King Håkan, most likely felt threatened by Erik’s rapid rise to become one of Western Sweden’s most powerful people. King Håkon suddenly switches sides in the power struggle between the brothers and demands that Erik return the lands that he had received as a wedding gift. Erik, refuses.

King Håkon attacks Ragnhildsholmen with full force to win back the castle at Kongahälla, which is Norway’s most important stronghold in the south… but he fails. To strengthen the Norwegian border with Sweden, King Håkon decides to build a new and improved stronghold. In 1308, construction begins on Bohus Fortress. The bastion Larmposten, which we are now on, will be built much later, just before the Swedes take over the fortress in 1658.

The alarm post will be built to protect the fortress to the west and there are rows of cannons on the ramparts. In the wall to the left, along the road, are the remains of a guard room. The narrow turn to the left on the way up is strategically placed to force the invading enemy to turn so that their shields are misaligned, making them vulnerable from several directions. The turn also aids in getting the enemy stuck if they were to bring mortar with them.