Sweden · 12th century
Bulverket ranks #4,872 of 9,040 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #138 of the 209 mapped in Sweden. Founded c. 1135, it is older than 83% of the atlas's dated landmarks, one of 763 atlas entries founded in the 12th century. 2 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. See how Sweden compares in the castle statistics.
The Bulverket is the remnants of a large wooden fortification or bulwark at Lake Tingstäde on the island of Gotland, Sweden. When built, it consisted of a platform with houses surrounded by a double palisade with the entire construction around 250 m (820 ft) in diameter.
According to a 1989 archeological survey, the structure was built in the 1130s and may have been used for less than a century. Although its original purpose is unknown, theories suggest it was either used as a shelter during the turbulent times on Gotland at the end of the Viking Age or that it was the site of a last stand.
Among the archeological finds at the Bulverket are the remains of three boats. One of these served as a model for the reconstruction of a Viking boat, the Krampmacken, in 1980. Krampmacken has subsequently made several journeys following old Viking waterways through Eastern Europe.
Text adapted from “Bulverket” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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