Vaxholm
Vaxholm is a town in the
Stockholm archipelago in central
Sweden. It has 4,900 inhabitants and is the seat of
Vaxholm Municipality.
The name Vaxholm comes from the Vaxholm Fortress, which was contructed in
1549 on an islet with this name on the inlet to Stockholm, for defense purposes, by King
Gustav Vasa.
The town Vaxholm was established in 1558, when King
Gustav Vasa traded to him some farms from Count
Per Brahe the elder. It later received rights as a merchant town (
köping) and in
1652 was granted the
Royal Charter. The designated coat of arms reminds of the fortifications as well as shipping industry.
During the 19th century, it hardly expanded. In the 1880s, it became a popular spa town, and many wooded summer houses were built by people from
Stockholm.
* 1762: circa 600
* 1810: 987
* 1815: 1,077
* 1840: 921
* 1917: 3,322
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Vaxholm - Official site
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Vaxholm official tourism In Swedish, English and German
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article Vaxholm from
Nordisk Familjebok
