The original fortress dates from the second half of the 13th century, and King Canute I probably ordered it, though the article says this is not totally certain. The Pahr brothers, engineers and architects from Milan, led a Renaissance rebuilding for John III in 1572. Charles X Gustav ordered a Baroque palace, and Nicodemus Tessin the Elder designed the reconstruction begun in 1654. Work stopped when the king died in 1660, resumed slowly, and finished in 1709.
The castle surrendered to Denmark in 1612 during the Kalmar War and was returned to Sweden under the Treaty of Knäred. A fire starting in the north wing roof on October 14, 1806 left it a ruin.
The National Property Board of Sweden manages it for the state. It has a museum, and the courtyard hosts concerts and theater.
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