Vaxholm Fortress, Coastal fortress in Stockholm archipelago, Sweden

Vaxholm Fortress is a granite stronghold on Vaxholmen island featuring thick defensive walls positioned to command the Kodjupet strait leading to Stockholm. The complex contains multiple sections with gun emplacements, bastions, and residential quarters that reveal how soldiers lived and worked across different periods.

Gustav Vasa chose the site and had a wooden fort built on Vaxholmen in 1548 to guard the Kodjupet approach to Stockholm and collect customs. Johan III replaced it with a round stone tower, reinforced after the Danish attack of 1612 was repulsed. The present fortress was rebuilt in 1833–1863 under Carl Fredrik Meijer, using Russian prisoners of war, and Russian galleys were beaten off in 1719.

The name Vaxholm probably comes from Vaktsholm, "island where a watch is kept". The fortress served as a customs station and as a prison in the 18th and 19th centuries, holding the publicist Magnus Jacob Crusenstolpe and General Georg Carl von Döbeln. In 1970 it stood in for the pirate stronghold in the film Pippi in the South Seas.

The fortress is reached by electric ferry from Vaxholm town, with regular service during warmer months when visitor access is typically available. Wear sturdy footwear since pathways are stone and interior stairs can be steep and uneven.

The fortress served as a prison in the 18th and 19th centuries; among its inmates were the publicist Magnus Jacob Crusenstolpe and General Georg Carl von Döbeln. In 1970 it stood in for the pirate stronghold of Pippi's father in the film Pippi in the South Seas.