The magnetic attraction of Marstrand is really completely understandable. Where else can one find such a location? With such a wealth of bathing, beautiful houses, an impressive fortress, cafes and restaurants, regattas and entertainment, it’s easy to understand why people flock here. Just as they have for centuries.

Malstrand, Masstrandir, Måsestrand. Marstrand has had many names throughout its long history. This is perhaps not so surprising since the town was founded as long ago as the 13th century by a Norwegian king, and has also been under Danish hegemony.

One thing is certain: Marstrand boasts an exciting and lively history, filled with a sprinkling of riches, depraved living and celebrities. Its history can also tell tales of poverty, criminality and other misery.

For centuries the factor deciding Marstrand’s prosperity or destitution was the herring catch. When “the herring is on the rise” as one says in the Bohuslän district, Marstrand has been a town to reckon with. During the Middle Ages the Pope himself granted a dispensation permitting fishing on Saint’s Days. In the 16th century Marstrand became the centre of European herring fishing for 30 years. The wealth attracted people from near and far, and during this time the island became famous for its unrestrained way of life.

The Roskilde Peace Treaty of 1658 made Marstrand Swedish and this was when the foundations of the fortress were built. At this time the island was going through a period of poverty, until the 18th century when the herring and the riches returned.

The institution of Porto Franco at the end of the 18th century meant that Marstrand became not only a free port. It also became a haven for criminals and over 500 felons arrived on the island in those years. Total religious freedom was also instituted on the island, and Scandinavia’s first synagogue was founded here.

When the fashion for “sea bathing” arose in the 19th century, Marstrand experienced a new resurgence. As a bathing resort, Marstrand attracted the upper class, who wanted to enjoy a royal life style at the newly built Societetshuset and hot baths establishment known as Båtellet. Royalty themselves also enjoyed themselves here. When King Oscar II sailed into Marstrand on his ship Drott, there were parties and jubilation on the quay.

One can feel a little of the same happiness today, when people pour into Marstrand in the summer. The occasional member of the royal family may also be spotted in the crowd, although appearing more discreetly. There has always been something to attract visitors to Marstrand, today just as much as in the Middle Ages.