Harpsund is a
manor house
A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...
located in
Flen Municipality
Flen Municipality (''Flens kommun'') is a municipalities of Sweden, municipality in central Södermanland County in southeast Sweden. Its seat is located in the city status in Sweden, city of Flen.
The present municipality was formed in 1971 thro ...
,
Södermanland County
Södermanland County ( sv, Södermanlands län) is a county or '' län'' on the southeast coast of Sweden. In the local Sörmlandic dialects it is virtually universally shortened and pronounced as Sörmlands län, or simply Sörmland, which is t ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
.
Since 22 May 1953, Harpsund has been used as a country retreat for the
prime minister of Sweden
The prime minister ( sv, statsminister ; literally translating to "Minister of State") is the head of government of Sweden. The prime minister and their cabinet (the government) exercise executive authority in the Kingdom of Sweden and are subj ...
.
History
The earliest known mention of Harpsund dates from 1380 when
seneschal
The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...
Bo Jonsson (Grip)
Bo Jonsson (Grip) (early 1330s – 20 August 1386) was head of the royal council and marshal under the regency of Magnus IV of Sweden. Also in the council was his friend and colleague, Karl Ulfsson av Ulvåsa, eldest son of Saint Birgitta. Fro ...
acquired property at Harpsund by swapping land with Joon Skräddare.
Axel Stålarm, president of
Göta Court of Appeal
The Göta Court of Appeal ( sv, Göta hovrätt), located in Jönköping, is one of the six appellate courts in the Swedish legal system.
The court was established in 1634 during the regency of Queen Christina. It is the second oldest of the Swed ...
and county governor, changed its name to Axelsberg when he inherited the property in 1647. He also moved the buildings on the property to their current location on the northern, more sheltered side of Harpsund Bay. The oldest parts of the current mansion are from the 17th century and the Stålarm era. The
Sparre
Sparre (variously spelled ''Sperra, Sper, Spar'') is a Scandinavian surname - originally borne by a noble family - and can refer to:
* Aage Jepsen Sparre, Danish priest
* Arvid Gustavsson Sparre (1245 - 1317), Lord of Ekholmen, Sweden
* Axel Spar ...
family took over in 1784 and continued to own Axelsberg until 1899 when a member of the Wicander family bought it together with a business partner. Industrialist Hjalmar Wicander later bought the property from his cousin's widow and took back its old name Harpsund. At this time, the buildings were in a bad condition and the existing main building had to be torn town and rebuilt. The new main building was designed by Otar Hökerberg and was completed in 1914.
When Hjalmar Wicander died in 1939, Harpsund was inherited by his son
Carl August Wicander, who died 27 December 1952 and in his will donated the estate to the
State
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
to be used as retreat and recreational estate for the
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
.
The donation included the entire estate, including farmland and forestry. He also wished to have Harpsund preserved the way it looked when the Wicander family lived there. The donation was approved by the
Riksdag
The Riksdag (, ; also sv, riksdagen or ''Sveriges riksdag'' ) is the legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral legislature with 349 members (), elected proportionally and se ...
on 22 May 1953. The estate consists of . Some adjustments were made in the conditions of the donation, which states that, with the exception of the main building, the estate could be made available to governmental conferences. Harpsund would soon be a venue for
informal summits between the
Government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
, industry and labour organizations. It was called Harpsund Democracy ( sv, Harpsundsdemokrati). Through the years many foreign leaders have stayed there as guests. Especially noticed was the visit by
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and chairman of the country's Council of Ministers from 1958 to 1964. During his rule, Khrushchev s ...
, leader of
the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
. It is tradition that guests at the estate take a small trip, with the prime minister, in the rowing boat (''Harpsundsekan''), a tradition introduced by Prime Minister
Tage Erlander
Tage Fritjof Erlander (; 13 June 1901 – 21 June 1985) was a Swedish politician who served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1946 to 1969. He was the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party and led the government for an uninterrupted tenur ...
.
Gallery
image:Harpsundsekan.JPG , The rowing boat of Harpsund
image:Harpsund3.JPG , The garage
image:Harpsund4.JPG , The main building
image:Tage_Erlander_and_Nikita_Khrushchev_1964.jpg , Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and chairman of the country's Council of Ministers from 1958 to 1964. During his rule, Khrushchev s ...
, Tage Erlander
Tage Fritjof Erlander (; 13 June 1901 – 21 June 1985) was a Swedish politician who served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1946 to 1969. He was the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party and led the government for an uninterrupted tenur ...
and a translator in the rowing boat in 1964.
See also
*
Crown palaces in Sweden
The Royal palaces in the Kingdom of Sweden are the following:
*The Royal Palace in Stockholm
*Drottningholm Palace
*Chinese Pavilion at Drottningholm
*Gripsholm Castle, Mariefred
* Gustav III's Pavilion
*Haga Palace
* Rosendal Palace
*Rosersberg ...
*
Stenhammar Palace {{Infobox military installation
, name=Stenhammar
, partof=
, location=Sweden
, coordinates={{coord, 59, 03, 02, N, 16, 33, 07, E, type:landmark, display=inline,title
, image=Swedish castle Stenhammar.jpg
, image_size=250px
, caption=
, image2=
, c ...
Analogous facilities
*
Camp David
Camp David is the country retreat for the president of the United States of America. It is located in the wooded hills of Catoctin Mountain Park, in Frederick County, Maryland, near the towns of Thurmont and Emmitsburg, about north-northwe ...
, country residence of the
president of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
*
Chequers
Chequers ( ), or Chequers Court, is the country house of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. A 16th-century manor house in origin, it is located near the village of Ellesborough, halfway between Princes Risborough and Wendover in Bucking ...
, country residence of the
prime minister of the United Kingdom
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pr ...
*
Harrington Lake
Harrington Lake (french: La résidence du lac Mousseau) is the summer residence and all-season retreat of the prime minister of Canada, and also the name of the land which surrounds it. The farm that surrounded most of the lake was the property o ...
, country residence of the
prime minister of Canada
The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority the elected Hou ...
*
Kultaranta
Kultaranta ( sv, Gullranda; ) is the summer residence of the president of Finland. It is in the district of Kultaranta on the island of Luonnonmaa, in Naantali. The granite manor house is surrounded by of park, belonging to the property.
The ...
, summer residence of the
president of Finland
The president of the Republic of Finland ( fi, Suomen tasavallan presidentti; sv, Republiken Finlands president) is the head of state of Finland. Under the Constitution of Finland, executive power is vested in the Finnish Government and the p ...
*
The Mansion, summer residence of the
president of the Philippines
The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of t ...
*
Palace of Cerro Castillo
The Palace of Cerro Castillo (Spanish: ''Palacio de Cerro Castillo'') is the official country retreat and summer residence of the President of Chile. Constructed in 1929 in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, it is located in Viña del Mar and is ...
, summer residence of the
president of Chile
The president of Chile ( es, Presidente de Chile), officially known as the President of the Republic of Chile ( es, Presidente de la República de Chile), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Chile. The president is re ...
in
Viña del Mar
Viña del Mar (; meaning "Vineyard of the Sea") is a city and commune on central Chile's Pacific coast. Often referred to as ("The Garden City"), Viña del Mar is located within the Valparaíso Region, and it is Chile's fourth largest city w ...
References
External links
Official residences in Sweden
Prime ministerial residences
Buildings and structures in Södermanland County
Manor houses in Sweden
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