The exhibition at the Naval Museum tells the story of Karlskrona’s fortifications and the city’s strategic importance as a naval base. — Photo: Oliver Lindkvist, the Naval Museum/SMTM. CC-BY

Ships & People - the Naval City of Karlskrona

Join us on a journey from oak to ship in the city that is now the World Heritage Site of Karlskrona. Meet the people whose lives revolved around shipbuilding in a bustling city filled with life and influences from many countries.

Karlskrona was founded in 1680 to meet the need for a fortification in southern Sweden and was at the time one of the most modern naval bases in the world. Sweden's leading shipbuilders, architects and fortification builders gathered to plan what was expected to be an ideal naval city.

Karlskrona soon attracted European merchants who gave the city an international character early on. In turn, Karlskrona served as inspiration for naval installations in many other European countries and gained significant national influence, not least because the shipyard in Karlskrona was, for a time, Sweden’s largest workplace.