Kodjupet is a
strait
A strait is a water body connecting two seas or water basins. The surface water is, for the most part, at the same elevation on both sides and flows through the strait in both directions, even though the topography generally constricts the ...
in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
's
Stockholm Archipelago
The Stockholm Archipelago () is the largest archipelago in Sweden, and the second-largest archipelago in the Baltic Sea (the largest being the Archipelago Sea across the Baltic in Finland). Part of the archipelago has been designated as a Rams ...
. Along with the , it is one of two shipping routes connecting the open sea to the
city of Stockholm, passing either side of the island of
Rindö. Today the Kodjupet is suitable only for smaller vessels, due to its narrow and twisting nature together with a minimum water depth of , but it was formerly the principal route for commercial and naval ships. It passes close offshore of the town of
Vaxholm
Vaxholm is a city, urban area and the seat of Vaxholm Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. It occupies the islands of Vaxön and Kullö in the Stockholm archipelago. The name Vaxholm comes from Vaxholm Fortress, which was constructed in 154 ...
.
Although winding in nature, the strait runs broadly from north to south on its route from the sea to the city. It is flanked by the islands of
Resarö,
Edholma and
Vaxön to the west, and
Stegesund-Hästholmen,
Skarpö and Rindö to the east. The very narrow
Stegesundet strait provides a short-cut to the northern part of the Kodjupet strait, passing between the islands of Stegesund-Hästholmen and Skarpö.
In 1548,
Gustav Vasa
Gustav Eriksson Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), also known as Gustav I, was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560. He was previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm (''Reichsverweser#Sweden, Riksföreståndare'') fr ...
constructed the
Vaxholm Fortress on an islet in the middle of the southern part of the Kodjupet strait between Vaxön and Rindö. The Oxdjupet strait was, at the same time, artificially reduced in depth in order to prevent its use. Thus, the fortress was strategically situated to defend the city of
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
against shipborne attacks from the sea. The fortress has resisted several attacks, has been rebuilt on a number of occasions, and still stands. By the latter half of the 19th century, the Kodjupet strait was proving problematic for the period's larger ships, and in 1879 the main shipping route into Stockholm was diverted to use the Oxdjupet strait, which was dredged to remove its previous artificial obstructions.
The strait is crossed by the car ferry, which connects Vaxholm to Rindö, and by the
Kastellet ferry, an electrically powered
cable ferry
A cable ferry (including the types chain ferry, swing ferry, floating bridge, or punt) is a ferry that is guided (and in many cases propelled) across a river or large body of water by cables connected to both shores. Early cable ferries often ...
that provides passenger access to Vaxholm Fortress.
References
Straits of the Stockholm archipelago
{{Stockholm-geo-stub