Örebro Castle is a medieval castle

Castle

A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...

 fortification

Fortification

Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...

 in Örebro

Örebro

-Sites of interest:Örebro's old town Wadköping is located on the banks of Svartån . It contains many 18th and 19th century wooden houses, along with museums and exhibitions....

, Närke

Närke

' is a Swedish traditional province, or landskap, situated in Svealand in south central Sweden. It is bordered by Västmanland to the north, Södermanland to the east, Östergötland to the southeast, Västergötland to the southwest, and Värmland to the northwest...

, Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

. It was expanded during the reign of the royal family

Royal family

A royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning...

 Vasa

Vasa

Vasa may refer to:* House of Vasa, a medieval Swedish noble family, the royal house of Sweden 1523–1654 and of Poland 1587–1668** Vasa , a Swedish warship that sank in 1628, since restored...

 (House of Vasa

House of Vasa

The House of Vasa was the Royal House of Sweden 1523-1654 and of Poland 1587-1668. It originated from a noble family in Uppland of which several members had high offices during the 15th century....

) and finally rebuilt about 1900. The castle lies on an island in river Svartån

Svartån

Svartån is a name given to a considerable number of Swedish rivers and streams.Svartån in Västmanland is 91 kilometers long. It passes through the towns of Skultuna and Västerås and has its outlet in Mälaren...

. Some of the rooms are used as classrooms for pupils from Karolinska Skolan.

For over 700 years Örebro Castle has kept a watchful eye on everyone crossing the bridge on the River Svartån. The oldest part of the castle, a defence tower, was erected in the latter half of the 13th century.

This tower was added to in the 14th century to make a larger stronghold, and towards the end of the 16th century most of the impressive castle we see today was built.

Many important events in Swedish history took place here. For over two hundred years it has been the residence of the county governor, but a great deal is open to the general public, with art, music, food, exhibitions, guided tours, conferences, and lots more.