Hornborg Fortress Ruin
Hamburgsund
All that actually remains of this fortress are low earth walls. Wilhelm Berg excavated it in about 1900, finding cannon and musket balls, spear and crossbow arrowheads and a fighting cudgel.
The ruin was excavated at the beginning of the century by Wilhelm Berg. Among the finds were the rear section of a cannon, cannonballs, musket balls, lance tips, arrow and crossbow points, as well as a war hammer. Tools, coins, and farming implements were also discovered. The finds show that the castle’s prime period was around 1450–1530. The fortress lost its strategic importance when Bohuslän became Swedish in 1658.
Hornborg is strategically positioned on the highest point within arrow range of the shipping lane below, giving complete control over it. It is likely that the site was fortified as early as the Viking Age.
In 1137, Hornborg Sound is mentioned in the Saga of Harald’s Sons, where it is said that King Inge was lying in Hornborg Sound with a large force. No Viking‑Age finds were made during the excavation, but older hillforts are often very sparse in finds. Within the castle area, there is also a freshwater pond, something typical of Iron Age hillforts. Hornbore Ting was also held at the castle before the assembly site was moved to Wrem. The assembly tradition lives on, and every summer Hornbore Ting is arranged here — a Viking performance with an accompanying market.
How to get here
From the E6, take road 174 toward Bovallstrand. Then continue toward Hamburgsund. Two kilometers south of central Hamburgsund, on the left-hand side, you’ll find the sign and parking area.