Home | Castles of Sweden

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HomeAdmin2021-02-18T19:43:52+01:00

Welcome!

Discover Sweden’s past and present through the beauty and history of Sweden’s castles, palaces and manors.

Located deep within endless nature or in the middle of sprawling cities; castles, palaces and manors make up some of the many treasures to be found in Sweden. Each has its own exciting story to tell and gives you an insight into how Sweden has evolved over the centuries to become the place it is today.

The Fantastic Tidö

The Fantastic Tidö

Admin2021-02-12T10:48:19+01:00Tina Klingspor|

A visit to Fiholm

A visit to Fiholm

Admin2021-02-18T17:15:46+01:00Tina Klingspor|

Happy New Year

Happy New Year

Admin2021-01-01T10:29:11+01:00Stories|

One of the world’s greatest baroque castles

One of the world’s greatest baroque castles

Admin2020-09-13T15:17:49+02:00Stories|

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Gunnebo Castle just outside Gothenburg can trace i

Gunnebo Castle just outside Gothenburg can trace its roots to 1397 when written sources reveal the name Gunnobodher. The name then changed until it in 1881 became Gunnebo. The land was originally, as far back as we know, owned by the Diocese of Skara. In 1396 it became the property of the Crown and remained as such until 1582 when Johan III gave it to Erik Gustavsson Stenbock. With a few exceptions it remained with the Stenbock family until 1711 when it was acquired by Industrialist Hans Coopman. In 1778 it was purchased by John Hall the Older for 4 500 riksdaler. For an average worker this would mean around 51 Million SEK in today’s value.

Hall commissioned City Architect Carl Wilhelm Carlberg to completely transform the estate and build a summer house (today the castle). Carlberg had just returned from a long trip around Europe during which he had been inspired by Andrea Palladio’s representative villas. The house was built between 1784 and 1796 and completed around the year 1800.

Following the bankruptcy of the Hall empire the interiors were sold in 1828 and two years after John Hall the Younger died the castle itself was sold. Turbulent times awaited the estate and even the copper roof was sold. In 1888 Wilhelm Denninghoff purchased the estate and when he died in 1905 his wife Jeanna took over until she died in 1922. It was inherited by their daughter Hilda and her husband Carl Sparre. They restored the estate and it quickly became known for grand parties. Hilda died in 1948 but two years before her death she had asked that Gunnebo be declared a listed property. It was inherited by their daughters who sold it to the City of Mölndal in 1949.

Following substantial renovations it was opened by King Gustav VI Adolf in 1952. Since then, rigorous work has been carried out to bring back furniture and buildings to the original 1700s estate. In 2003, Crown Princess Victoria inaugurated it as a cultural reserve. Today, it is open all year round and represents one of the best estates of the 1700s in Scandinavia.

Photo: @swedishdroneguy @gunneboslott

Gunnebo Castle - John Hall commissioned City Archi

Gunnebo Castle - John Hall commissioned City Architect Carl Wilhelm Carlberg to transform the old estate and build a summer house.

Carlberg had just returned from a long trip around Europe during which he had been inspired by Andrea Palladio’s representative villas. The house was built between 1784 and 1796 and completed around the year 1800.

Photo: @bijnr

#gunneboslott #neoclassical #interior

The gardens of Gunnebo Castle are as stunning as t

The gardens of Gunnebo Castle are as stunning as they are a modern example of a continuously developing garden from the 1700s - open all year to receive visitors.

The castle, or perhaps manor is a more fitting description, was built at the end of the 1700s by the Gothenburg Merchant John Hall. It has been renovated to perfection over the course of the past 30 years.

Photo: @marijairena

FOR SALE Harastorp just outside Kristianstad in S

FOR SALE

Harastorp just outside Kristianstad in Skåne is for sale. It has been in the same family for over 100 years and carries with it a history stretching back to the 1600s.

Today’s house is a manor-like Italianate style villa built in 1810 by Henning Wrangel. It comes with 85 hectares of land.

It is listed with @ludvig.co

Spring has finally arrived at Lövsta Manor in nor

Spring has finally arrived at Lövsta Manor in northern Uppland.

Leufsta (or Lövsta) Manor is what in Swedish is called ”Vallonbruk”, describing an iron-works with a work force from Wallonia (today southern Belgium). The production of iron at Lövsta is mentioned already in 1578 and the first Manor house was built in 1615. ⁣⁣

⁣⁣In 1643 Louis De Geer bought the rights from the Swedish Crown. According to sources Louis never actually visited Lövsta. ⁣⁣

The Iron Empire in Uppland was later inherited by Louis’ grandson Charles De Geer as his uncle died childless. Unfortunately for Charles, the Russians burnt the entire area during 25-26 July in 1719. Today’s manor house was rebuilt but was not finished until the 1730s (Charles himself died in 1730).

In the 1750s Jean Eric Rehn was commissioned for the drawings of both the surrounding buildings and the interior design of the manor house. It was, at the time, considered the most modern and impressive manor house in Sweden. The King, Gustav III, visited Lövsta in 1768 and wrote to his mother that “I dare say, that my beloved mother has seen nothing of Sweden if she has not seen Leufstad”. ⁣⁣

It was owned by the De Geer family until 1986. Today the National Property Board Sweden owns the estate while the up keeping of the Manor house is the responsibility of the Leufsta Foundation.⁣ For more information and to plan your visit, go to @leufstabruk

Photo: @leufstabruk /@perlidvallphotoform

@statensfastighetsverk #lövsta #uppland #destinationuppsala #sweden⁣ #visitsweden

Wanås Castle - one of our favourite gems in north

Wanås Castle - one of our favourite gems in northern Scania. The first known owner of what was then known as Watnaas (the ridge by the water) was Eskild Aagesen in 1440. At the time it was merely a house surrounded by a defensive moat and at the end of the century the famous Brahe family became its owner.

By 1511, Niels Nielsen Brahe was the lord of Wanås. He also owned the castle Vittskövle. He was one of the trusted men surrounding king Christian II. In 1525 Niels was sentenced to lose his life and estates due to his allegiance to the king but managed to escape his executioners. He was captured in 1529 and brought to Copenhagen where he was finally executed by the sharp end of a sword after refusing to pledge his allegiance to the new king.

After the sentence in 1525 Wanås fell to the new Danish King Fredrik I and his closest friend Claus Bille. Besides Wanås he also possessed Råbelövs Castle. His son Sten took over the estate in 1553 and during his time it was ruined and destroyed in connection to the Northern Seven Years’ War. Sten rebuilt the castle but the Bille family sold it to Anne Ramel in 1649, the widow of Malte Juel to Maltesholm. When Scania became Swedish in 1658 Wanås was one of the few castles that did not become a property of the Swedish king. In 1691 Lena Sofia von Putbus inherited the estate. The von Putbus stayed at Wanås until it was sold to Carl Axel Hugo Hamilton in 1756. Carl was married to the rich heiress Betty Jennings who stayed at Wanås until 1801 even though Carl died in 1763. She made substantial changes to Wanås and is the one responsible for making Wanås into the great estate it is today.

The year before she died she made Wanås an entailed estate for the benefit of her daughter’s son Carl Axel Wachtmeister af Johannishus who at the time was only five years old. Until this day, Wanås is still cared for by the Wachtmeister family.

Photo: @per_pixel

#wanås #visitskåne #sweden⁣ #visitsweden#passionpassport #travelinggram #travelphotography #history #castlesofsweden #castle #slott #svenskaslott #castlehunting

The stunning drawing room at Spellinge Manor in Ö

The stunning drawing room at Spellinge Manor in Östergötland. The truly one-of-a-kind wallpaper depicts Napoleon's campaign in Egypt.

We do love the vibrant colours and the mix of modern and classic. What do you think?

#castlesofsweden #interiordesign #homedecor

📸 @tinaklingspor @godsochgardar @ingalillsnitt

Earlier this year, @cnntravel listed Kalmar Castle

Earlier this year, @cnntravel listed Kalmar Castle as one of the most beautiful castles in the world!

Steeped in history, Kalmar Castle can brag with a story of some 800 years! It has played a decisive role in Swedish history since buildings first began at the end of the 12th Century.

Knut Eriksson was its first master, then Magnus Ladulås who built a defensive keep. Together with the castles Tre Kronor, Viborg and Älvsborg it was considered one of the four most important castles that protected the country. During this era, the border to Denmark was (before Scania and Blekinge became Swedish) not far away!

The castle as we see it today was built by the Vasa kings - Gustav and his two sons Erik XIV and Johan III. But, long before the reign of the Vasas the castle had already established its position in the history of Sweden and Denmark as the place where the Treaty of the Kalmar Union was signed 1397.

At the end of the 1600s the castle ceased to be a royal residence and it fell into an era of decay. An odd thing to happen for a castle that had been besieged 22 times in 394 years but never taken by enem forces.

In the 1850s, King Oscar I decided that it was time to put things back in to order and started a major restoration scheme. The restoration continued for decades and it is still today carefully maintained. The restoration was of pivotal importance and when visitors today pass through the walls they are greeted by the very finest example of a Swedish renaissance castle.

Photo: @copter_shot
⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
#kalmar #kalmarslott #sweden⁣ #visitsweden #history #castlesofsweden #slott #svenskaslott #castlehunting #castle #castles #schloss #chateau

Kastellet, a small citadel in central Stockholm, h

Kastellet, a small citadel in central Stockholm, has protected the capital for hundreds of years.

The first fortification was built in 1667 by Erik Dahlberg but following the relocation of the Swedish Fleet to Karlskrona it was neglected. It was renovated in 1715 but not used extensively and in 1784 it was decided that it would only serve as a landmark and that it would salute ships that were entering and leaving the harbour.

Disaster struck in 1845 when the old gunpowder room blew up. At the time it was used as an ammunition factory. It was decided that a new citadel should be built in a Medieval Romantic style with a 20 meter high tower complete with two wings. Today, visiting Naval Vessels are greeted by a salute cannon.

During the Second World War it once again became part of the defence of Stockholm as anti-aircraft guns were placed on the tower and the battery plane.

Today, it is used as a conference facility and every day, the Military Ensign of Sweden is hoisted indicating that the nation is at peace.

Photo: Victor Forseryd, National Property Board Sweden @statensfastighetsverk

We just love the little British inspired orangery

We just love the little British inspired orangery at Katrinetorp Manor.

Which is your favourite Swedish orangery?

Photo: @sannadolckwall.se

Nynäs Castle in the province of Södermanland pri

Nynäs Castle in the province of Södermanland prides itself with a history stretching as far back as 1328 when Birgitta Jonsdotter was its owner. Bo Jonsson Grip, one of the richest Swedes of all time, acquired it in 1383 and incorporated it to his massive estate Sundboholm. It stayed in the Grip family until 1522 when Nils Bosson Grip was murdered.

Sundboholm’s different estates were divided and Nynäs was given to Marina Nilsdotter Grip who married Erik Karlsson Gyllenstierna who was a Privy Counsellor. During the reign of the Gyllenstierna family at Nynäs the building of a new castle was started in the 1650s. We can see from Erik Dahlbergh’s Suecia that it was not completed in 1663 but it does seem to have been completed by 1685 according to a contemporary map.

The Gyllenstierna family stayed at Nynäs until it was sold to David Henrik Hildebrand in 1769. He was one of the richest private persons in Sweden during the 1700s. Parts of the exterior changed during his time and was really not completed until Johan Fredrik Åbom made the last changes for the then Finance Minister Johan August Gripenstedt when he inherited the estate from his father in law Johan August Anckarsvärd in 1856. Nynäs flourished under Gripenstedt and he added many buildings. In fact, he added so many costly buildings that his son Carl Gustaf was forced to sell the estate to his brother Theodor in 1910. Nynäs’ last private owner was Johan Gripenstedt who sold the main building and surrounding land to Södermanland County Administration.

Since 1985, Nynäs has been open for the public to enjoy.

Photo: @danne_thun

Engeltofta outside Gävle is a shining example of

Engeltofta outside Gävle is a shining example of the lavish residential architecture of its time. It is also an interesting documentation of Gävle's wholesale era which, due to its port, was one of Sweden’s more important cities. The property with its buildings provides an insight into the economic and social life of the time, where representation, socializing and outdoor life were important ingredients.

Wholesaler Bengt Gustaf Kronberg and his wife Augusta, born Lindh, built the current manor in 1882 as a home of representation and summer pleasure. Together with the family's main home at Riksdrotsen 1 in Gävle, it is a representative example of what a wealthy wholesale family would build at the turn of the century 1900. The building differs significantly in its architecture and size from the other wholesale villas along the Gävle coastline. This is indeed the grandest summer villa.

City architect Erik Alfred Hedin and construction inspector Nils Petter Andersson were commissioned to erect the grand villa. The house is built in stone and the architecture resembles a stately English villa with antique features and many facade decorations. Engeltofta was from the beginning a magnificent facility with a main building, gardener's residence, gazebo, bathhouse and greenhouse, of which the latter two are now demolished.

The main building has continued to undergo renovations to adapt to current times. The façade is relatively well preserved, however, the interior has undergone several changes since the Kronberg family's time. And the gardens are today completely different to the original. It is a place well worth a visit and today it offers both food and hotel accommodation.

Photo: @castlesofsweden
#gildedage

On the western shore of Sweden’s second largest

On the western shore of Sweden’s second largest island, Öland, Borgholm castle guarded the entrance to Sweden, perhaps not very successfully. Today, the ruins leave no visitor untouched and most are overwhelmed by the location and sheer size of the castle when they visit.

900 years ago a defensive keep was built at Borgholm. Only a hundred years later buildings for the castle itself began. After having been a premier residence in Medieval times of among others Ingeborg, the daughter of King Erik of Norway who married Magnus Ladulås’ son Valdemar, it fell in to a period of decay until the Vasa Kings - Johan III started refurbishing it around 1569 and it became one of the first grand bastions of Sweden.

When the Kalmar War broke out in April 1611, Danish troops captured the castle but the future Swedish King Gustav II Adolf recaptured it within two months. Only 23 days after the 16 year old future King’s feat, his father, King Karl IX, died on October 30. It continued to play an important role throughout the 17th Century but it was never actually completed. The partially completed baroque palace built by Karl X Gustav is the closest it ever came to being completed. After his death in 1660 and changes in succession meant priorities continuously changed.

It burnt to the ground in 1806 when it functioned as a clothing factory under Axel Adlersparre.

Today, it is owned and maintained by the National Property Board of Sweden. It is a phenomenal place well worth a visit, especially in the summer when the castle's courtyard is turned in to an epic concert venue!

Photo: @vintergatanphotography

Mauritzberg Palace sits beautifully on the shores

Mauritzberg Palace sits beautifully on the shores of the Baltic Sea outside Norrköping in Östergötland. It was originally known as Björsätter and can be dated to the early 1500s. It was renamed by Ebba Grip who namned it after her father Mauritz.

Mauritz Birgersson Grip was born in Villnäs (today Finland) in 1547 and was a Swedish Counsellor of the Realm. He added the palace's north wing and his granddaughter Elisabeth, who married Erik Karlsson Sparre, built a new main house. Sparre sold the palace to Claude Roquette, ennobled Hägerstjärna.

During the Russian Pillage of 1719-1721 the palace was burnt but rebuilt in 1722 by Claes Ekeblad the older who was Claude's grandson. He married Hedvig Mörner af Morlanda and since 1725 the palace has kept its external appearance.

Today, Mauritzberg is, since the 1990s, a top hotel, conference and golf facility. Due to its beauty and location by the water it is also immensely popular for weddings.

Photo: @mauritzberg

The beautiful Winter Garden at Hjelmsjöborg Manor

The beautiful Winter Garden at Hjelmsjöborg Manor with all its lovely details. We love it!

Photo: @hjelmsjoborg

We never tire of beautiful Trolleholm! Trolleholm

We never tire of beautiful Trolleholm!

Trolleholm Castle in Scania in the south of Sweden was built in the 1760s after drawings by Carl Hårleman and was given its romantic early renaissance appearance at the end of the 1800s.

When originally under Danish rule during the 1500s it was called Kattisnabbe and when Marshal of the Realm Tage Ottesen Thott acquired it in 1538 he built a castle in honour of his dead brother and named it Eriksholm. It stayed with the Thott family until 1680 when it was sold to Helle Rosenkrantz, the widow of Marshal of the Realm and Lord Lieutenant of Norway, Niels Trolle of Trolholm. She left the estate to Herluf Trolle but neither he nor his sons ever lived there. It was sold to Fredrik Trolle in the 1720s who in 1749 had the house surveyed in order to commission a renovation scheme. Carl Hårleman presented his plans in 1750 which meant that the castle would be rebuilt in a rococo style. When completed it was renamed Trolleholm and made an entailed estate.

When Fredrik died in 1770 it was inherited by his daughter Fredrika Vivika Trolle who was married to Gustaf Bonde. They occasionally lived at Trolleholm but also had other estates to tend to. Her grandson inherited the estate in 1806 and became a very appreciated Lord as he built schools, roads and a house for the poor. He also divided the farmland and let the peasants rent it for longer periods of time which improved their situation greatly.

The castle has since stayed with the Trolle-Bonde family. Carl Johan Trolle-Bonde had the castle rebuilt 1887-1889 which gave it its present look. It houses one of the Nordic countries ́ largest private libraries and if we might say so also one of the cosiest.

Photo: Follow @per_pixel for more fantastic aerial photos.

Striberg Manor, also known as "Stora gården", out

Striberg Manor, also known as "Stora gården", outside Nora in Västmanland County is the municipality's grandest house. It is known as a “bergsmansgård” (bergsman/mountain man, was someone who produced pig iron) since the 1500s and production at the nearby iron works had a 500 year old history until it was finally closed in 1967.

The current manor house was built in 1876-1878 by the “iron squire” Per Olof Svensson. It was laid out over three floors and built in stone. His aim was to build a palatial house using Boo Castle as a model (although this has been debated in modern times). It was, allegedly, Svensson’s wife Anna who wanted a grand house that could compare with the richer iron works’ owners. Sadly she died not longer after the completion of the house and Per Olof himself was hit by harder times when the iron works’ production was not as highly sought after as it had been.

Following the closure of the mines and mills in 1967 it was sold to Nora Fuse factory and then to Nitro Nobel (originally the famous Alfred Nobel’s business). In the 1980s Rune Flodman acquired the estate. He established a shooting school and had it restored after years of decay. He then sold it to Norwegian businessman Carl Ameln in the early 2000s. Ameln sold the estate in 2011 in order to take over the family estate outside the Norwegian capital Oslo. The new owners were the Norwegian Aamot family, who are friends with the Norwegian Crown Prince couple. They used the house extensively and modernised it. It was for sale in 2019 and today is occupied by a lovely young couple.

Photo: @fisheyesverige & @striberggods

The Pink Cake, Skånelaholm, lies beautifully by l

The Pink Cake, Skånelaholm, lies beautifully by lake Fysingen just north of Stockholm. It sits in the middle of one of the most important cultural landscapes in Sweden and was a crown estate during the early Middle Ages. The estate is mentioned for the first time in written sources in 1276, when it was sold by King Magnus III to Sko Abbey - today of course the magnificent Skokloster Castle). It remained in the possession of the abbey until the Reformation, when it was confiscated by King Gustav Vasa. it stayed as a crown estate manor for quite some time after this.

In 1618 it was let to Johan Patkull, a nobleman of Livonian extraction in service of the Swedish king. The estate however remained the property of the crown until 1641 when it was bought by Andreas Gyldenklou, who built the castle we see today. It stayed in the Gyldenklou family until the 1690s, after which the estate changed ownership several times until 1742, when it was acquired by Frans Jennings.

Jennings was born on Ireland but settled in Sweden and made a large fortune as a merchant in Stockholm. He was made a member of the Swedish nobility in 1742 and made Skånelaholm Castle the seat of his family. It stayed in the family until 1918. The last private owner of the estate was Herbert and Ing-Marie Rettig, who donated the castle to the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities in order to preserve it. Today, the academy owns and administers the estate. The grounds are open daily and you are free to respectively explore the estate. During the summer months there are guided tours a couple of times per week.

Photo: @belles_decos

The grounds at Katrinetorp Manor just outside Malm

The grounds at Katrinetorp Manor just outside Malmö. The garden was created by Hinric Nyman while Samuel Johan Björkman and his wife Anna Catharina Bager lived there in the early 1800s and following Björkman's death his brother-in-law Erland Gabriel Bagner (from 1813).

Today, it is owned by the City of Malmö and is used as a conference facility.

Photo: @eamongeyeofalens

Landskrona Citadel and Castle in Scania, southern

Landskrona Citadel and Castle in Scania, southern Sweden, was originally built by Danish King Christian III between 1549-1559 as a defensive fortification with two moats and cross fire bastions for artillery and guns. It is one of Europe’s largest and best preserved fortification and moats system.

It was briefly captured by Sweden in 1644 but abandoned and returned to the Danes. After the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658 it became the property of the Swedish King who expanded the bastions. During the Great Nordic War the Danes retook Scania and the town of Landskrona fell in to Danish hands but the Citadel was never taken by the Danes. In 1720, Landskrona became Swedish for the first time and not only a property of the King.

Today, much of the original work is intact and a pleasure to visit. It is truly a voyage into history and an example of the animosity that existed between Sweden and Denmark. It is possible to visit the museum today but it is only open during the summer months.

Photo: @photontrail