Borgholm Castle, Fortress ruins in Borgholm, Sweden
Borgholm Castle is a ruined fortress on the island of Öland, begun in the late 12th century with a stone tower and ring wall, and rebuilt from 1572 by the Pahr brothers into a bastion fortress. The roofless walls of the 17th-century baroque palace, designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Elder, now stand in the inner courtyard.
The castle was built in the late 1100s as a defensive stronghold and underwent several reconstructions during its active period. A fire in 1806 destroyed much of the complex and left it in its present ruined state.
The inner courtyard hosts concerts and theatre performances; Roxette filmed material for six music videos during a 1989 concert there, including "Listen to Your Heart". Bob Dylan played the courtyard in July 2001, and between 1986 and 1992 Björn Skifs held his Badrock concerts here.
The ruin is state-owned and managed by the National Property Board of Sweden (Statens Fastighetsverk), and it is open to visitors, with a museum housed inside. The inner courtyard is used for concerts and theatre performances, so parts of the site can be closed off around an event. The grounds lie just outside Borgholm town on Öland, and the ruined walls stand without full roofing, so wind and rain are felt inside them.
In the summer of 1989, Roxette filmed material for six music videos during a concert in the castle courtyard; one was "Listen to Your Heart", which later became their second number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Bob Dylan played the same courtyard in July 2001.
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