Kalmar Castle, a photo from Smaland, Gotaland

Photographer's Note

Kalmar Castle

The history of this legendary castle stretches back over 800 years. During the 12th century a defense tower was erected to protect against pirates and other sea-faring enemies. A harbour was constructed and in the course of time a castle grew around the original tower. Kalmar Castle soon became “The Key to the Kingdom”, a significant defensive fortification on the Danish border with an essential part in international, political life.
The Castle acquired its present appearance in the 16th century, when the Vasa kings Erik XIV and Johan III rebuilt it in the style of a Renaissance palace and furnished it in a continental manner. The last king who lived in the Castle and issued governmental documents was Charles XI. He was on the throne from 1673 to 1692.
Kalmar Castle played a fundamental role in Nordic policy already in 1397, especially as the meeting place for the signing of the Union of Kalmar. On July 20th, 1397 Queen Margaret I signed the controversial yet memorable pact which joined all of the Nordic countries under a common ruler. In 1997 the city of Kalmar and the Castle celebrated the 600th anniversary of the Union of Kalmar.
In 1856, architect Fredrik Wilhelm Scholander (1816–1881) initiated restoration work at Kalmar Castle. His pupil Helgo Zettervall continued restoring Kalmar Castle in the 1880s. Architect Carl Möller drew up the plans and other documents. The work began in 1885 and by 1891 the castle had gained the silhouette it bears today. In 1919 professor Martin Olsson was charged with the continuing restoration of earthworks, the moat, the bridge and the drawbridge. Work continued until 1941, when the castle was once more surrounded by water. Today, it is one of Sweden's best preserved renaissance castles and is open to the public.

Kalmar

Kalmar is a city in Småland in the south-east of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 36,392 inhabitants in 2010 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total of 233,090 inhabitants (2011).
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 in 1658, Kalmar's importance diminished, until the industry sector was initiated in the 19th century. The city is home to parts of Linnaeus University.
Geographically Kalmar is the main route to the island of Öland thanks to the Öland Bridge. (Source: Kalmar & wikipedia)

jhm, ChrisJ, timecapturer, Bluejeans, lakshmip1949, jlbrthnn, jlbrthnn, carlo62, jjcordier, Gigidusud, Sonata11, amaryllis, siamesa, danos has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

jhm (122474) 2012-04-28 1:07

Hello George,

Thank you very much for your interesting note.
You shows us a wonderful picture absolutely with very high quality.
Also the soft reflection make this image very attractive.
Excellent composition nice presentation.
Sharpness and clarity be superb. TFS.

Have a nice Saturday,
John

jurek1951 (35765) 2012-04-28 1:22

Hi George,
Great capture of the castle with beautiful colours and contrasts.Marvellous lighting and reflex on water.
Georg

ChrisJ (86902) 2012-04-28 2:27

Hi George

I like the reflections here that resemble frosted glass. Good choice of a vertical frame with superb sharpness & excellent colour & saturation. Well framed & composed & good to include all of the tip. A good exposure on the highlights with punchy light contrasts. Tfs!

timecapturer (30342) 2012-04-28 2:27

Hi Gyorgy
a magnificent castle, perfectly captured and presented. Love the strength of the light and composition that make the structure's impressive size so effective. Exquisite details and colours. Wonderful!

Enjoy your weekend - Brian.

Bluejeans (64239) 2012-04-28 2:52

Ola George ,
Linda visão deste castelo de Kalmar , gostei do seu reflexo neste fosso , bonitos detalhes as torres , boa luz e cores, parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

Bom fim de semana

lakshmip1949 (19110) 2012-04-28 3:58

Hello George,

Nice vertical composition showing the back of this castle with a subtle reflection in the water.Your note helps understnd the history of this castle. The image quality is very good with natural colors.

Lakshmi

Yiannis84 (2824) 2012-04-28 4:16

Hi George..

Very intersting capture of this castle! excellent reflection play and amazing combiantion of cool colors! the light and the clarity are splendid as usual..very good job!

Best regards..Yiannis

jlbrthnn (79773) 2012-04-28 4:32

Hello George,
The castle and its reflection are remarkable, and his story is fascinating. The view is perfect. The exposure, light, color and sharpness are excellent. Bravo.
Have a nice day
Cordially
Joël

Sergiom (39298) 2012-04-28 5:41

Bonjour George,

J'aime beaucoup la construction de cette belle image. Placer ainsi le château dans la partie supérieure de l'image nous permet d'apprécier ces beau reflets dans les eaux calmes devant.

Amicalement

Serge

carlo62 (12636) 2012-04-28 6:24

Ciao George
bello il castello e bella la foto, ottima la luce e la nitidezza, stupendo il riflesso sull'acqua.
Saluti
Carlo

jjcordier (62366) 2012-04-28 7:51

George
Une jolie lumière et un très bon cadrage de ce château et de son reflet. Une belle photo illustrant joliment cette note très complète.
Amicalement
JJ

npecanhuk (53913) 2012-04-28 10:07

Hello George!
Beautiful castle!
Interesting and attractive picture!
Sharpness, exposure, colors, chosen pov, vertical format, black & white borders, contrasts and composition with reflections are all excellent!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

vrabieionut (2189) 2012-04-28 10:27

Hi George,

Amazing composition with great colous and nice reflections.
Beauifil details. Very complete note

Salute,
Ionut

Gigidusud (8098) 2012-04-28 13:04

Hello George,
Beautiful architectural composition with nice reflections and splendid light.
Have a nice WE.
PS:my girls are in your beautiful city this WE for a conference hairdressing!:)
Ghislaine

chrisvek (5505) 2012-04-28 15:55

Hello George

Superb capture of this ancient castle.Perfect "small" reflections on the water.Very nice frame and very useful note!Thank you for sharing.

Regards
Chris

mesutilgim (68014) 2012-04-28 15:55

Hello George,
Very nice capture with amazing reflections.
Perfect format and good ligth management.
Nice reflections and nice framing.
Many good and usefull notes.
TFS and have a nice weekend.
Best regards
MESUT ILGIM

Sonata11 (28375) 2012-04-28 20:58

Hello George,
marvellous captured of the fantastic castle. Wonderful composition and frame with perfect vivid colors, sharpness, super clarity, POV and DOF as well. I love the beautiful architecture and surroundings. Fantastic view of this place. Excellent work. Congratulation. Perfect picturesque image.
All the best and have a nice sunday.
Barbara

Silvio1953 (98217) 2012-04-29 3:35

Ciao George, great POV on fantastic castle, fascinating reflections, excellent clarity, splendid light and colors, very well done, my friend, have a good Sunday, ciao Silvio

amaryllis (30149) 2012-04-29 5:10

Bonjour
je pense que la Suède t'a conquise, et tu as raison, au travers de tes photos, on peut noter toutes les richesses architecturales de ce pays.
Ici un beau chateau, bien cadré et avec reflet
superbe
juliette

cornejo (18116) 2012-04-29 11:30

György Hello, very nice shot of this beautiful and interesting castle with its reflection in the river, good sharpness, depth, light and color. Very good and beautiful work, congratulations my friend. Tfs.

Good afternoon and happy start to the week.
Best regards.

Angel.

mauro61 (52527) 2012-04-29 12:11

ciao George,
immagine del castello dalla possente mole che si riflette sul fiume con una buona resa dei colore.
Forte la luce solare che dà forza alla scena,
saluti
maurizio

siamesa (27449) 2012-04-29 15:49

Boa noite George

These reflections are fantastic. They make a splendid effect in this photo. Perfect exposure.
Abraços
maria

danos (74056) 2012-04-29 22:29

Good morning George,
very nice this part of the Kalmar castle,with its reflection on the calmly surface of the water to makes the image very effective.I like the light and the colour management as the beauty of the place.

Have a good week,Danos

abmdsudi (26295) 2012-04-30 8:43

Hi George
Great narrative and a grand image to go with it, love the feel of being there and the history. This is such a stunning architecture with the majestic forks jutting up into the sky so proudly giving the compostion a great strength with a lovely pov. And can't resist a blue sky and water there, a dramatic image, age and beauty that have an enchanment about them. Good effort and fine photographic work, and thks for sharing. Congrats
Warm regards

Ps: I do feel the centre tower needs a bit more room space.