10 Of The Best Tours In Sweden

Gripsholm Castle- Ground Floor Corridor Coutiers Wing Built 1780-82

Gripsholm Castle- Ground Floor Corridor Coutiers Wing Built 1780-82, Neoclassicism In The North

If you have never been to Sweden, here is a guide of what tourists have found to be the best and not so worthy sites to visit….

Best Places To Visit………..

1.  Monteliusvägen Is Totally Worth Finding According To Many –Is a scenic walkway along the heights of Södermalm.   This is one of the most captivating viewpoints in Stockholm, as it overlooks the Old Town and Norrmälarstrand.  Plan a lunch or get a latte and enjoy looking at the view from many of the benches that are available.  Plan something really special for your significant other here.  Tourists have said it is tricky to find, yet definitely worth the search. Many mention that many of the locals don’t even know the place exists or very  surprised tourists can find the place on their own.

2.  Take In A Free Walking Tour Of Downtown Stockholm– Enjoy a free 90-minute walking tour of Stockholm’s Norrmalm district with a guide who works only for tips, so all you need to pay is what you feel the tour was worth at the end!- Links- Get Our Guide.com, Trip Advisor.com

3.  Fotografiska Museum – (The Swedish Museum of Photography) -Fotografiska presents four unique large exhibitions and about 20 smaller exhibitions annually.  The photos will range from powerful and thought-provoking to creepy.   This museum will certainly be a very interesting tour!

4. The Vasa Museum is an absolute must for any tourist!  The Vasa Ship Museum features one of the most complete and best preserved shipwrecks in the world.   The ship sank a few hundred meters from its first sailing in the 1650’s.  It was then discovered at the bottom of the harbor was painstakingly brought back to the surface and reassembled. In the museum, you can see this ship up-close, and truely is a work of art.

5.  The Ghost Walking Tour In Gamla Stan– This tour isn’t your every day tour.  Get the inside story behind stories of legends, diseases, murders and of course, ghosts. The old town is charming. Get lost in the atmosphere of walking down cobbled streets and winding avenues. The buildings are colorful, and the narrow lane ways are very interesting to see. Mårten Trotzigs Gränd is the narrowest alley. Take time out to leisurely visiting the shops, eating at the local eateries, enjoying the architecture and simply soaking it all up.  There is a lot to see and do, however, don’t arrive early, as many shops don’t open until 11:00 a.m.

 6.  Royal Palace, Riddarholmen, Stockholm, Sweden- Amongst all European palaces, many people report that this one is the most interesting.  It’s beautiful Baroque architectural style took 63 years to finish. This palace is proper and formal but far from pompous. The collection of costumes, uniforms and jewelry are kept in the main museum, while the basement museum features the architectural fortifications and underpinning of the “new” palace.

This palace has over 1400 rooms and many are still in use today.The tour takes about one hour but you can go at your own pace through the many rooms.  Your ticket would cover the State and Guest apartments, the treasury, the Kroner Museum and Museum of Antiquities.  They stamp your ticket at each venue, which allows you to visit once, over 7 days if you so wish.  You can’t take any photographs inside, but the gift shop sells books and post cards.

The changing of the guard ceremony has been a daily tradition since 1523.  The change happens at 12pm and lasts for approximately 40 minutes.

Pictures

– Throne room, Drottningholm Royal Palace, Sweden.- Corbis Images

-Chinese Style Interior at the Royal Palace of Drottningholm – Corbis Images

Helpful Comments On Trip Advisor

Pay Attention To The Tapestries “The tapestries in the palace are most interesting. Some depict the lavish lifestyle of the Swedish Royalty. There is one in particular that shows famous people from around the World including The Beatles and Bob Dylan plus many Heads of State.”

You Can Walk Through At Your Own Pace, Or Take The Tour “The Tre Kroner museum gives a history of the palace, we nearly missed it we were on way out when we spotted sign leading down some stairs.You can do the Palace on your own as we did but there were guided tours.”

“The Tre Kronor museum takes you into the Medieval history of the palace which I found fascinating”

“There is so much to see, but no photos are allowed–fair warning! The crown jewels/Treasury museum was my favorite, but the apartments were by far the coolest thing to walk through.”

“There was a very interesting temporary exhibition about the life of today’s king. Among the old baroque palace halls you can see the room which is designed nowadays, for various state meetings – it’s modest and elegant. All in all the palace has modest and austere (even bordering on dull) look in comparison with other European palaces, but hey, this is probably one of the reasons why Sweden never had any revolutions, the royals were just less greedy than the others!”

Take The Tour and Then Visit The Palace On Your Own“The Royal apartments are very dark, and you can not take any pictures. The attendants in the museum are there to make sure you don’t take pictures, not to answer questions. The only exception to this is the guard in the knights room, they are friendly and will answer questions. A few of the rooms were very nice, but most were just dark. There are many stairs. You can see the backs of some statues on the tour but are not allowed to go to see the front of the statues.”

Lack Of Restrooms Within The Palace “Two warnings. You cannot take any pictures inside the palace and WCs are at a premium. Make sure you use the one at the gift store/ticket center before you go in as there are none in the palace.”

7. Oaxen Slip in Djurgarden “Our favorite meal was dinner at Oaxen Slip in Djurgarden, which our AirBnB host recommended to us. It is the cheaper, ‘backdoor’ sister restaurant to Michelin-starred Oaxen Krog. We ordered a variety of dishes to share, and everything we ate was spectacular! In fact, this is the first time I could say I actually enjoyed the veggie dishes more than the meat dishes. The baby asparagus was absolutely divine. Our waiter also recommended the beets with mayonnaise, which sounded suspect but we went along with what he said, which ended up being the right decision- they were also divine! We also had duck, pork and char as our entrees, and then the bread pudding and glace du four desserts. Service, and our waiter in particular, was great”

8.  Stockholm City Hall has been described as a hidden gem.  This building is the seat of Stockholm city government and also contains a luxury restaurant and happens to be the site of the banquet after the Nobel Prize ceremony. The organ in the Blue Hall has 10,270 pipes and is the largest in Scandinavia.  If you intend to catch the tour, it is advised to buy your ticket in advance. One lady said that if you buy tickets at the hall, you need to buy them in the gift shop and can get crazy if you are feeling rushed to get on to the tour and someone in front of you is buying postcards. The tours last 45 mins and sell out quickly.  The views from the top of the hall are especially captivating.  So get your camera ready.

 9. The Swedish History Museum- This museum has an extensive and unique collection of Viking artifacts, some dating to 4,800 BC. The second floor has a very imaginative timeline of Swedish history and some report a  disturbing exhibit that graphically shows a medieval massacre.  The best part of this museum is their famed Guldrummet or Gold Room.   They feature over 100lbs of gold and 500lb of silver which are treasures from the Bronze to Middle Ages.  This museum is a must see.

10.  Royal Armoury  -If you are interested in learning about Sweden’s royalty, this is the place to go.  The history behind Sweden’s kings and queens from the 15th century are displayed in an ever-expanding collection of memories from the country’s different dynasties.  They give the history behind Sweden’s well-known events in a captivating way.  See objects like Gustav Vasa’s crested helmet in 1548, or the costume Gustav lll wore at the masked ball at which he was murdered.  View costumes worn in various films such as from the film “Elizabeth”

We will have to leave Gothenburg, Malmö, Marstrand, Skåne, and Visby/Gotland for another article……..

 Some Of The Less Than Impressive Sites According To Comments At Trip Advisor:

Skansen Museum “Some of the less impressive things we did in Stockholm included going to the Skansen museum… we just didn’t understand what the hype was about. At first we thought it would be cool to see the old houses and be able to go inside them, but all of the doors were locked! There was written commentary outside each of the houses, ie. “Inside the living room there are some interesting artifacts” which really didn’t help since we weren’t able to go inside” here

“As for Skansen, everyone I took there really liked it, you must have been unlucky if many of the houses were closed. High season is probably better”

Rosendal’s Garden “We also walked all the way to Rosendal’s Garden to have lunch, given the positive views on TA, but it did not live up to expectations at all! If it had been closer to the museums, then that would be one thing, but we had to walk through farms and forests to get there. To us, it seemed like a prettied-up self-service cafe, and the food wasn’t even that great. If I could do it again, I would give this place a pass”here

A Bit About Swedish Culture Before Visiting Sweden

-43 Things I Love About Sweden – blogs.sweden.se/

-Top Ten Things You Need to Know About Sweden and the Swedish –expatsblog.com

– 10 Things Not to Do in Sweden – About.com

-Party Like A Local – 10 things to know before visiting Sweden CNN.com

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Empire style in the former royal summer palace Rosersberg daserste.ndr.de

Empire style in the former royal summer palace Rosersberg – Picture Credit daserste.ndr.de

The study of duke Fredrik Adolph Tullgarn Palace -www.kungahuset.se

The study of duke Fredrik Adolph Tullgarn Palace –www.kungahuset.se

History Behind Many Of Sweden’s Palaces

Haga Palace

Since 1966 this small palace has been in the Swedish government’s hands, and used for meetings and conferences and as a guest house for prominent foreign visitors.Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt decided to return the right of disposal to the royal family.

Here is the summarized history behind Haga…….

  • The neoclassical Haga Palace was built 1802-1805 by the architect Carl Christoffer Gjörwell on the orders of King Gustaf IV Adolf. Across the road was Gustaf III’s Pavilion, which had been built by Olof Tempelman for King Gustaf III in 1787-1790.  Located behind this was the ruins of  Haga Palace, a Swedish Versailles designed by Louis-Jean Desprez.  The structure which was being built was was halted when Gustaf III was assassinated in 1792. Later when his son, Gustaf IV Adolf, found his father’s pavilion to be too small to accommodate his growing family, ordered a new building from Gjörwell.
  • Haga Palace was given to his aunt Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotta, (the new queen), and it became known as the Queen’s Pavilion.   The next inhabitant was Prince Erik, the mentally handicapped youngest son of King Gustaf V. Prince Erik died in the autumn of 1918 and Haga Palace was thereafter briefly opened up to children who had lost their homes as a result of World War I.
  • Later, Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sibylla, moved into Haga following their marriage in 1932. They raised their four daughters, Princesses Margaretha, Birgitta, Désirée and Christina at Haga.
  • In 1950 the widowed Princess Sibylla and her children temporarily moved to the Royal Palace in Stockholm in which a few repairs were needed.  They fell in love with country living, and chose to remain at the Royal Palace until the renovation of Haga was completed.
  • In 1966 when King Gustaf VI Adolf transferred Haga to the disposal to the government, it was turned into a guesthouse for distinguished foreign official visitors. In 2009, it was announced by Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt that the rights of disposal to the palace will be transferred back to the royal court to be used by Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, and her husband, Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland, as a wedding gift in 2010.

Haga Pavilion

Haga Pavilion built in the 17th century by Gustav III. Located in Haga Park, King Gustav III used the pavilion year round and had grand plans for the park, which included a new residence. He was murdered in 1792 and his vision was never completed.

When King Gustov III made his way through the grand courts of Europe, it made a lasting impression. Upon his return to Sweden he along with architect Olof Templeman, designer Louis Masreliez and Swedish craftsmen were responsible for creating the pavolion that adapted to the style and grandness seen in the European courts.

Sweden’s Drottningholm Castle

Drottningholm Castle is located in Lake Mälar, 12 kilometres from Stockholm. The construction of this regal residence began in 1662.  Baroque and Rococo influences largely comprise the  characteristic features of the park that surrounds the castle.  Drottingholm Castle has managed to retain the regal atmosphere of the Swedish royal families as it was during the 18th century.

Work on the castle began at the end of the seventeenth century under the architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder and was completed by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger. The interior was decorated between 1665 and 1703.  Nicodemus Tessin the Younger also laid out a garden design that reflected a baroque appearance according to what was modeled in France.  Gustav III also added an English park in 1777.

Drottningholm Theatre is one of the most well preserved baroque theatres in all of Europe. It was built in 1764-66 and was truly magnificent in 1777, when Gustav III took over the castle. After the death of Gustav III, theatrical performances were discontinued and the theatre fell into dispair. In 1922 it was restored to its original state under the direction of Agne Beijer. A unique collection of stage sets is preserved giving you a glimpse into how wonderful it was at one time in history.

Tullgarn Palace

Built in the late 16th century, for Count Carl Sture, this is a renaissance palace was pulled down in  1720 and replaced with the present building which was designed for the French officer Joseph Gabriel Destain for the then owner, Count Magnus Julius De la Gardie.

In the 1770s the Palace was acquired by the State for Gustav III’s youngest brother, Duke Fredrik Adolf of Östergötland. He then radically re-built the Palace in the 1780s.  Wings were raised to be one story higher and the whole building was given a flat Italian roof.  Fredrik Adolf’s interiors at Tullgarn, were are among the finest of their kind in Sweden.  Credit- community.fortunecity.ws

Additional Links To Fantastic Pictures:

-Castles, Palaces & Manor Houses in Sweden Jeannine Mantooth’s Pinterest Page

-Entrance to Salon at Tullgarn Palace Corbis Images

-The Bernadotte Library – The Royal Palace Sveriges Kunset.se

-Tullgarn Palace, stable turned into a restaurant nftravel.blogspot.com

-Christian IV’s Writing Room; Rosenborg castle, Copenhagen www.flickr.com

-The 1st Floor – Rosenborg Castle dkks.dk

-Royal Arms Collection at Rosenborg flickr.com

-10 Must-See and Do Attractions in Copenhagen The Culture Map

-Inside The Rosenborg Castle tripwow.tripadvisor.com

– Tsars Palaces In Paintings English Russia Blog

-Room Interior at Digitalt Museum – Tyresö slott
Gustav III’s Pavilion at Haga Park

Classical Swedish Architecture and Interiors, 1650-1840' by Johan Cederlund

Classical Swedish Architecture and Interiors, 1650-1840′ by Johan Cederlund

Svindersvik

Svindersvik

Stora Huset

Stora Huset –www.nordiskamuseet.se

Stora Huset

A Close Up Of The Stunning Slipcovered Swedish Chairs……

WOW!

Stora Huset –www.nordiskamuseet.se

Tyresö slotDigitalt Museum – Interiör, Tyresö slot

Tyresö slot

Tyresö slot- commons.wikimedia.org

Stora Wäsby - Swedish Castle

Stora Wäsby – Swedish Castle – Found on abebooks.com

Stora Wäsby - Swedish Castle

Stora Wäsby – Swedish Castle – Found on bohemianwornest.tumblr.com

Rosendal, the former summer palace of Charles XIV - Picture Credit daserste.ndr.de

Rosendal, the former summer palace of Charles XIV – Picture Credit daserste.ndr.de

manor built between 1713-1719 in the middle of the Great Northern War- Swedish Country House Book- Kevin Sharkey Blog

Manor built between 1713-1719 in the middle of the Great Northern War- Swedish Country House Book- Kevin Sharkey Blog Found on homedesign.marthastewart.com

Stola Herrgård

Gunnebo Castle

Gunnebo Slott

Neoclassicism in the North- Seen On The Style Saloniste

Neoclassicism in the North- Seen On The Style Saloniste

Gunnebo Seen In Neoclassicism In The North

Gunnebo Seen In Neoclassicism In The North

Gripsholm interiors - Gula Salongen National Museum Stockholm's Flicker 4

Gripsholm interiors – Gula Salongen Nationalmuseum Stockholm’s Photostream

Gripsholm Castle- Princess Sophia Albertina's Bedroom

Gripsholm Castle- Princess Sophia Albertina’s Bedroom

Neoclassicism In The North

sofiaalbertinas

Princess Sofia Albertina’s rooms at Gripsholm

Original Picture Credit Costumes, Cats 18th Century Blog

The Princess’s Apartments were fitted out at the beginning of the 1780s for Gustav III’s younger sister Sofia Albertina. At the end of the 17th century these apartments were lived in by Crown Prince Karl, who later became King Karl XII. The interior decorations have remained virtually untouched ever since 1782.

The interior decorations in this room have remained virtually  untouched since 1782. The painted  wall-hangings have faded, which leaves you wondering how bright and vibrant they must have looked the day they were installed.   

Rococo ChestJonas Hultsten www.antikvarlden.se

The chest of drawers in the original room was made in about 1780, was originally purchased for Sofia Albertina and is typical of its maker, Jonas Hultsten.

Rococo ChestJonas Hultsten www.bukowskis.com

Jonas Hultsten

Jonas Hultsten  www.bukowskis.com

Rococo ChestJonas Hultsten 1700  www.bukowskis.com

plaids and checked fabric are traditional in swedish interior design

“A Visit to Gripsholm Castle in Sweden” The Martha Blog

Stunning Slipcovers In Gripsholm

every room seems to have a different parquet pattern on the floor another floor pattern another great floor-good ideas for flooring at home depot! another parquet pattern

Walk through Gripsholm with Martha Stewart in this post – “A Visit to Gripsholm Castle in Sweden” The Martha Blog

She captured the beautiful floors at Gripsholm. Each room had a different pattern.

Tour description, Gustav III's Museum of Antiquities. Gustav III's Museum of Antiquities, The Royal Palace

Tour description, Gustav III’s Museum of Antiquities. Gustav III’s Museum of Antiquities, The Royal Palace www.kungahuset.se

The Royal Palace

Royal Palace –www.kungahuset.se

Souvenirs from The Royal Gift Shops

Beautiful Floral Patterns

Souvenirs from The Royal Gift Shops –www.kungahuset.se

"A Visit to Gripsholm Castle in Sweden" The Martha Blog

“A Visit to Gripsholm Castle in Sweden” The Martha Blog

Slottskyrkorna - Sveriges Kungahus

Slottskyrkorna – Sveriges Kungahus

Exteriör Drottningholm Castle

Tyreso Castle Seen on nordiskamuseet dot se

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Rosesbergs slott, Hedvig Elisabet Charlottas stora sängkammare.

Rosersbergs slott -Karl XIII’s library. Photo: Hakan Lind. Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotta large bedchamber. Photo: Alexis Daflos www.kungahuset.se

Tullgarn slott (castle) Flickr

Tullgarn slott (castle) | Flickr

Swedish Wedding at Tullgarn Palace

Swedish Wedding at Tullgarn Palace

Jane (&) Haglund Photography, www.janehaglund.se

Entrance to Salon at Tullgarn Palace, Sweden

Entrance to Salon at Tullgarn Palace, Sweden

Take a trip to Tullgarn Palace

Take a trip to Tullgarn Palace kungahuset.se

Castle Tullgarn

Castle Tullgarn, Seen at Rococo Revisited

Castle Tullgarn Flickr

Castle Tullgarn | Flickr

Hässelby slott

Hässelby slott julbordsmaklarna.se

Hässelby slott

Hässelby slott sv.wikipedia.org

Svartsjö Palace, the widow estate of king Gustaf III's mother Lovisa Ulrika 1771-1782.

Svartsjö Palace, Found on sfv.se

Svartsjö palace

Svartsjö slott, interiör – Foto Åke E:son Lindman

Lindman Photography

Svartsjö Palace, the widow estate of king Gustaf III's mother Lovisa Ulrika 1771-1782 Seen On Wikimedia

Svartsjö Palace, the widow estate of king Gustaf III’s mother Lovisa Ulrika 1771-1782.

Found on upload.wikimedia.org

Drottningholm Palace

Drottningholm Palace

Stockholm Palace – Wikipedia

Frederiksborg Castle - Copenhagen

Frederiksborg Castle – Copenhagen Wikimedia

Tyresö slott Nordiska museet

Tyresö slott | Nordiska museet

A Visit to the Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen www.hollandamericablog

A Visit to the Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen www.hollandamericablog.com

Rosenborg Castle (Photo credit CHRISTOPHER MACSURAK

Rosenborg Castle (Photo credit: Christopher Macsurak) tripideas.org

A Visit to the Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen dicksandy dot org

dicksandy.org

Rosenborg Castle Venture Denmark

Rosenborg Castle: Venture Denmark

copenhagen rosenborg castle throne room

Copenhagen Rosenborg Castle Throne Room – traveljapanblog.com

Stairway at the Rosenborg Palace, Copenhagen.

Stairway at the Rosenborg Palace, Copenhagen. shuttersandsunflowers.com

-Neoclassicism in the North- The Style Saloniste

Neoclassicism in the North- The Style Saloniste

Gripsholm Castle

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Olivia November 2012 2 Olivia November 2012 3 Olivia November 2012

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Swedish Interiors

Unknown Swedish Home Picture Credit- Uploaded On Pinterest

 

The Lavish Interior Of The Swedish Häringe Castle

$11M Stockholm Palace is Made for ….Curbed

$11M Stockholm Palace is Made for ….Curbed

Häringe Slott Sweden, Swedish Castles, Swedish Resorts, Historical Hotels, King Gustav Vasa, Gustavus Horn, Swedish Wallpaper, Swedish Furniture, Swedish Decor, Swedish Interiors

Häringe Castle- mogi.metromode.se

If you want to explore near Stockholm Sweden, consider visiting the Palace-turned-hotel Häringe Castle.  This stunning 17th-century baroque castle- hotel just 45 miles outside Stockholm is located near a nature reserve.   Historic lore suggests that Vikings first claimed the Häringe Peninsula as property in the 11th century.  The estate has belonged to many famous people as King Gustav Vasa, Gustavus Horn, and Axel Wenner-Gren. Häringe was a ship yard during the time of King Gustav Vasa and probably even earlier.  Häringe manor consists of the castle garden and park facilities, farm buildings, staff quarters, the farms and active farmland. Häringe is a very important link to the City’s history, and is a national tourist destination.

The main building was originally built in 1657 by Field Marshal Gustav Horn. The south wing was built slightly earlier when the castle was built. The castle got its present appearance at a major refurbishment in 1770.  Häringe sat as an estate from about 1770 until 1929, when it was bought by the newspaper man Torsten Kreuger. Kreugar added the landscaping and the swimming pool.
After Kreuger, Häringe was bought in 1934 by business and industrialist Axel Wenner-Gren and founder of Electrolux. He filled the mansion with expensive furniture, and it was said he also built the road leading up to the estate. The Wenner-Gren had Häringe many famous guests like Greta Garbo, Danny Kaye, Karl Gerhard. At one point, all the furnishings were sold by one owner, only to be researched and re-purchased by another one years later.  After Wenner-Gren’s death in 1961, the lavish furnishings disappeared.  The new owner, crab importer Olle Hartwig, pored over Wenner-Gren’s photo albums, and was able to re-purchase most of the items.

Häringe castle is located in open countryside between Landfjärden and Bobäcken. Häringe estate was in the early 1900s, one of the largest in the county. The manor house, which has its origins in the mid-1600s, is today a whitewashed two-story building with mansard roof. It has separate wings on both the north and south side. On the south side there is a large swimming pool and remnants of very old trees.  Beyond the grandeur interior, the property lead the way to feature Sweden’s first outdoor pool with a slide from the second floor bathroom, as well as a bowling alley and underground tunnels.

North and east of the castle are a dozen red-painted farm buildings of different ages, which at one time meet the housing needs of the property. These are dominated by a large barn from 1946. On the castle’s west side are the remains of a garden with statues from the Wenner-Gren at the Castle (1934-1961).

There is also a nature reserve south of the property called the Häringe-Hammersta. The land in the nature reserve owned by the Archipelago Foundation. The land immediately surrounding the castle is privately owned.  Today the palace is used for conferences, as hotel accommodation. This castle turned hotel is owned by the Ljungberg family since 1999 and is part of an exclusive hotel chain.

Information gathered from Haninge.se

Additional Links:

– A Bridal Party At Häringe Castle – 2bridesphotography.com

– Most interesting pictures tagged “häringeslott” on Flick River

– An Enchanted Castle in Sweden –remodelista.com

– An Enchanted Garden in Sweden- www.gardenista.com

– Sweden’s most haunted castle: Häringe – Network Europe

– A night at Haringe Palace –Live Like You

 

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A Look At The Castle Behind The Movie “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”

If you have seen the previews for the movie The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, it features a captivating estate many Nordic lovers would instantly recognize as Swedish.  This striking castle featured in the movie is “Yxtaholms Castle”, located on an island in Sörmland, just like it is seen in the movie.  Yxtaholms Castle was built in 1753 by Baron Gustaf N. Clodt.

Released in December 2011, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, tells a murder mystery family saga, a love story, and adds political intrigue to produce a multilayered story line.

The movie sets around a charactor- Harriet Vanger, whom is from one of Sweden’s wealthiest families, and had disappeared over forty years ago. Years later in the film, her aged uncle (billionaire Henrik Vanger), continues to seek the truth of her disappearance. He engages Mikael Blomkvist (a journalist ) into his quest to find the truth, by offering to financially back the struggling Millennium magazine if the journalist will solve the mystery.

The thriller, set in Sweden, shows the beauty of the Scandinavian cold winters and elegant interiors, which are highly contrasted by a pierced and tattooed punk Lisbeth Salander, who is a computer hacker with photographic memory.  She joins forces with Blomkvist to uncover the truth about the 40-year-old disappearance.

The Yxtaholms Castle Website tells us that the castle, stables and wings were built in 1753.   Yxtaholm  began to flourish in the 17th century and today it is a modern hotel, restaurant and conference centre.  Design Guy University Blog tells us that the castle is now owned by owned by female Polish millionaire Iwona de Jong who bought the property for $35M in 2010.  Today it functions as a hotel, and has been
updated.  The conference center is now located in the large stable building. Yztaholms castle has 79 rooms and is about an hour and a half drive from Stockholm.

Additional Pictures of Yxtahoms

-A picture of Yxtaholms Castle on Flicker

Design Guy University Blog– Historical Details on  Yxtaholms with great pictures!

Lovisas Guldkorn Blog– Showing pictures of the suite in one of the wings, and in the hall where an amazing wooden ceiling is painted.

-Another picture of Yztaholms Exterior- Flicker

-Another look at this hotel from John Haudi’s Flicker

-Another picture of Yztaholms Exterior Halsokallan.blogg

Yxtaholms Castle – www.svenskamoten.se

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A Look Behind Sturehov Manor House In Botkyrka, Sweden

Sturehov or Sturehof (also spelled Sturehov castle) is a manor house in Botkyrka, Sweden. Sturehov manor is located at Rödstensfjärden, about 3 kilometers west of the old Norsborg.

The name Sturehof, originates from the oldest known individual owner, Svante Sture Stenson whom was killed by King Erik XIV in connection with the so-called Sture murders at Uppsala Castle.  His descendants owned the farm for more than half a century. The farm was later purchased in 1778 by Gustaf II’s “Finance”, Baron Johan Liljencrantz, whom acquired the property in 1778 as a summer residence.  They say a fire burned down the main building, and only the two wings from the 1600s remained standing.  It was then that architect Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz draw up plans for a new main building. Adelcrantz was famous architect during the time known for his work with the Opera House in Stockholm. The two remaining wings were then modernized with mansard roof, and an update to the exterior paint color was changed from a country red to a prestigious white.

Also See -Swedish Interiors: The Chinese Pavilion

Today visitors can enjoy an afternoon out at Sturhov, where they also have a year around café called Voltaire & Vänner (Voltaire & Friends).  Take a look inside the cafe at The World According To Pia Blog

Sturehof is regarded as one of the country’s finest example in the Gustavian decorating style. While a number of skilled craftsmen worked on the house, Interior Designer Louis Masreliez and architect Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz were to be considered the best in design and architecture of their time.

Swedish Tile Stoves

Johan Liljencrantz owner of the newly constructed main building at Sturehof was also the owner of the famous Marieberg factory.  Today there is a very limited amount of authentic Marieberg Kakelugnar stoves known to be around today.   The stoves that were located differ from the usual 1700s ovens by its white base color, shiny glaze and their bright colors.  Sturehov houses the country’s largest collection of Marieberg stoves, a total of 17 pieces. The most magnificent of all the stoves is the “Liljecrantz ‘Fireplace’. It is located in the room upstairs, which was supposed to be Liljecrantz ‘bedroom.   The tiled stove was  so famous that it was pictured on a Swedish postage stamp.  After Liljencrantz’s first wife, Ottiliana, died in 1788 he built Norsborgs mansion, and settled with his new wife, Eleanor.

The Röhsska Museum featured this interior which was drawn by architect Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz (1716–1796), who was a central figure in 18th century architecture and art history.

The Röhsska Museum featured an exibit called- The Masreliez room whom was named after the artist and decorator Louis Masreliez (1748-1810), who was Gustav III’s architect. The mural was executed by Louis Masreliez in the late Gustavian (Pompeian) style. Masreliez had studied in Rome for a longer period, and seen and been inspired by the ongoing excavations of antiquity’s Pompei. The wallcovering is painted in oil on fabric.


 A late Gustavian late 18th Century console table.

Design by Louis Masreliez and executed by Jean Baptist Masreliez.

Picture Credits

-Thor-Leif Fogelberg- Photo’s of Sturehov Castle- PBASE

Additional Links & Pictures

-Sturehof Castle- View from Mälaren- Flicker

-Sturehof Castle- Close Up View Of Exterior – Flicker

-Sturehov Slott- Wikipedia

-Research Symposium:  Louis Masreliez National Museum

-A Stunning Picture of Sturehov in the winter

 

Sturehov Castle- Swedish Tiled Stove From Michael Perlmutter Photography

Swedish Interior With A Tiled Wood Stove Sturehofs Slott- boibotkyrka.s

Photo By by RRRmikko For Panoramio.com

Heli Lehtonen Fashion Sets on Flicker

Here we see the chairs with modern slipcovers keeping with the Gustavian look.

Thor-Leif Fogelberg- pbase

Gustavian Interiors- Swedish Tiled Stove From Michael Perlmutter Photography

Also Featured in Neoclassicism In The North

The Green Room Wikipedia

The Green Room Wikipedia

Central Room – Wikipedia

Cafe?  Wikipedia

Close Up Look At This Sensational Tile Stove- www.alltomkakelugnar.se

This beautiful stove is in Baroness large bedroom on Sturehof Castle. In the 1700s, considered the bedrooms not particularly private, but I also perform the function of living.

Among the first thing that visitors encounter when going into the company over the floor at Sturehof Castle is the octagonal drawing room and its fireplace in column style. It is a style formation that tries to mimic the columns that held up the ancient temples. This on Srurehof is typical in that it had a square base with a cylindrical top, and tight spot that was tromp l’oeil painted. Tromp l’oeil was very modern at the time and was to be atop the tiles glaze painted decoration that would look as three-dimensional as possible to simulate the ribs and three-dimensional details. – Information From alltomkakelugnar.se

Thor-Leif Fogelberg- pbase

Sturehofs Castle – cotedetexas.blogspot.com

Sturehof Castle Interior –Wikipedia

Another Spectacular Kakelugnar Stove

 

Model Sara Hammarbäck Featured At Sturehofs Slott.-

Heli Lehtonen Fashion Sets on Flicker

Visit Stockholm Blog

The Gustavian Style Of Swedish Interior Designer Louis Masreliez

Thor-Leif Fogelberg- pbase

Liljencrantz ‘Fireplace- Wikipedia

Sturehov Castle Featured in The Swedish Room by Lars Sjöberg, Ursula Sjöberg, Ingalill Snitt,

Previewed by Google books here

Sturehov Castle Featured in The Swedish Room by Lars Sjöberg, Ursula Sjöberg, Ingalill Snitt,

Previewed by Google books here

A Look Behind Tyreso Castle Outside Stockholm

Tyreso Castle From Shuttertalk

Swedish Decorating Ideas- Tyreso Castle From Shuttertalk

Tyreso castle outside Stockholm Sweden

Tyreso Castle Outside Stockholm Sweden

Tyresd castle dates back to the 1600 ‘s.  The castle was built in the 1600s by the Privy Council Gabriel Oxenstiema

In the 1770s the castle was modernized and was the first English park in the country designed by garden architect Frednk Magnus Piper. The romantic park with winding paths still exist today. 

Marquis Claes Lagergren bought Tyreso castle in 1892 and made this stately home for himself, his wife Caroline and their three sons. With the help of architect isak Gustaf Clason built the awning of the palace of a nation-romantic spirit of the 1600-century castle as a model.

The marquis wished that the palace would be preserved as a living document of Swedish history .  It was his wish that Tyreso be made available to the public through the Nordic Museum. 

The Nordic Museum undertook an extensive restoration 1993-97 to restore awnings Claes Lagergrens home as it looked in 1900. The main building contains elegant lounges, libraries and offices, a chapel, bedrooms and guest rooms with several rooms.  There are very little pictures of the inside of this home, in fact, I could only find just one from the Nordic Museum showing the lavish furniture and paintings of the interior of Tyresd.  This would be a lovely tour if you happen to be in Sweden.