Svartsjö Palace ( sv, Svartsjö slott, "Black Lake Castle") is a

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

palace situated in

Svartsjö Svartsjö is a smaller locality in Ekerö Municipality, Stockholm County, southeastern Sweden. See also * Svartsjö Palace *Svartsjö County The County of Svartsjö, or ''Svartsjö län'' was a county in the Kingdom of Sweden from 1787 to 180 ...

on the island of Färingsö in lake Mälaren. It lies just outside of Stockholm.

History

Royal residence

The location of this palace has housed several royal buildings. During

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

times there was a stone house where prominent Swedish royalty lived.

Gustav Vasa Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksför ...

and his sons Erik and Johan erected a lavish

renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass id ...

palace with a round inner courtyard. It was at least partly designed by

Willem Boy Willem Boy (french: Guillaume Boyen) (1520 – 1592) was a Flemish painter, sculptor, and architect active in Sweden from around 1558 until his death. Few of Boy's works have survived, and he is mostly remembered for the sarcophagus of King ...

and completed in 1580 but burnt down in 1687. The remaining building material was shipped to Stockholm to be used in the build of the castle Tre kronor. The stone foundation was left and is visible today. The current buildings middle section was started in 1734 and finished in 1739 on the order of Fredrik I. It was built as a hunting palace for then current queen

Ulrika Eleonora Ulrika Eleonora or Ulrica Eleanor (23 January 1688 – 24 November 1741), known as Ulrika Eleonora the Younger, was Queen of Sweden, reigning in her own right from 5 December 1718 until her abdication on 29 February 1720 in favour of her husba ...

using drawings by

Carl Hårleman Baron Carl Hårleman (27 August 1700 – 9 February 1753) was a Swedish architect. Biography Hårleman was born in Stockholm, son of the garden architect and head of the royal parks and gardens Johan Hårleman, who had been ennobled in 1698. ...

. The now

palace, raised by inspiration of French palaces, became a model for Swedish country mansion architecture during the later part of the 18th century. The palace was extended on both short ends by drawings of Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz, together with a bell tower. It was given to the Queen dowager

Louisa Ulrika of Prussia Louisa Ulrika of Prussia ( sv, Lovisa Ulrika; german: Luise Ulrike) (24 July 1720 – 16 July 1782) was Queen of Sweden from 1751 to 1771 as the wife of King Adolf Frederick. She was queen mother during the reign of King Gustav III. Bac ...

as a residence for her widowhood in 1771. The palace was abandoned for over a hundred years after the death of Lovisa Ulrika in 1782.

The prison period

Due to the large areas of minable granite in the area the palace was transformed in 1891 into a prison. Prisoners mined the granite until 1910, when a successful trial with farming and logging proved to work better for the prison. As more violent criminals were admitted to Svartsjö Palace, a special closed section was created with 337 cells built with steel walls. In 1966 the palace ceased to be used as a prison, and the prison walls were torn down. The prison warden house still remains in the palace gardens, as well as several prison personnel houses in the nearby area.

Modern restoration

After years of neglect the palace was restored from 1994 to 2003 by the state, to a cost of 36 million SEK. The façade has regained its light shade, made to resemble French sandstone. The windows are painted in a gold brown oak color. None of the original wallpaper was kept but wallpaper based on nearby

Drottningholm Palace The Drottningholm Palace ( sv, Drottningholms slott) is the private residence of the Swedish royal family. Drottningholm is near the capital Stockholm. Built on the island Lovön (in Ekerö Municipality of Stockholm County), it is one of S ...

was used.

References

External links

Svartsjö Slott
- Official website (in Swedish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Svartsjo Palace Palaces in Stockholm Ruined castles in Sweden Gardens in Sweden