Venngarn Castle (Swedish: ''Venngarns slott'') is a castle in

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 ...

. It is located north of the town of

Sigtuna Sigtuna () is a locality situated in Sigtuna Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 8,444 inhabitants in 2010. It is the namesake of the municipality even though the seat is in Märsta. Sigtuna is for historical reasons often still referre ...

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. On the small uninhab ...

History

Venngarn was known since at least the 13th-century. During the 15th-century, the estate was owned by the noble family . In 1441, it was given to Cecilia Haraldsdotter (Gren) upon her marriage to a member of the Banér family: it was inherited by her daughter

Sigrid Eskilsdotter (Banér) Sigrid Eskilsdotter (Banér) (died 1527), was a Swedish noble, the mother of the Swedish regent Christina Gyllenstierna and the maternal grandmother of King Gustav Vasa of Sweden. Biography Sigrid Eskilsdotter was the daughter of Eskil Isaks ...

, the maternal grandmother of King

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 ('' Riksföre ...

of Sweden, and through her come to belong to the royal house in 1555. In 1568, it was given to

Princess Sophia of Sweden Princess Sophia of Sweden, also ''Sofia Gustavsdotter Vasa'' (29 October 1547 – 17 March 1611), was a Swedish princess, daughter of King Gustav Vasa of Sweden and Margareta Leijonhufvud. She was formally Duchess consort of Saxe-Lauenburg b ...

upon her marriage and served as her residence alongside

Ekolsund Castle Ekolsund Castle is a manor house situated at Enköping Municipality in Uppsala County, Sweden. History A estate has been known since the 14th century. In the 15th century, it was owned by Bengt Jönsson (Oxenstierna). After having been acquir ...

: during the 1590s, the estate was often used by her adult son

Gustav of Saxe-Lauenburg Gustav of Saxe-Lauenburg (31 August 1570 (?) – 11 November 1597) was the eldest son of Magnus II, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg and Sophia of Sweden, the daughter of King Gustav I of Sweden. Gustav's father Magnus left Sweden in 1578 when he was expel ...

(1570–1597). Venngarn was sold to count Frans Berendt von Thurn in 1619, and bought by Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie (1622–1686) in 1653. The castle was largely built in 1670 for Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie in collaboration with the architect

Jean de la Vallée Jean de la Vallée (ca 1620 – 12 March 1696) was a Swedish architect. Biography Born in France, he was the son of architect Simon de la Vallée (ca 1595–1642). He made early trips in France and Italy where he studied the new baroque forms ...

. Venngarn Castle was confiscated by the crown during the

Reduction (Sweden) In the Great Reduction of 1680, by which the ancient landed nobility lost its power base, the Swedish Crown recaptured lands earlier granted to the nobility. ''Reductions'' ( sv, reduktion) in Sweden and its dominions were the return to the Crown ...

of Charles XI and has since 1686 been rented out by the crown. In 1916–1997, it served as an institution for the rehabilitation of people suffering from alcoholism, and from 1997, it has served as a health center.

References

Other sources

* Ralph Herrmanns (1985) ''Slott och herremanshus i Södermanland, Uppland och Västmanland'' (Prisma) . * Fredric Bedoire (2006) ''Svenska slott och herrgårdar, En historisk reseguide'' (Albert Bonniers Förlag) . Castles in Stockholm County {{Sweden-castle-stub

History

See also

References

Other sources