Styrbiskp Bastion and Bell of Gunilla, Uppsala

In front of the northern wing of Uppsala castle is a bastion with a wooden structure-a belfry, known as the "Bell of Gunilla" (Gunillaklockan).

The bell was cast in 1588 by order of wife of King Johan III Gunilla Belke, as there is a corresponding inscription on its rim. The bell was intended for the chimes of the castle Church, and for more than a hundred years it struck the time on the South-Eastern tower of the castle. In 1702, a significant part of the castle was destroyed by fire and a belfry was built for the bell on the Stirbiscop Bastion. The bell rang early in the morning, announcing the start of a new day, and in the evening, after which the residents had to extinguish the fires and close the shutters on the windows.

The bastion offers the best view of Uppsala Cathedral, and its name Styrbiskop can be translated as "Watching the Bishop".

The story title is as follows: during the war of independence Sweden, Gustav Vasa applied for financial assistance in the Hanseatic capital of Lübeck, after winning the King of the new state was in dire financial straits, and to pay off debts, declared himself head of the Church of Sweden and commandeered values, Uppsala episcopate. The legitimate Church authorities, of course, did not like this very much and they had enough influence and power to provide armed resistance. Therefore, Vasa ordered the construction of a Bastion, the guns of which held the Bishop's residence at gunpoint.