Pestkyrkogården

When the plague
ravaged Karlshamn, a special burial ground was established.

An epidemic hit Karlshamn during the late autumn of 1710 and the year
1711. It was the plague and it came to mainly southern Sweden with soldiers and
sailors from the Baltic provinces occupied by the Russians.

Here in Karlshamn, the
story is sometimes told that on one occasion a ship drifted into the harbour.
No one was alive on board. A man plucked up courage and rowed out to the ship
and got on board. He stole a wader coat and didn't notice that he also brought the
plague in to the town of Karlshamn.

The disease spread quickly and the terror was great. It is estimated
that the plague killed about half of Karlshamn's population, who were about
2000 inhabitants. Of these,
900-1000 died in the plague.