Another swedish island, and another beautiful postcard from my friend Natalia. The island's website describe it as "Sweden's sailing capital. Far out to the west, where the archipelago ends and the open sea starts, lies Marstrand. A haven for sailing and swimming, with quaint neighbourhoods and car free streets". Sounds quite idyllic, doesn't it?

In the right corner of the postcard you can see island's biggest attraction - Carlstens Fortress, built in 1658, but I must admit I find the tiny white lighthouse much more fascinating ;) It was built in 1868 and together with another lighthouse called Pater Noster, it replaced Marstrand's first lighthouse, that was actually situated on top of the fortress. They all helped sailors get safely to the harbour, and as we can read on island's website: "Marstrand was an ideal harbour, often ice-free and with mooring facilities regardless of the wind direction. It was for many years a major fishing centre and the starting point for international maritime trade. Directly to the west lies Skagen in Denmark, and the route from there was regularly followed by the old sailing boats."

marstrand

country

Sweden

location

in the Västra Götaland

inhabitants

~375

biggest town

Marstrand

postcard sent

22.09.2016

sent from

Marstrand