Rindö Redoubt, Military fort in Vaxholm, Sweden

The Rindö Redoubt stands on the western headland of Rindö island, not the northern tip. Its granite donjon, with a brick inner-courtyard facade, faces northwest and is closed off by a spärrmur to the southwest, with ramparts and a deep moat on the other sides. Two projecting caponiers, the first of their kind built in Sweden, gave fire along the whole defence line.

The redoubt was designed by fortification engineer Johan af Kleen and built between 1858 and 1863 on Rindö's western point to complement Vaxholm Castle in defending the approach to Stockholm. After the 1872 firing trials in which the ironclad HMS Hildur shot through Vaxholm Castle's new walls, the 12th Battery was added in front of the redoubt. The inner defence line was removed from the war organisation by the 1925 defence decision, and the redoubt served as a military store after the war.

The site shows how Sweden viewed its waterfront defense in the 1800s and reflects the importance placed on protecting maritime approaches. Visitors can see how military strategy was physically expressed through the placement of walls and gun platforms.

Visitors can reach this fort by taking a regular ferry service from Vaxholm to Rindö island, which takes just a few minutes. The warmer months offer the most reliable ferry schedules and comfortable conditions for exploring the site and its surroundings.

The redoubt's two caponiers, projecting works allowing fire along the whole defence line, were the first of their kind built in Sweden. The 12th Battery added in front of it after 1872 was likewise the country's first battery with its guns under armoured cupolas.