Vadstena () is a locality and the seat of Vadstena Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden, with 5,613 inhabitants in 2010. From 1974 to 1979 Vadstena was administered as part of

Motala Municipality Motala Municipality (''Motala kommun'') is a municipality in Östergötland County in southeast Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Motala. In 1971 Motala Municipality was formed by the amalgamation of the ''City of Motala'' with some of t ...

. Despite its small population, Vadstena is, for historical reasons, still referred to as a ''city'': though it received its city privileges in 1400), Statistics Sweden only counts as cities Swedish urban localities with more than 10,000 inhabitants.

History

Above all, the city of Vadstena is noted for two important facts of Swedish history. It was in Vadstena, year 1350, that

Saint Bridget of Sweden Bridget of Sweden (c. 1303 – 23 July 1373) born as Birgitta Birgersdotter, also Birgitta of Vadstena, or Saint Birgitta ( sv, heliga Birgitta), was a mystic and a saint, and she was also the founder of the Bridgettines nuns and monks after t ...

founded the first

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

of her

Bridgettine Order The Bridgettines, or Birgittines, formally known as the Order of the Most Holy Savior (; abbreviated OSsS), is a monastic religious order of the Catholic Church founded by Saint Birgitta or Bridget of Sweden in 1344, and approved by Pope Urban ...

, and

Vadstena Castle Vadstena Castle ( sv, Vadstena slott) is a former Royal Castle in Vadstena, the province of Östergötland, Sweden. History Vadstena Castle was originally built by King Gustav I in 1545 as a fortress to protect Stockholm from enemies approach ...

is one of Sweden’s best-preserved castles from the era of

Gustav Vasa Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksför ...

in the 16th century, when Sweden became Protestant. Today the surviving buildings of the monastery are occupied by a hotel, (Vadstena Klosterhotel), and the castle houses the provincial archives and a museum of 16th and 17th century furniture, portraits and paintings. Since the 16th century, Vadstena has been the location of a hospital. Earlier in history, it mainly housed mental patients. Today, some of the oldest buildings present the Vadstena Hospital Museum. Suecia 3-010 ; Vadstena år 1700

The buildings in the city centre date mainly from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. The old town is well preserved and the streets have not changed much over the centuries. The Town Hall is Sweden's oldest, dating back to the early 15th century. Notable is the main street (''Storgatan'') where all the shops are gathered, as they would have been during the Middle Ages. The botanist Erik Acharius died in Vadstena (1819).

Railway

Vadstena also preserves elements of more recent history in the museum of the Vadstena- Fågelsta narrow gauge railway (Wadstena Fogelsta Järnväg).The railway museum in Vadstena
Wadstena Fogelsta Järnväg. Retrieved 24 September 2014. This 891 mm (or Swedish three foot) railway was once part of a large network of narrow-gauge railways in Östergötland constructed in the latter part of the 19th century.

Famous People

Joakim Lundell is a famous Swedish singer and youtuber.

Gallery

File:Vadstena_railway_station_Vadstena_Sweden.JPG, Vadstena station File:Vadstena Klosterkirke.JPG, Vadstena Abbey Church File:Vadstena Castle.JPG, Vadstena Castle

References

Weblinks

* Tourism website of Vadsten

(swedish, german, english) {{Authority control Populated lakeshore places in Sweden Populated places in Vadstena Municipality Municipal seats of Östergötland County Swedish municipal seats 891 mm gauge railways in Sweden