The coastal and marine city of Karlskrona with around 35,000 inhabitants is located in the picturesque archipelago of the southern Swedish province of Blekinge. 1679 by the Swedish King Charles XI. Founded with the aim of expanding its sphere of influence to the Baltic Sea region, the city functioned as a naval base for Sweden, a major military power at the time. The delightful landscape of the archipelago encompasses over 1,500 small and large islands, which are green and red wooden houses or are bare and uninhabited. Karlskrona itself, whose city center is six kilometers out in the archipelago, extends over 33 islands. The center of the city is on the island of Trossö, which is connected by bridges to the island of Hästö and from there to the mainland. The other inner-city areas extend over the nearby islands of Ekholmen, Saltö, Dragsö, Langö and Stumholmen, and are all accessible via bridges. The central square Stortorget in the middle of the old city center is the largest historical square in Sweden with an area of 25,000 square meters. Alongside other historical buildings, the two baroque churches of Fredrikskyrkan and Trefaldighetskyrkan and the old town hall stand on its edge. The island of Stumholmen, located close to the center, was owned by the Swedish Navy for centuries and is now freely accessible. The island is home to the large naval museum, centuries-old shipyards and military installations from the 17th century. Together with the historic port, large parts of the old city center and the old naval facilities, which are almost completely preserved in their original form, were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998.