Swedish Residences General Discussion

[Josefine]

Edit JessRulz:

This thread can be used as a general discussion thread for the Swedish residences which do not have a specific thread.
A list of the residences with specific threads can be found here.

 

[Josefine]

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[hrhcp]

What about "Ottenby" ... is that a residence?

 

[Yennie]

I don´t know anything about Ottenby beeing a "residence". As far as I know Ottenby is a place on south Öland. I know that the royal family have visited the place though...

 

[hrhcp]

Thank you Yenni. Now about that "Tärnaby" place, any pictures of that? B)

 

[Yennie]

I haven´t seen any pictures of the house in Tärnaby... I´ll check

 

[Hélène]

The old Royal Palace known as "Tre Kronor" (three crowns) It's really very sad that it burnt down. How cool wouldn't it have been to have a medieval castle as a royal palace today? I think it's much more beautiful than the "new" one...

 

[hrhcp]

Contrary to the Norwegian Royal Family which lives in a smaller country - population wise - why is it that the Swedish Royal Family has
- no royal ship?
- way more in Royal Residences provided by the State than I believe any other country in Europe?
- correspondingly way less in the way of private residences then their Norwegian brethern?

Which is your favorite Residence?
Which room is your fave, and how come ?
Which view is your favorite?

How come most of the Royal Residences are along the edge of Lake Malaren ? That mystifies me. I would have thought to solidify the kingdom, there would be royal residences all over the country?

 

[GrandDuchess]

# I don't know why the Swedish Royal House has no royal ship, but I guess it's because we don't have that kind of tradition in our royal house. In stead, we have had great war ships of The King (call regal ships in Swedish), not only the Vasa, but also many great and magnificent war ships. The Royal House has done their boating in private, and has never had the traditions of other European royal houses, making long official trips by boat. Our royals go sailing or boating in their private time.

# The Royal Palaces which are today at the disposal of The King and his family are the most well-known and well linked palaces to the Royal House. In the old days, the Royal House had a lot more palaces and estates, which are today used for other things. In Sweden, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of palaces/castles. The State has its own Government Authority which has the responsibility of the hundreds of other palaces/castles that are owned by the Swedish State. Some are used by the State for regional authorities (for. ex. residences for County Governors, regional authortities) and such, some are museums, some are run by private people on a lease, and some of the palaces which are located in Stockholm are used as the Government's official houses (like the Prime Minister's official residence, ministries, authorities etc. etc.)

# Yes, they might not have as many private residences as they do in other European Royal Houses. I don't know why, but the palaces used to be owned by the Monarch - but after the modernisation of the Monarchy, the State took them over and some were previously bought. They do have some privately owned residences, and I guess they're happy with that.

Private Residences of The Royal House:
Solliden, Öland, Sweden (The King)
Villa Mirage, S:t Maxime, France (The King)
Storlien Cottage, Jämtland, Sweden (The King)
Villa Solbacken, Djurgården, Sweden (Princess Lilian)

The Residences of members of The Royal Family (those I know):
Princess Christina, Mrs Magnusson - Villa Beylon in Stockholm, Sweden, house in the archipelago in Stockholm, Sweden, and a villa in Vence, France
Princess Margareta - Tulip Cottage in Oxfordshire, the UK
Princess Birgitta - luxury apartment in Mallorca, Spain
Princess Désirée - Castle Koberg (the family castle of her husband Baron Silfverschiöld) in Trollhättan, Sweden and apartment in Mallorca, Spain

 

[GrandDuchess]

My favourite Royal Palaces:

Nr. 1: Drottningholm

I myself think that Drottningholm Palace is one of Europe's most beautiful palace and park together. The palace is situated so enourmously well and beautifully on Lövön in Stockholm, with water and great parks and scenery around it. It was a few years since I was inside the palace, and I don't think I have a favourite room - but Rikssalen is very nice, as is Queen Lovisa Ulrika's Libarary. The Drottningholm Theatre close to the palace is also great, a very fascinating old theatre.

Nr. 2: The Royal Palace of Stockholm

The Royal Palace of Stockholm is a fascinating place, situated in the central of Stockholm with water near it. You can really feel the wings of history at the same time as you feel its vibrance, it's full of activity. Last time I was there was a year ago or something, and I don't have one favourite room (not that I've been to all 609 rooms, but the ones I have been to) - but these are my goodies:

* The Bernadotte Aparment (13 rooms) - Pelarsalen and Oscar II's Writing Room (with heavy curtains and thick fabric on the furniture, his organ is there)
* The Bernadotte gallery is nice (there 1991 portrait of The King by Nelson Shank is there, in the background of it you can see a clock with the time of death of King Gustav VI Adolf, 20:31 pm),
* The Celebrations Division - beautiful, the Coucil Room (Konseljsalen) is situated there (it's were The King holds his meetings with the councils he's in, and other meetings)
* Karl IX's Gallery - the most splendid room of the palace, it's a copy of the Mirror Room in Versailles and is 48 meters long (!). This is were the great dinners are held at state visits, for the Nobel week, etc.

 

[hrhcp]

In the old days, the Royal House had a lot more palaces and estates, which are today used for other things. In Sweden, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of palaces/castles. The State has its own Government Authority which has the responsibility of the hundreds of other palaces/castles that are owned by the Swedish State. Some are used by the State for regional authorities (for. ex. residences for County Governors, regional authortities) and such, some are museums, some are run by private people on a lease, and some of the palaces which are located in Stockholm are used as the Government's official houses (like the Prime Minister's official residence, ministries, authorities etc. etc.)

Thank you, GrandDuchess for your contribution. I love it !!!

Sweden comes alive in a way that has so far escaped me.

With these "hundreds of other palaces/castles ... owned by the Swedish State", is there perchance a link where I can look - at my leisure - at the other arrangements of magnificient stone?

 

[Dennism]

I came across an old fortress near Gothenburg
Bohus Fortress

In a book that I have for this fortress it says:

"The first defensive fort here, a wooden affair, was built by the Norwegian king in the 14th century, on what was then Norway´s southern border. This was replaced by a solid stone building, surrounded by deep natural moats, a complex which came to be known in Sweden for its impregnability. After withstanding six Swedish attacks in the 1560s, the colossal stronghold was rebuilt, this time enclosing a Renaissance palace. When the area finally became Swedish in 1658, Bohus didn´t enjoy much of a respite: during the next 20 years, a further 14(!) sieges here saw some spectacular bombardment by the Danes: records show that 15,000 men fired 30,000 red-hot cannonballs at the unfortunate fortress, which somehow managed not to fall. Where attack failed, Swedish weather has succeeded, however, and today the building is very much a ruin-albeit a well-kept, grassy one."

It is in the village of Kungälv or King´s river. There are concerts and opera performances there in the summer.

 

[loving silvia and carl gustaf]

my favourite castle is "Drottningholms slot..." It's beautiful. After that "Kungliga slottet" in Stockholm comes...I think they are both wonderful castles. I also like Solliden a lot...it's great... all of them are ...

 

[hrhcp]

What's the name of this castle, and where is it located?
This is my favourite picture of Sweden, because
a.) it shows the old and the new of Sweden off to perfection.
b.) its a good day.
c.) it shows dirty water and clean water.

 

[hrhcp]

Engsö Slott

links to further exploring

 

[Philippos]

»Slott» means castle, or palace, nothing else. Many Swedish castles are today hotels and not private residences angry, but »slott» means castle and not hotel.

 

[hrhcp]

Many Swedish castles are today hotels and not private residences (), but »slott» means castle and not hotel.

Thanks for the clarification, Philippos.

 

[GrandDuchess]

Here's my updated list for private residences...

Private Residences of The Royal House:
Solliden, Öland, Sweden (The King)
Villa Mirage, S:t Maxime, France (The King)
Storlien Cottage, Jämtland, Sweden (The King)
Villa Solbacken, Djurgården, Sweden (Prince Carl Philip, but with life-long right of usage for Princess Lilian)
Apartment, London, the United Kingdom (Princess Lilian)
Country house, Värmland, Sweden (Prince Carl Philip)

The Private Residences of members of The Royal Family (those I know):
Princess Christina, Mrs Magnusson - Villa Beylon in Stockholm, Sweden, house in the archipelago in Stockholm, Sweden, and a villa in Vence, France
Princess Margareta - Tulip Cottage in Oxfordshire, the United Kingdom
Princess Birgitta - luxury apartment in Mallorca, Spain
Princess Désirée - Castle Koberg (the family castle of her husband Baron Silfverschiöld) in Trollhättan, Sweden and apartment in Mallorca, Spain

 

[Josefine]

the country house of carl philip was it given to him as he is duke of Värnland?

 

[GrandDuchess]

the country house of carl philip was it given to him as he is duke of Värnland?

Yes, the country house of Prince Carl Philip was given to him by the people of Värmland County to him as their Duke, after a fundraising among the people in the county.

 

[Regina]

A friend of mine had this illustrations on frames, and I decided to post them here. This are landscapes from Sweden. This illustrations are from 1835. I hope you like them (sorry for the bad quality but they were in frames and it was not easy to photograph them! )

#1 - Carlbergs Slott

#2 - Skokloster

#3 - Bohus Fastnin

 

[GrandDuchess]

Villa Beylon

Villa Beylon is named after Swiss Jean Francois Beylon, a good friend and advisor of both King Gustaf III and Queen Lovisa Ulrika. In 1772, he received the building on the Ulriksdal Palace estate as a gift from the King. When he died five years later, the building was torn down. The present pink villa with its two wings was commissioned and built in 1802-03 by a director M F Stübing.

From 1810 to 1836, the Russian Ambassador, Peter van Suchtelen, rented Villa Beylon. He was a society figure and an art collector and had an interest in gardening. He had an English park with little romantic temples and hermitages established on the villa’s estate, which is still today in good shape.

After him, Villa Beylon was for a period the home of a Court Marshall named Erik Wetter. Then in the 1970’s, it was thoroughly renovated and conserved before Princess Christina moved in together with her family in 1974.

Villa Beylon is 400 square metres (4 300 square feet?) big. It is situated on the Ulriksdal Palace estate in Solna in Stockholm County, and is one of around 60 cultural historically interesting buildings preserved on the estate. It lies in beautiful nature, and Edsviken (a bay) is very near. It’s a short drive from Stockholm city.


Picture 1 is taken by me (in 2005, taken from the backside), picture 2 is from Svensk Damtidning (taken from the frontside, don't know what year, I think it's an old colour, since it's pink today):

 

[Helen88]

So...Prs Christina moved out of the villa?

 

[GrandDuchess]

So...Prs Christina moved out of the villa?

No, not yet anyway. So far it's only Svensk Damtidning that speculates that she and her husband will next year, and that Victoria and Daniel will move in after a renovation after marrying.

 

[Josefine]

are there any palaces that once belonged to swedish royals but is in use by the state today i was thinking in stockholm city

 

[rop81]

are there any palaces that once belonged to swedish royals but is in use by the state today i was thinking in stockholm city

Well you have the palace on riddarholmen where the court is (maybe the supreme court..?), I can´t remember the name, but it is the palace where the royal family lived back in the days when the castle was built after the fire in 1697. And wasn´t the palace where the state apartment is located today a royal palace, or atleast some royal person used to live there right? I´m sure there are many more...

 

[GrandDuchess]

are there any palaces that once belonged to swedish royals but is in use by the state today i was thinking in stockholm city

Yes, I'm sure there are several. The ones I come to think of immediately are Arvfursten's Palace, which today hosts the Minitry for Foreign Affairs, and the Wrangelska Palace, which was home for the Royal Family for a brief period after the Tre Kronor Palace was burnt down (and the one I think rop81 means in the previous post), and is today the residence of the Svea Courts of Appeal.

I've written about Arvursten's Palace in this thread before, to read more about it, go here or here

 

[Daneborn]

are there any palaces that once belonged to swedish royals but is in use by the state today i was thinking in stockholm city

palaces formerly used by the royals are places like Haga, Rosersberg, Ulriksdal

sorry if I'm too lazy to browse through every single page already written. I did 6 pages and then I went to the end of the thread.

http://www.sfv.se/cms/sfv/vara_fastigheter/sverige/ab_stockholms_lan/slott/Haga%20slott.html
Haga is situated right north of the inner city. The King and his sisters were brought up at Haga but since 1966 it's in use only for receptions for prominent governmental visits. On an island in the Haga lake the royals have their private cemetary, which is still ''in use'' when someone dies.

http://www.sfv.se/cms/sfv/vara_fastigheter/sverige/ab_stockholms_lan/slott/rosersbergs_slott.html
Rosersberg some 40 km north of Stockholm was in use as a summer residence from 1762 to 1860. Queen Desideria was the last royal person to live there. I believe she became senile / very confused and was seen running around outdoors on the estate at nights in her nightgown.

http://www.stockholmsmuseer.com/museer/ulriksdal.php3
Ulriksdal in the north of the Haga area was in use by the late King Gustav 6 Adolf (who died 1973) and Queen Louise.

http://www.stockholmsmuseer.com/museer/rosendals.php3
And little Rosendal, built for King Carl 14 Johan (the first Bernadotte King) on Djurgården on the east side of the inner city. Was turned into a museum after King Oscar II died in 1907.

 

[rop81]

palaces formerly used by the royals are places like Haga, Rosersberg, Ulriksdal

sorry if I'm too lazy to browse through every single page already written. I did 6 pages and then I went to the end of the thread.

http://www.sfv.se/cms/sfv/vara_fastigheter/sverige/ab_stockholms_lan/slott/Haga%20slott.html
Haga is situated right north of the inner city. The King and his sisters were brought up at Haga but since 1966 it's in use only for receptions for prominent governmental visits. On an island in the Haga lake the royals have their private cemetary, which is still ''in use'' when someone dies.

http://www.sfv.se/cms/sfv/vara_fastigheter/sverige/ab_stockholms_lan/slott/rosersbergs_slott.html
Rosersberg some 40 km north of Stockholm was in use as a summer residence from 1762 to 1860. Queen Desideria was the last royal person to live there. I believe she became senile / very confused and was seen running around outdoors on the estate at nights in her nightgown.

http://www.stockholmsmuseer.com/museer/ulriksdal.php3
Ulriksdal in the north of the Haga area was in use by the late King Gustav 6 Adolf (who died 1973) and Queen Louise.

http://www.stockholmsmuseer.com/museer/rosendals.php3
And little Rosendal, built for King Carl 14 Johan (the first Bernadotte King) on Djurgården on the east side of the inner city. Was turned into a museum after King Oscar II died in 1907.

Yes that´s right, but all of the castles mentioned above are still Royal Palaces and might sometimes be used by the royal family. You can go to www.royalcourt.se to read more about them and the other ten royal palaces.

 

[GrandDuchess]

Yes, all of the palaces that Fagerborn mentioned are still Royal Palaces at the monarch's disposal, and managed by The Office of the Governor of the Royal Palaces included in the structure of the Royal Court.

With the busy lives of the Royal Family, the fact that they use two of the Royal Palaces in their daily lives (Drottningholm and the Royal Palace), having opened up so much to the public as well as considering that the Royal Palaces are quite spread out - it's no wonder that they don't have the chance to use the residences more. Sometimes I think it's too bad that they aren't used more, but I also understand it. As long as the other 8 Royal Palaces are continued to be used once in a while by the Royal Family for official and private events, I'm quite happy.