Only twice in history were the doors opened to the most secret rooms in the country.
Sweden's most secret rooms
Only twice in history were the doors opened to the most secret rooms in the country. It was in 2004 and in 2008 when Statens fastighetsverk (the National Property Board Sweden) opened the doors to the most secret rooms: the shelter and defense rooms that have been built secretly since the 14th century. And now it’s time again—on May 26 the doors will be opened for the public.
“We think it is important for the public to as much as possible have access to the properties we manage for them,” says General Director Thomas Norell. Cultural heritage specialist Anders Bodin has helped select the rooms that are now going to be on view. His personal favorites are wartime constructions supposed to protect Sweden from nuclear threats during the Cold War. “Hemsö, for instance,” he says, “is completely intact. There’s food in the storage rooms and boots for ten thousands of men. One fought to make it appear as normal as possible, so there are living rooms decked out with 1960s style furniture.” Some of the secret facilities that will now be open for the public include Göteborg: King Oscar II’s fortress; Karlsborg: Karlsborg’s fortress—the Garnison hospital and the moat’s underground room; Stockholm: the shelter at the Artillerigården (the Artillery Farm), the so-called Bergrummet under Skeppsholmen; Linköping: Linköping Castle—the well, the dungeon or the bishop’s yard; Uppsala: Uppsala Castle and the bastions; and, Härnösand: Hemsö fortress, Kläffsön and Havstoudd.
