Strength of north, Kalmar Castle Photo

Photographer’s Note

Kalmar Castle

The history of this legendary castle stretches back over 800 years. Its present appearence dates from the 16th century, when the Vasa kings rebuilt it in the style of a Renaissance palace, with furnishings in the continental manner.

The castle then saw its most glorious period as a stronghold of royal power, although it had already played an important role
in Scandinavian politics, particularly as the meeting place for the signing of the Kalmar Union in 1397.

The oldest city seal of Kalmar is from somewhere between 1255-1267, making it the oldest known city seal in Scandinavia.
In the 12th century the first foundations of a castle were established, with the construction of a round tower for guard and lookout. The tower was continuously expanded on in 13th century, and as such, Queen Margaret called an assembly there between head of states of Sweden and Norway, and on July 13, 1397, the Kalmar Union treaty was signed, which would last until 1523. Kalmar's strategical location, near the Danish border (which was close as Terra Scania belonged to Denmark), and its harbour and marchancy, also led it into several feuds. There are two events independently labelled Kalmar bloodbath: The first in 1505, when King John of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden let execute the mayor and city council of Kalmar; the second in 1599 by command of Duke Charles, later to became King Charles IX of Sweden.
In the 1540s, first King Gustav Vasa, and later his sons Erik XIV of Sweden and John III of Sweden would organize a rebuilding of the castle into the magnificent Renaissance castle it is today.

Kalmar

Kalmar is a city in Småland in the south-east of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It has 35,170 inhabitants (2005), and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality with a total of 61,321 inhabitants (2006). It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total of 233,776 inhabitants (2006).

From the thirteenth to the seventeenth centuries, Kalmar was one of Sweden's most important cities. Between 1602 and 1913 it was the episcopal see of Kalmar Diocese, with a bishop, and the Kalmar Cathedral from 1702 is still a fine example of classicistic architecture. It became a fortified city, with the still mighty Kalmar Castle as the center. After the Treaty of Roskilde 1658 Kalmar's importance diminished, until the industry sector was initiated in the 19th century.
(Source: kalmar.se)

Buin, ChrisJ, ymrk, snunney, besnard, amaryllis, jlbrthnn, Photo65Net, asajernigan, francio64, carper, bobocortis, paura, dareco, leo61, mikolaj_kawa, Cretense, AiresSantos, xavshot, JCG has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

mauro61 (16680) 2008-12-07 0:29

ciao Georg,
ho visitato questo castello tanti anni fa e ritengo que questo POV diverso dai soliti che si fanno sul posto siamo molto bello.
Ottime le luci.
buona domenica
maurizio

Buin (38628) 2008-12-07 0:36

Good morning, neighbour! ;-)
You show us incredible walls this morning. What a frustrating sight for aggressors! These wonderful spires attenuate the impression of these walls a bit. A really worth-seeing photo, and a worth-reading note!
Greetings from grey, cold and wet Germany!
Frank

ChrisJ (70569) 2008-12-07 0:41

Hi George

Good graphism of the warm toned castle, against the cooler blue sky, with excellent sharpness & framing. I like the reflections too. Tfs!

ymrk (9276) 2008-12-07 0:43

Dear George,
I like to idea and technic.Good photo.Very nice color tones and details.
Thanks for sharing,have a nice sunday,

YAĞMUR

snunney (35880) 2008-12-07 1:05

Hello George,
A great composition of this massive and imposing fortress. I like the point of view using the encompassing moat as a frame. Superb natural colours and excellent clarity. A good quality image.

besnard (31362) 2008-12-07 1:06

Bonjour Georg
Une belle composition avec toutes ces formes arrondies qui donnent une certaine douceur à l'image. La bonne luminosité met ce site qui semble très intéressant en valeur.
Merci pour le partage et bon dimanche.
Nicole

amaryllis (18012) 2008-12-07 2:08

Bonjour George
une superbe photo avec un cadrage excellent de ce chateau et architecture, qui commence à dater d'après ta note et les tours sont magnifiques
une tres bonne luminosité sur cet ensemble de batiments
bon dimanche
juliette

jlbrthnn (39533) 2008-12-07 2:30

Hello George,
The remainders of the citadel are really impressive. A true machine of war. The light “of the south” is perfect. Very interesting and beautiful realization.
Have a nice day
Cordially
Joël

jurek1951 (26176) 2008-12-07 3:29

Hi George,
Nice composition, beautiful
colors, good light, sharpness, contrast and POV. Excellent architecture,
Georg

Photo65Net (43106) 2008-12-07 4:05

Hello George,
A great architecure, and your compo allows to enjoy it.
I like the colors here, and the way you placed the building into the frame.
Have a nice day,
JB.

jjcordier (25468) 2008-12-07 4:31

George
Excellente qualité d'image pour nous présenter ce beau château sous cette très belle lumière nordique.
Amicalement
JJ

TopGeo (22509) 2008-12-07 5:11

Hi George
Good architecture, and your composition with excellent shot of the warm toned castle,Wonderful POV I like the point of view using the encompassing moat as a frame the wall FG and blue sky as BG ginen an excellent cold colours and perfect contrast in grass of also dark towers with small opposition with hot colours of stone walls they add dynamic in the picture prospect and volume
Georgios

asajernigan (14414) 2008-12-07 7:04

George,
This is a great shot of this castle with it's imposing walls. Your composition is great with the castle placed to one side with the mote leading the eye through the shot. The lighting and colors are great with excellent sharpness and DOF. The angle of the shot provides excellent depth and direction to the scene. The deep blue sky provides a great backdrop for the shot.
TFS,
Asa

TGULUMSER (12528) 2008-12-07 8:05

Hello George,
Nice representation of this beautiful castle with a good POV. The environment is nice and the colors are wonderful,
Best regards,
Tulay

francio64 (12182) 2008-12-07 10:15

Ciao George,
bello ed originale questo castello con la torre circolare e le cupole tipo chiesa.
Apprezzabile il POV diagonale in quanto ci permette di vedere bene il canale d'acqua, dando anche una buona profondità (DOF) all'immagine ritratta.

Have a nice Sunday
Francesco

carper (66148) 2008-12-07 11:15

very nice one George,
good pov here, nice cointrast and a good quality, I like it, have a nice day.
regard jaap

bobocortis (14146) 2008-12-07 11:23

Hello George.
A great perspective of this castle with his huge tower in the foreground.
Nice reflections too and well chosen pov.
Best regards.
Bobo.

Silvio1953 (43458) 2008-12-07 12:21

Hi Georg, great view of splendid castle, wonderful architectuore well reprised with beautiful colors, I like a lot, ciao Silvio

paura (39632) 2008-12-07 12:22

George,
O lugar é uma beleza e sua fotografia está excelente, com composição primorosa, para mostrá-lo. Lindo seu trabalho.

Abraço

Paulo

ifanik (20696) 2008-12-07 13:34

Hi George
Beautiful castle and beautiful photThe colors are very good
Best regards
Nick

hay_kes (28596) 2008-12-07 14:08

Hi George,
What a stunning architectural view vith sharpness, colours, POV and perspective are superb.TFS.
Regards,
Have a nice week.

hAyAti

dareco (17104) 2008-12-07 20:30

Very pretty!!! and awesome colors. Very nice pov and excellent detail. TFS

leo61 (44118) 2008-12-07 21:48

Hi George!
Good shot of this wonderful building.Great sharpness overall and I like the composition with the curve of the river.
Regards,leo

John_F_Kennedy (32340) 2008-12-07 23:14

Very well depth and nice perspective to this impressive tower. I like the colour. It's a wonderful shot.
Best wishes,
Achim

mikolaj_kawa (31959) 2008-12-08 0:45

Hello George! Wonderful castle. Good info. Very good POV and capture. Nice lightness, brightness and colours. Perfect capture. Ideal composition. Good work, very good. Well done!

Cretense (57608) 2008-12-08 3:18

Hi George!

Very impressive castle, very impressive architectonic photo, you have chosen the best POV possible, to get a beautiful pespective, that gives a beautiful 3-D feeling! Excellent framing and composition, flawless light managment and beautiful colours! Congratulations!

Hercules

AiresSantos (43298) 2008-12-09 3:25

Hi George
Beautiful view of the Kalmar Castle. Wonderful POV and colours. I like the reflections and how you framed it
TFS and greetings
Aires

xavshot (63373) 2008-12-09 12:21

Bonsoir George
une belle mise en valeur de cette architecture. la lumière est superbe et les couleurs sont bien rendues. bon choix du format de la compo.
Xavier

JCG (25911) 2008-12-10 6:38

Hi George,

A castle, taking into account its age, preserved very well… I like much this massive architecture and the camera angle that you chose emphasizes well it I find. Beautiful light and natural colors. Interesting photograph, thank you George.

With all my friendships and a very good end-of-day,

Jean-Charles