Karlshamn – Karl’s Harbour

In 1658, one month after Blekinge had been handed over to Sweden, King Karl X Gustav paid a royal visit to the village of Bodekull. The King described his visit in a letter to Admiral Wrangel as follows, “Bodekull’s harbour is perfect for the transport of timber”.
Ten years later the harbour was given town privileges and a shipyard, it was also named after the king, Karlshamn (Karl’s harbour). Today, some 30.000 people live and work in the municipality of Karlshamn, the second largest of Blekinge. King Carl X Gustav probably planned to use Karlshamn as a navy base, but in 1680 it was decided that Karlskrona was a better choice. Apart from a small remuneration from the state the inhabitants of Karlshamn were forced to look after themselves. Industry grew in the area and the merchants were very prosperous.
There is a road called the Holländarevägen that was built in the 1600’s, it starts in Svängsta and was used to transport goods to and from the industrial areas of Småland. You can still follow the original road, although it has been substantially modernised since then - straight to the north from Svängsta.

The Devil’s workshop

One hundred years ago Karlshamn must have been considered to be the devil’s workshop, the town was responsible for the manufacturing of alcoholic drinks, punsch, tobacco and snuff. During the 1800’s one of the printers was responsible for producing nearly all the card games in Sweden. The town’s layout was designed in the 1600’s and the buildings are well proportioned.
The Naval museum is in the town centre and worth taking a look at, the old Asschierska huset from the 1600’s is a good example of one of the old terrace houses. This was once the town hall of Karlshamn. It is a beautiful half-timbered house, just a stone’s throw from the church.
Karl Gustav’s church is believed to have been designed by the multi-talented Erik Dahlberg and pre-recorded guided tours are available.
The buildings were rebuilt in 1763, after a fire that destroyed most of the old wooden structures. It seems that nearly all of Blekinge’s towns have suffered the same fate. The wooden houses in Karlshamn are different to those in other towns, the front door is positioned in the middle and is framed by two large wooden pillars which are painted in contrasting colours.
A good example of this type of house is Alice Tegnér’s childhood home on the street called Drottninggatan. The Hoppet Hotel, which was described in Wilhelm Moberg’s novel “Utvandrarna” – “The Emigrants” is another fine example.

Karlshamn’s Culture Centre

The historical buildings of Karlshamn are well preserved and the Culture Centre has some very interesting attractions. The Swedish punsch factory, the silver forge, the art gallery, the printer’s workshop and the merchant houses. One of Sweden’s finest antique trading houses is situated at the Skottsbergska gården. The buildings are from the 1700’s and in the cellars you can see how business was conducted 200 years ago.
The ground and first floor were used as accommodation for the businessmen and the shops, storehouses and stables are situated beside River Mieån which runs at the bottom of the garden.
In the museum there are exhibits reflecting the fishing and shipping industries as well as a section paying tribute to the memory of Alice Tegnér. A building which is a remarkable example of a house from the 1600’s is called Holländarhuset.
The art gallery is situated in an old storehouse and there is a permanent display of paintings from the 40’s.

World-famous Punch

The Swedish Punsch museum is another interesting place to visit and contains exhibits from one of the two large factories which manufactured punsch here in the 1800’s.
The Von Bergen Punsch was so popular that it was exported throughout the world and the company expanded into Denmark, Germany and Finland. It is claimed with pride that the demand is so great that the factory could go back into production tomorrow, but we’ll never know if this is true. In the tobacco storehouse one can see how cigars and snuff were made in the days when tobacco was grown in the area. During the 1700’s there were about forty tobacco factories in the Karlshamn area.

The Traditional Harbour

Wilhelm Moberg wrote about the Swedish emigration to America in his novels and a large number of people left Sweden via Karlshamn. Axel Olsson’s famous statue depicts the key characters, Karl-Oskar and Kristina, looking out over the sea before starting their adventure. In the park nearby one can visit the 300 year old fishing cottage which is open to visitors during the summer. It gives you a real insight into the lives of the fishing community in the 1600’s.
Karlshamn’s old harbour is situated at the mouth of the river Mieån and this explains why the street is called Ågatan (River street).
If you walk along the quay you come to the Hotel Carlshamn and the ferry terminal, here it is possible to take boat trips. The Ölhallen or “Beer hall” is also on the quay and reflects the style of the 1930’s, the menu is typically Swedish.
From the harbour depart numerous fishing tours, those destined for the Pukavik bay have become especially popular.

Youth Hostel

One of Blekinge’s most comfortable youth hostels is to be found in Karlshamn. It is centrally located, at the Surbrunnsvägen next to the famous playground Kulbrunnen, created by children. At the youth hostel all rooms have private toilets and showers. In the proximity of the guest harbor you also find a youth hostel which is named “Hamnens youth hostel”, which is a small and cosy alternative.