Sjöö Castle (modern spelling: Sjö) is a castle in the tiny Parish of Holm (population in the year 2000: 26), in the Municipality of

Enköping Enköping is a locality and the seat of Enköping Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 30,000 inhabitants in 2018. Geography Enköping is situated near Lake Mälaren, about 78 km west of Stockholm. A comparably large number of S ...

Uppland Uppland is a historical province or ' on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The name literally ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. The Sjöö Castle Palace with its park is considered one of the most beautiful in Sweden, with its perfect and harmonious proportions.

History

The recorded history of the courtyard of Sjöö Castle begins from the Middle Ages. In 1409, Peter Laurensson took over the estate. In 1541,

Gustav Vasa Gustav Eriksson Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), also known as Gustav I, was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560. He was previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm (''Reichsverweser#Sweden, Riksföreståndare'') fr ...

bought the estate from the bailiff Jacob Vestgöte Sjöö. Later, the castle was turned over by

Erik XIV Erik XIV or Eric XIV (13 December 153326 February 1577) became King of Sweden following the death of his father, Gustav I, on 29 September 1560. During a 1568 rebellion against him, Erik was incarcerated by his half-brother John III. He w ...

to Gustaf Johansson (Three Roses). The estate was then passed in succession to Johan Gabriel Stenbock (1640–1705), who was one of the most powerful people in Sweden. As the Marshal of the

Realm of Sweden The Swedish Empire or the Great Power era () was the period in Swedish history spanning much of the 17th and early 18th centuries during which Sweden became a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic regi ...

, Stenbock was a statesman, head of the court and chairman of the castle law. In the 17th century, the marshals of the realm were recruited from high noble families. Together with the renowned Swedish architect

Nicodemus Tessin the Elder Nicodemus Tessin the Elder () (7 December 1615 – 24 May 1681) was an important Swedish architect. Biography Nicodemus Tessin was born in Stralsund in Pomerania and came to Sweden as a young man. There he met and worked with the architect Sim ...

(1615–1681) and the architect and master builder

Mathias Spieler Mathias Spihler (c. 1640 – February 1691) was a Swedish architect and master builder of German descent. Biography Spihler was born at Södermalm in Stockholm, Sweden. He aided Jean de la Vallée in the design and construction of Katarina K ...

(1640–1691), Stenbock built Sjöö Castle to his estate. The construction work lasted from 1669 until 1679. The nearby Church of Holm—closely connected with the castle—was erected in 1678, under the watchful eyes of Andreas Hackzelius (1630–1681) who became the first Rector—head of congregation—of the Parish of Holm to utilize the new facilities. The patronage of the Church of Holm then consisted of high-ranking statesmen and royal and other high noble friends and family members of Johan Gabriel Stenbock who owned Sjöö Castle. Johan Stenbock died unmarried. His sister's son's daughter Hedvig Catharina Lilje inherited the Castle. Lilje married with

Magnus Julius De la Gardie Magnus Julius De la Gardie (14 April 1668 – 28 April 1741), son of Axel Julius De la Gardie, was a Swedish general and statesman, member of the Swedish Hats Party. Magnus Julius De la Gardie was born in 1668 in Stockholm. He started his milit ...

. Her son, Fredrik, was married to the famous

Catherine Charlotte De la Gardie Countess Catherine Charlotte De la Gardie (née Catharina Charlotta Taube; 5 April 1723 – 24 March 1763), also known as Catherine Charlotte de La Gardie, was a Swedish countess and courtier. She is famed for her support of the smallpox vaccin ...

, who lived in the Castle between 1748 and 1763. In 1813, the castle was sold to Johan Gustaf Banér. Since then, the Banér family has owned the castle.

References

* Johan Eriksson & Peter Liljenstolpe, Sjöö slott: Nicodemus Tessin d.ä. och Johan Gabriel Stenbock som aktörer vid ett stormaktstida slottsbygge, Uppsala 2001. . * Sjö i Nordisk familjebok (andra upplagan, 1917) Castles in Uppsala County Enköping Municipality {{Sweden-castle-stub

History

See also

References