Vaxholm Fortress was originally constructed by Gustav Vasa in 1548[citation needed] to defend Stockholm against shipborne attacks from the east.

[2] The town of Vaxholm, which lies adjacent to the fortress but on the western side of the Kodjupet strait, was established in 1558, when King Gustav Vasa bought some farms from Count Per Brahe the Elder.

As a consequence and in the 1860s, Vaxholm became a popular resort town, especially for bathers, and many wooden summer houses were built by people from Stockholm.

This was followed in 1965 by the wider Vaxholmsbron bridge that links to the island of Kullö to the north-west of the town, carrying county road 274 [sv] on its way to the mainland.

[8] Vaxholm is situated on an island, but is linked to the Swedish mainland by a series of road bridges, and a bus service connects the town to Stockholm city.