Category: Castle of the month

Castle of the month of October – Nynäs Slott outside of Nyköping. My hubby has a cousin who lives in Nyköping and tonight we were invited to them for dinner. So, we decided to make a stop on the way and see this castle.

The first owner was Birgitta Jonsdotter back in 1328. The estate has then been mostly inherited and passed down in generations and only sold a couple of times. Various famous families have been the owners such as Grip, Gyllenstierna, Bonde, Anckarswärd, Hildebrandt and Gripenstedt who was the last family to own the property and sold it in 1984 to Sörmlands Läns Landsting.

The Gyllenstierna- family built the main building in the 17th century. Erik Gyllenstierna was a chamberlain to King Gustav II Adolf. The Gripenstedt-family took over the estate back in the 1850s and kept it as a summer residence. In 1967 parts of it was sold to the county counsil Landstinget and in 1972 the whole estate was classified as a nature reserve area. Landstinget opened the estate to the public in 1985 for guided tours. The National Museum owns all the collections and inventories in the castle.

September almost over and time for the castle of the month – this time we chose Örby Slott close to where we live. 

The castle was built back in 1674 by orders from royal governor Falkenberg.  Later it was owned by marshal of the realm Gyllenstierna who renovated the properties and changed the style to an empirical one.  It was bought by Stockholm City in 1897 and the city split up the property in smaller parts. The Castle has been hosting the Embassy of Vietnam since the 1970s. 

When the castle was built they also arranged a baroque garden in the back which is a really lovely oasis with flowers, a variation of trees, a fountain and also a larger paddling pool surrounded by statues. The garden closest to the castle isn’t open for public, but the rest is. 

We had made reservations for breakfast at Ulfsunda Slott this morning. Thought it would be a great way to start the weekend. And the food was great and it was a nice visit. 

Ulfsunda Castle was built back in the 1640s by field marshal Lennart Torstensson. Queen Kristina was a guest there in 1647 and some of the rooms in the castle are named after her.  

Like most of the castles, Ulfsunda is today a conference- and meeting facility and a hotel. The castle is situated between the lakes Lillsjön and Ulvsundasjön in Ulvsunda, Bromma, outside of Stockholm. 

Castle of the month of July is – Årsta slott in Österhaninge. We decided to go over there for a quick coffee and take a look around. The castle is nowadays the main building at a golf course so plenty of fields around the property with people playing golf.

The castle was finished built back in 1667 but the property is from the 13th century. The Bremer family owned the castle 1805-1863 and one of their daughters, Fredrika Bremer, was an internationally known writer, reformer, and champion of women’s rights. She introduced the domestic novel into Swedish literature. Her novel “Hertha” caused a lively debate and led to a public opinion forming which made the government in 1858 pass a new law allowing unmarried women of the age of 25 or older to apply to come of age. Married women, however, were not allowed to come of age before the 1921 legislation over 50 years later.

The Årsta castle was her home until she died in 1865.

June and a new castle to visit – this time we chose Tullgarn Slott, near Trosa in Södermanland. It’s one of our most popular royal destinations and less than an hour away from Stockholm by car. Tullgarn Palace was the summer palace of King Gustaf V and Queen Victoria at the end of the 1800s and beginning of the 1900s. However, the palace was originally built for Duke Fredrik Adolf in the 1770s. 

We had a lovely visit and took the guided tour when we arrived. It was 45 min and showed several of the rooms in the castle and the history behind. After the tour we walked around to the front which is facing the water and then we had lunch at the castle café. Waffles and a locally produced apple juice. Mmm. 

On our roadtrip to Norway we visited two castles. First out “Gamlehaugen”  the King’s official residence in Bergen situated close to Troldhaugen where the Norwegian composer Edward Grieg lived and worked. The castle was build in 1899 and opens the ground floor to the public during the summer.

The second castle we visited was “Det Kongelige Slottet” in Oslo. It is situated at the end of Karl Johans Street on a hill overlooking Oslo. Building activities commenced in 1824, and the foundation stone was laid by King Carl Johan on 1 October 1825. The Palace was officially taken into use on 26 July 1849 by King Oscar I. At this time the Swedish king ruled both over Sweden and Norway. 

The Royal Palace is the home of the Norwegian King and Queen and also a workplace for the whole royal family. It is open to the public during the summer. Behind the castle is a beautiful park filled with statues and monuments. 

The castle of our choice this month is Engsholms Slott on the island Mörkö south from Stockholm. We invited my parents-in-law to come along and we had a lovely afternoon.

We took the larger roads there and the smaller ones including a ferry ride to go back again. About an hour drive one way out on the country side.

The original castle was built back in the 14th century but burnt to the ground in 1912. This castle was built in 1914 and is today a hotel and restaurant, popular for conferences and such. We tried their grilled focaccia bread and locally brewed bear and also home baked buns and cakes. Delicious and served in very nice surroundings.

The castle of this month is Lejondals Slott in Bro. We made reservations a while back to attend their Saturday Afternoon Tea. Lovely.

The weather could have been better but it was a nice hour long drive to get there and we were treated all kinds of goodies. Scones, jam, pies, cheeses.. and sweets and pastries for dessert.

Lejondals Slott is one of the youngest castles in Sweden built back in 1892. Nowadays it is a place for conferences, weddings and venues.

Yesterday we went to the castle of the month since the weather prognosis was better than on Sunday. So, we went over to Tyresö Castle and enjoyed a lovely lunch! We visited this castle a few years ago on Mother’s Day and then we enjoyed our lunch on the little island on the lake in the back of the castle. So this time we tried the café inside the castle instead. The food was good – I had a large shrimp sandwich and hubby had a salmon pie – and we were happy with our choices.

Woke up early today too. I have a hard time to sleep in on the weekends –  I bet I would sleep like a baby on weekdays if I was allowed. Lol. -6C outside this morning and the sun is coming up behind our neighbors house. No big plans for the day so far. Maybe look for our next castle and book something.

We didn’t manage to visit a castle in December as planned, but this year we are up for the challenge again. The castle of the month of January is – Ängby Slott in Bromma. 

We invited my parents to come along and we had a nice afternoon together enjoying Swedish waffles with home made jam, whipped cream and coffee. Mmmm. 

The castle was build during the 17th century and has great cultural historical value. Since five years the castle is rented out to a lady who has called her café “Hemma hos Annika” and she is serving all sorts of home-baked pastries as well as lunches and different kinds of coffee. Well worth a visit if you haven’t been!