Nyköping

Nyköping lies where the Nyköpingsån meets the Baltic coast of Södermanland. Its castle, Nyköpingshus, began as a stronghold at the river mouth and became a residence of Swedish rulers. The town grew around the river, its churches and the castle, linking the inland duchy with the sea. Its castle housed royal households for long periods during the Middle Ages, and the settlement became one of the chief centres of the surrounding province.

In 1396 a political agreement made at Nyköpingshus laid the groundwork for the Kalmar Union of Sweden, Denmark and Norway. In the sixteenth century Duke Charles, later Charles IX, transformed the medieval fortress into a Renaissance palace and made Nyköping the centre of his duchy. He died there in 1611. A great fire in 1665 devastated both palace and town, after which the streets were laid out on a more regular plan. Straight streets and a central square replaced much of the earlier irregular pattern, although the river and uneven ground still shaped the town.

Disaster returned in 1719, when a Russian galley fleet attacked and burned Nyköping during the Great Northern War. The town was rebuilt with state assistance, though most houses were again made of wood and a few prominent buildings were rebuilt in stone. Its surviving castle tower recalled the earlier royal residence that had dominated the river mouth.