Styresholm
The Styresholm Castle refers to a medieval fortification near the Swedish town Prästmon in the church today Kramfors. She is now on the banks of Ångermanälven, however, was in the 14th century on an island in the river.
Styresholm was built in the late 14th century by the brothers Vitali. Coinciding with the first mention in a transfer certificate in 1398, the castle and the associated Ångermanland and the half Medelpad is passed to Queen Margaret. The Vitali brothers received a fief in return. The castle itself has been integrated into the management and inhabited from the 1400s by Danish Vogten who raised taxes on trade in Ångermanland for Margaret. The last time Styresholm is mentioned in documents in 1405, as Algot Magnusson took over the castle. They belonged to a number of castles and fortifications that were built in the Bothnian Sea, the brothers Vitali. Other castles were Faxeholm in today Söderhamn, Ekholm / Gaddaborg in Gastrikland and Korsholm in Finland.
The northern part of the island is crossed by two moats, so that two plateaus emerged. The northern measures about 8- 16x30 meters and rises five meters of the surrounding landscape from. A total of three phases could be determined by studies in 2007. The two encountered fire camps were each covered by new construction phases. In addition, charred wood residues and planks were found as well as the earlier results confirmed that the eastern part of the castle has been eroded by the river. The southern plateau measures 20x16 meters and is surrounded to the north, west and south by a heaped Wall. On the plateau a 10x6 meter and one meter deep pit was found, which is probably derived from a house with a basement.
In the late 14th century, the water line was about five meters higher than today, so that the island was completely surrounded by water. In later times the area silted west of the island and is now connected to the mainland.
Excavations are held since 1987 under the " Styresholmsprojektet " and brought some discoveries to light.