Bergkvara is a manor house and ruined castle (slottsruin), located at the north beach of Bergkvarasjön ("the Bergkvara Lake") in Växjö, Sweden,[1] and described in Nordisk familjebok as "one of Sweden's oldest mansions in Värend, Bergunda and Öjaby parishes, Kinnevalds district and Kronoberg County, 6 km. west of Växjö".[2]
Bergkvara, a former "ornamental landscape", was bought by the Trolle family in the 15th century and rebuilt as a stone castle in the 1470s by Arvid Trolle. The castle was originally surrounded by two moats, serving as a system of defense. In the late 17th century, the inner moat had been partly filled and served as a fishpond while the outer moat served more as a ditch marking the limit of the castle bailey. By this time the residence had moved to the outer moat, as the tower house had lost its original function.[3]
In 1542, the castle was ransacked, plundered and set on fire after a long siege during the Dacke War (Dackefejden) by the peasant revolt of Nils Dacke, and became ruined in the 18th century.[3] [4] [5] In late 18th century, a new main building was under construction and finished in 1794.