The fortress was originally constructed by
Gustav Vasa in 1548 to defend
Stockholm against shipborne attacks from the east. The islet of Vaxholmen, which is entirely covered by the fortress, lies in the
Kodjupet strait, which was one of two main routes into Stockholm from the open sea. At the same time, the alternative , on the far side of Rindö island, was artificially reduced in depth to prevent its use. Thus, the fortress was strategically situated to defend the city from naval attacks. Gustav I's wooden blockhouse was replaced by a stone tower during
Johan III's reign (1569 to 1592). This fortress was attacked by the
Danes in 1612 and by the
Russian navy in 1719, with both attacks being repulsed. Most of the current structure dates from 1833–1863. Its design was inspired by the ideas on fortifications propounded by the French engineers
Marc René Montalbert and
Lazare Carnot. Russian prisoners of war were used in part to build the fortress. By the latter half of the 19th century, the narrow and twisting 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. This reduced the military importance of Vaxholm Fortress. So weak did the fort become that it was said the great Prussian field marshal
von Moltke was only ever seen to smile twice – once when they told him his mother-in-law was dead and again when he saw Vaxholm Fort. The Vaxholm Fortress Museum moved to the fortress in 1964, having been created in 1947 at the on the Oxdjupet strait. ==References==