Karlskrona, Sweden

Karlskrona sprawls over some 30 islands on Sweden’s southeast coast. The town was founded in 1680 by King Karl XI as a naval base, and the remarkable preservation of its seminal design for this purpose has resulted in a UNESCO World Heritage designation. The central town dates from about 1750 and is the most baroque city in Sweden. Stortorget, the main square, is the largest in the nation. Sites of special note are the National Naval Museum, and the copper-domed Holy Trinity Church. Pick up a post card commemorating the “Whisky on the Rocks” incident in 1981, when a Russian submarine, U137, ran aground lurking off the town and had to be rescued.