Ulriksdals Palace

A bike ride to Ulriksdals Palace in Solna. Lots of history here. Built around 1640 for Jakob De la Gardie at the Edsviken bay. The architect was Hans Jacob Kristler. Redesigned by Nicodemus Tessin the Elder and by Carl Hårleman. Today used by The Royal Family, but owned by the state. Queen Kristina was a frequent guest back in the day. Many other kings and queens have also lived here. Open to the public every Summer. There's a visitor's center, a café, a museum and more. More photos in my Flickr album. Oh, and there is a very popular Autumn market here in late October every year, I might go back for that.

Thureholm Castle

Leaving the picturesque town of Trosa we stopped for a quick look and a photo of a castle. Seven hundred years ago there stood another castle here called Gäddeholm. In 1640 a new castle was built on the same spot. It didn't last very long as it was burned down during the Russian Pillage of 1719. Ten years after that the construction started of the current castle, Thureholm. Named after Thure Gabriel Bielke. Today the castle is owned by the Bonde family who also owns Hörningsholms castle.

Tyresö Palace

This was the halfway-point during my bike ride to Tyresö last week. The Tyresö Palace. It sits on a hill overlooking the Kalvfjärden bay and the nearby church. It was built by Gabriel Gustafsson Oxenstierna who inherited the land here in 1620. Fredrik Magnus Piper added the English garden in 1770, that is where I stood when I took these two photos. The first photo is a panorama made from 16 photos. The last private owner was Claes Lagergren and his American wife Caroline, born Russell. The owner today is the Nordiska Museet. It is open for the public and there are guided tours quite often. There are also a cafe and a restaurant, and both were open during my visit.

Engsholms Castle

A short drive from the castle in yesterdays post, and still on the Mörkö island this is another castle. Engsholms slott dates back 700 years. Sort of. The Russians attacked in 1719 and did what they usually did back then, they burned down the place. The current castle is just over 100 years old, but it is built in the styles of Renaissance and national romanticism. The architect was Tore E:son Lindhberg. Today Engsholm is a popular hotel. www.engsholm.se/

The castle on the cliff

Visiting the Mörkö island in Södertälje kommun with two of the usual suspects on a cold Winter day. We drove down to Skanssundsleden,(sea lane), in Grödinge where we took the very short ferry ride with M/S Karin to Mörkö. The ferry got it's name from Queen Karin Månsdotter. It is a picturesque drive through a rural country to get here. This is Hörningsholms castle. It sits high up on a cliff overlooking the Södertäljeleden. This castle dates back to 1750. It was built by Nils Bonde. A previous castle was burnt to the ground by Russian troops in 1719. The castle in not open to the public. It is still owned by the Bonde family.

Tyresö Palace

Situated at the beautiful Kalvfjärden Bay, this is Tyresö Palace. Gabriel Gustafsson Oxenstierna inherited the land here in 1620 and had the palace built. The castle has changed owners a few times during the centuries. The last private owner was Claes Lagergren and his American wife Caroline, born Russell. The owner today is the Nordiska Museet.

Häringe Castle

Some photos of Häringe Castle and a few of its pavilions. The current castle dates back to 1657. Owners over the centuries include King Gustavus Adolphus. The banker and industrialist Torsten Kreuger and Axel Wenner-Gren, at the time one of the wealthiest men in the world. The area has a very interesting history and it is said that the battle at Soteskär took place here back in 1007. At least if you want to believe Snorri Sturluson. These days it is a more quiet place. The castle is a popular hotel with rooms named after guests from the Wenner-Gren era, including Greta Garbo. Häringe is today part of the Häringe-Hammersta nature reserve so it is always open for visitors.

Stiernorps Slott

This is the Stiernorp, (old spelling), castle and castle ruin at Roxenbaden in Östergötland. Built back in 1655 by the famous architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder for Greve,(Earl), Robert Douglas. The castle was completely destroyed in a fire in 1789. The wings were soon rebuilt, but there was no money for the main building so it has been a ruin ever since that fire. At the moment there are some work being done at the ruin so that it will not collapse. More photos to come.

Romancing in the park

Here are as promised a few more photos from my recent visit to the Häringe Castle down at the nature reserve, at the Häringe peninsula. On my walk around the garden I noticed this couple near the pond at the 17th century palace. I took a quick snap and I don't think they saw me.



Just in front of the main entrance you can see this sculpture. If you like Shakespeare, Häringe is the place for you this summer. The Mirror Theatre group is setting up the comedy The Taming of the Shrew at the Rotunda, that for this purpose has been made to look as a piazza in Padova. It's not the first time that the theatre group sets up a Shakespeare play. They have been doing that for 24 summers. But it is the first Shakespeare place at the castle. And as the castle today is a popular hotel, you can buy a package that includes the show, dinner, a room for the night, and breakfast in the morning. Or you could go for the Josephine Baker suite in the seawing. It comes with a jacuzzi, and if the kids don't like the play, the hotel have 42" TVs with Playstation. All the rooms are named after famous celebrities and movie stars that have visited the castle.

A visit to an old castle

On a very hot summer day (it was yesterday), I jumped on the bike and via a few rarely used gravel roads winding through a rural landscape, I arrived to the Häringe Castle some forty minutes later. If you read this blog last summer you may remember my meeting with the musical duo in the castle orchard here. Or perhaps my encounter with Mr. Grotesque.




On the doors to the old castle that today is a popular hotel, you will find a couple of impressive knockers. Ha ha, I really nailed that last sentence didn't I! Lets have a look inside.




You really get the feeling that you are in an old castle by looking at the stairs leading up to the second floor here. Everything looks just like one would expect. And lets pretend that it's the middle of the night, and that you for some reason are walking down those same stairs, this is what you will see. A Knight in shining armour! Enough to wake anyone up I would imagine.



I will show you some more of the castle and it's surroundings in a couple of days.

Castle Avenue

Autumn colors along the North Castle Avenue at Årsta in Österhaninge. The castle looks like this. There's a golf course here and you can see the fairways on both sides of the old road. The weather was great today so there was quite a few golfers out there looking to make a birdie or two.

Hammersta castle Ruin

700 years ago this was the Hammersta Castle. Built by Erengisle Nilsson who's father was married to a sister of Bridget of Sweden. Back then this was a two-story castle with a protective retractable staircase. Erengisle's son (with the same name), was married to a Danish woman, Brita Olofsdotter Tott, and when the situation between Sweden and Denmark became tense around 1450, Tott was sentenced to death for spying for the Danes. Luckily for Brita she was pardoned and later paid for the famous fresco paintings that you can now see at the Ösmo Church. The castle was abandoned during the 15th century.

Häringe Castle

Häringe Castle seen from behind the Rotunda where a theatre group are playing Hamlet, hence the Dannebrog flag. On the veranda hotel guests and visitors having a cup of coffee or a meal. The castle was built in 1654 by Gustav Horn, the Count of Pori. Back then it had a third floor that was later destroyed in a fire. Häringe goes back to the Viking era when a famous Viking name Sote lived here. Other famous owners include Magnus Ladulås, Sten Sture, Gustav Vasa, Gustav II Adolf and Torsten Kreuger.More photos in my Häringe-Hammersta Set.

Carina & Åsa

After my photo shoot in the orchard I headed towards the pond but had to turn back as I all of a sudden heard a flute and then a woman started singing. I walked over to see what was going on. It turned out to be Carina and Åsa. I asked if I could take a photo, they said yes, and I started to shoot while listening to them as they played a song by Evert Taube. Then we started to talk a little. Carina who is from Fruängen works as a music teacher in Tyresö, and is a member of the musical ensemble Raka Rör. For Åsa, who comes from Järfälla, music is a passion. Funnily enough they met for the first time today! They were rehearsing for a wedding ceremony that would take place later this afternoon here in the orchard. It's a very private affair they told me. It will only be the two of us and the bride and groom who are from the northern city of Umeå. We will play a few songs, like the one you just heard by Taube and also Last Spring by Edward Grieg and a few others. After that I said goodbye to the ladies and walked away to the sound of music. This is my 55th photo for the 100 Strangers project. You can see the rest of my strangers in my Set

At the Orchard

In the 400 year old orchard at the Häringe Castle there are many odd looking sculptures to look at. This one seems to be holding the castle in her hand. More photos in my Häringe-Hammersta Set.

Mr.Grotesque

Yesterday I took the bike down to a peninsula in the south of Haninge. And visited Häringe. It's an old castle built back in 1654 by Gustav Horn, the Count of Pori. I will show you a few more photos next week, this is one of several big sculptures that you will find in the big and very green garden.

Åsa-Nisse the mjosikal

I visited Årsta Castle yesterday. It's situated close to the sea, just a kilometre from my favorite beach. Over the summer there's a play here. Not Shakespeare as they do at Häringe Castle a few klicks from here, but Åsa-Nisse the mjosikal (yes' that's how it's spelled). If you don't know Åsa-Nisse check out the wikipedia article. The play also have a website. If you are interested the ticket is 275 SEK. The premiere is tonight.

Årsta Castle

This is Årsta Slott in Österhaninge.The castle as it looks today was built by Claes Hansson Bielkenstierna and his wife Barbro Åkesdotter Natt och Dag around 1650. Other famous owners include the Bremer family, and Fredrika Bremer, wrote some of her books here. Another owner was Hans Johan Hierta, who founded Aftonbladet. If you visit today you can have lunch here after a round of golf. I only stopped for a few photos after a visit to the nearby beach.

Bigger photo.