Linköpings slotts- & domkyrkomuseum

About the museum

Linköping Castle began as a bishop’s manor in the 12th century, and its oldest parts, a limestone house from the mid-12th century, survive in the western wing. After the Reformation in the 16th century the fortress became a royal castle, and under Gustav Vasa, Johan III and Karl IX it was extended into a Renaissance castle. After the Battle of Stångebro in 1598, the trial that led to the Linköping Bloodbath (Linköpings blodbad) of 1600 was held here. After the town fire of the 18th century the castle was used, among other things, as a town prison and jail, and from 1795 it was rebuilt as an administrative building and residence for the county governor (landshövding). The castle is still in use today and is counted as Sweden’s oldest inhabited secular building.

When Statens Fastighetsverk (the Swedish National Property Board) renovated the façade in the 1990s, building archaeologists at Östergötlands museum carried out a thorough investigation of the castle, and the idea of opening it to the public arose. Linköpings slotts- och domkyrkomuseum (Linköping Castle and Cathedral Museum) was inaugurated on 20 March 2000, on the 400th anniversary of the Linköping Bloodbath, in three floors of the north wing. The museum is run by an independent fundraising foundation without municipal or state grants.

The exhibitions tell the early history of the town, the cathedral and the castle. At the push of a button, visitors can follow the castle’s building phases in digital 3D, see archaeological finds in Biskop Bengts tornrum (Bishop Bengt’s tower room) and visit the treasury with textiles and church silver. In Karl IX’s hall is the exhibition on the Battle of Stångebro and the Linköping Bloodbath.

Highlights

• Digital walk-through of the castle’s 900-year building history
• The treasury with medieval textiles and church silver
• Karl IX’s hall with the exhibition on Stångebro and the Linköping Bloodbath
• Biskop Bengts tornrum with archaeological finds
• Vasarummet (the Vasa room) and the castle’s oldest limestone house

Permanent exhibitions

• Slottets 900-åriga byggnadshistoria – Digital 3D walk-through of how the bishop’s fortress became a royal castle and the county governor’s residence.
• Karl IX:s sal – Slaget vid Stångebro och Linköpings blodbad – The castle in its 17th-century form, with preserved parts of the cathedral’s south portal and the exhibition on the battle of 1598 and the bloodbath of 1600.
• Skattkammaren – Textiles from the late 14th century onwards and church silver from several centuries.

Founded

2000

Operated by

Insamlingsstiftelsen Linköpings slotts- och domkyrkomuseum

Director

Christel Storm

Admission & discounts

50% discount with the Kulturarvskortet. School tours cost SEK 500 per group for preschool and primary school and SEK 600 per group for upper secondary and adult education. The museum is cashless – payment by card and Swish. Certain tours of the castle garden are free, with a limited number of places.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Lift between the first and second floors, and a stairlift (maximum 300 kg) to the third floor. Two disabled parking spaces are available at the castle and the town hall. A map of the museum’s floors can be downloaded.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Kids’ birthday parties

The museum describes itself as a museum for the whole family and offers children’s parties and school visits.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the north wing of the castle; the entrance is in the courtyard.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop with, among other things, the book Röster från slottet, kyrkan och staden (Voices from the Castle, the Church and the Town).

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Karl IX’s hall can be hired for concerts, lectures, weddings and corporate events; dinner can be laid for up to 50 people. Half day SEK 5,000, full day SEK 6,500.

Plan your visit