The history of Mariestad

In the 16th century, Duke Charles (eventually Charles IX), son of Gustav Vasa, founded a trading town in his duchy. Just like today, proximity to water was important, and this location was favorable for starting a town. Besides its position by the Tidan River and Lake Vänern, it was also close to the major trading towns of the time: Skara, Lidköping, and Örebro. From a small island at the mouth of the Tidan River in Lake Vänern, the town began to take shape along the lakeshore, and in October 1583, Mariestad received its charter and was named after the Duke’s wife, Maria of the Palatinate. It is said that Charles once saw an ox emerge from the water in the Tidan, and that image became Mariestad’s coat of arms. The motif became a symbol of agriculture and the important waterway.

A new cityscape emerges

In August 1693, the first major fire destroys almost the entire city. Only the buildings in the northern part of the city, known as Näset, escaped the flames. Some parts of the church also survived. When the city was rebuilt, the cityscape where houses and streets had grown spontaneously was abandoned. Instead, the characteristic grid system with parallel long streets and cross streets that delimit the neighbourhoods was used, a system that has been widely used around Sweden.

The town burns again

Trade and industry in Mariestad increase during the 18th century and the population grows. The county prison is moved here from Lidköping and Mariestad's very first hospital is built on a site opposite the cathedral. At the turn of the century 1800, there are 1049 people living in Mariestad, which is then the county's second most populated town after Lidköping. In December 1895, the town suffered a second fire and 36 plots were destroyed. Reconstruction starts once again, bringing with it more modern methods. Now stone houses are prescribed instead of wooden ones and as an extra protection, the Esplanade, a wide firebreak with tree plantings, is built between the Old Square and the houses along Kungsgatan. The esplanade is still there and has been renovated in recent years, restoring some of its old style and shape. The old firebreak is now a valuable green space in the city centre.

‘Small but pleasant’

Carl Linnaeus passed through Mariestad on 18 June 1746 on his trip to Västgötland and described the town as ‘small but pleasant, situated on the eastern side of the large lake Wenern, built with small but dense wooden houses, the streets are straight and bright’. And of course you understand exactly what he means when you stroll along the streets of the Old Town. The well-preserved wooden houses line the cobbled streets and from a hill the Cathedral watches over the city. Many people have passed through here, including the famous portrait painter Bror Kronstrand, who grew up in a house on Kyrkogatan 16. His works of art can be found in the White House in Washington.

Living history

If you're in Mariestad, don't miss a visit to the Old Town. Always open and no entrance fee! Download the leaflet if you want to guide yourself. Guided tours are organised in the summer. The cathedral is open daily for those who want to see more than the outside. The Marieholm residence, where the duke and duchess once lived, is now used by the county governor and others for representation and conferences and is not open to the public to visit. However, the wing buildings house the Vadsbo Museum and the Mariestad Industrial Museum with many interesting exhibitions about the town's history.