Engelbrekt

The Engelbrekt statue was erected as a memorial to Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson, and is located opposite the Saint Nicholas church, where he was buried in the 1430s.

Engelbrekt led what came to be known as the Engelbrekt Rebellion against Eric of Pomerania, the king of the Kalmar Union. The power struggle led to Engelbrekt being awarded Örebro Castle, and the associated ‘castle county’ in 1435. But the following year he was attacked and killed on Engelbrektsholmen in Hjälmaren, near Göksholm Castle.

For a long time, Engelbrekt has been seen as a liberator of the people from the powers that be, and the inscription on the sculpture’s pedestal describes him as a national hero. In artist Carl Gustaf Qvarnström’s interpretation, Engelbrekt is a powerhouse with a muscular physique and a massive walrus moustache. The heroic figure proudly towering over the square is typical of 19th century views on politics and art.

Whether or not the sculpture actually resembles the historic Engelbrekt, however, no one can say. Nobody knows what he actually looked like. As for the statue in the square at Stortorget, there are theories that Qvarnström was inspired both by his teacher’s sketches of the Æsir god Thor and by the appearance of the famous and popular 19th century figure Giuseppe Garibaldi, who was fighting for the unification of Italy while Qvarnström was sketching his statue.

Engelbrekt sculptures by other artists can be found in Arboga, Falun and Stockholm. In these, he has been given different features.