Vadstena Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Vadstena
Vadstena Town Hall is the oldest in Sweden
Vadstena Location in Östergötland Show map of Östergötland Vadstena Location in Sweden Show map of Sweden
Country	Sweden
Province	Östergötland
County	Östergötland County
Municipality	Vadstena Municipality
Area
• Total	3.41 km² (1.32 sq mi)
Population (31 December 2010)
• Total	5,613
• Density	1,645/km² (4,260/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)

Vadstena is a small town in Sweden. It is located in Östergötland County. In 2010, about 5,613 people lived there. Even though it is small, Vadstena is still called a city. This is because it received special city rights way back in the year 1400.

History of Vadstena
Railway History
Famous People from Vadstena
Gallery
See also

History of Vadstena

Vadstena is famous for two big reasons in Swedish history.

The Old Monastery

In 1350, a very important person named Saint Bridget of Sweden started a special place here. It was the first monastery for her group, the Bridgettines. Monasteries are places where religious people live and work together.

Vadstena Castle

Vadstena Castle is another important landmark. It is one of the best-kept castles from the 1500s in Sweden. This was when Gustav Vasa was king and Sweden became a Protestant country.

Today, the old monastery buildings are used as a hotel. It is called Vadstena Klosterhotel. The castle now holds old government papers. It also has a museum. You can see furniture, pictures, and paintings from the 1500s and 1600s there.

Hospital History

Since the 1500s, Vadstena has had a hospital. Long ago, it mostly cared for people with mental health issues. Today, some of the oldest hospital buildings are a museum. It is called the Vadstena Hospital Museum.

Vadstena in the year 1700

Old Town Charm

The buildings in the middle of Vadstena are very old. Most of them were built in the 1500s, 1600s, and 1700s. The old part of town is very well kept. The streets look much like they did hundreds of years ago. The Town Hall is Sweden's oldest. It was built in the early 1400s. The main street, called Storgatan, is special. All the shops are together there, just like they would have been in the Middle Ages.

Railway History

Vadstena also keeps alive the history of its old railway. There is a museum about the Vadstena-Fågelsta narrow gauge railway. This railway was 891 millimeters wide. This is also known as the Swedish three foot size.

This railway was part of a big network of narrow-gauge railways. These railways were built in Östergötland in the late 1800s. They helped people and goods travel around.