse-Maja had the foresight to serve him
French food. Some tours include climbing the 100m-high towers, built in 1658. The
views from the top are stunning, but the steep, spiral climb is quite exhausting.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
4
MARSTRAND
By bus
Bus #210 leaves Nils Ericson Terminalen in
Gothenburg for Marstrand hourly (from early morning until
late evening; 50min), terminating at the foot passenger
ferry over to Marstrand.
By car
Take the E6 north out of Gothenburg, and then
Route 168 west, leading right to the ferry stop; cars are not
permitted on Marstrand, so you must park at the ferry quay
on the island of Koön and travel across to Marstrand as a
foot passenger (every 15min; 5min; 20kr return).
INFORMATION
Tourist o
ce
Hamngatan 33 (early June Mon-Sat
11am-5pm, Sun noon-4pm; late June to Aug Mon-Fri
10am-6pm, Sat & Sun 11am-5pm;
T
0303 600 87,
W
marstrand.se). Close to the harbour where the ferry docks.
ACCOMMODATION
Båtellet
Kungsplan 15
T
0303 600 10,
E
batellet
@gmail.com.
The island's hostel is set in an old bathhouse
and looks out onto idyllic islands. Rooms are quite plain but
the facilities are good, and include a sauna, laundry,
swimming pool and restaurant. No double rooms in
summer. Dorms
365kr
, doubles
730kr
Grand
Rådhusgatan 2
T
0303 603 22,
W
grandmarstrand.se.
Built in 1892 and the former
residence of King Oscar II (who spent summers here in
room 24), the
Grand
is a real classic. Expertly refurbished
