Almarestäket

Almarestäket, or Stäket, is a strait at the inlet of lake Mälaren in midth-east Sweden. A fortress existed there between about 1370 and 1517, also named Almarestäket.

A place mentioned as Stocksund by old norse author Snorre Sturlasson was believed to be located here, but is now believed to have been located in Norrström, 2 km to the west.

The strait was of importance before Stockholm was founded in the 14th century, as it guarded the water way to the significant Swedish medieval cities Uppsala and Sigtuna.

For instance, an attack on Sigtuna by Baltic Vikings in 1187 led to a battle at Almarestäket, resulting in the death of Archbishop Johannes

Fortress

There was a fortress built here in the late 14th century, under the reign of Albert of Sweden. It was located on the small island Stäkesön in the middle of the strait. It became the residence of the Swedish Archbishop until 1517, when the Archibishop Gustav Trolle locked himself in there to avoid trial, and the government demanded the immediate demolition of the fortress. The procedure was formally unauthorized because at the time State property was to be separate from Church property. As a revenge for this and other perceived injustices, Trolle, assisted by the Danish King Christian II, took a dreadful revenge in the so called Stockholm Bloodbath 1520.

Almarestäket cirka 1700, in Suecia antiqua et hodierna.

Trench

There was a trench dug here somtime in the 17th or early 18th century, as a defence structure. Most of it was filled up in 1875 when the main line railroad (Västra Stambanan) was built in Sweden. The area was again being built upon in the 1970's, when the highway was built.

Ext link

• article Almarestäket from Nordisk familjebok (in Swedish)