Swedish Monarchy: Royal Residences
The Royal Palace of Stockholm is the official residence of the Swedish monarch as well as the setting for the monarch's official receptions. The Royal Palace is located on Stadsholmen in Stockholm, Sweden's capital. It neighbors the Riksdag, Sweden's parliament. The offices of the monarch (King Carl XVI Gustaf) and the other members of the Swedish Royal Family as well as the offices of the Royal Court of Sweden are located there.
The palace was built in the baroque style and has over 600 rooms on 7 floors. In addition to being an official residence and a place of work, the palace also houses 3 museums and is open year round for guided tours.
The history of the Palace goes back centuries, with the oldest known structure on the site dating back to the 10th century - proven by the excavation of timber structures in the late 1970's. Rimkrönikan, the Swedish medieval rhyming chronicle, states that in the mid-13th century Birger Jarl had a fortress built where the Royal Palace now stands.
In 1692 extensive renovations began on the medieval fortress, however a fire in 1697 destroyed the majority of the work. Only the north wing was left unscathed. The north wing as we know it today contains much of the original old Castle. The Baroque façade conceals medieval towers with loopholes. The royal family was unable to move back into the palace until 1754 - 60 years later.
The palace was designed with four distinctive façades - the Western façade is the King's façade, created with masculine overtones. The Eastern façade is the Queen's façade and is decorated with colossal pilasters.
The Palace's three museums are: the Treasury with the regalia, the Tre Kronor Museum that portrays the palaces medieval history and Gustav III's Museum of Antiquities.
Drottningholm Palace is the private residence of the Swedish royal family. It is located in Drottningholm, on the island Lovön (in Ekerö Municipality of Stockholm County). It was originally built in the late 16th century and served as a residence of the Swedish royal court for most of the 18th century. Apart from being the private residence of the Swedish royal family, the palace is a popular tourist attraction. The Drottningholm Palace is on UNESCO´s World Heritage list of places that are of outstanding universal value to humanity, representing the best examples of the world´s cultural and natural heritage. It is the most well-preserved royal castle built in the 1600s in Sweden.
UNESCO inscribed Drottningholm on the World Heritage list for the following reason: "The ensemble of Drottningholm – palace, theatre, Chinese pavilion and gardens – is the best example of a royal residence built in the 18th century in Sweden and is representative of all European architecture of that period, heir to the influences exerted by the Chateau of Versailles on the construction of royal residences in western, central and northern Europe."
The Palace was built by architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder by commission of Queen Hedvig Eleonora 1662, after the original building on that site burnt down in a fire. Following the death of Tessin the Elder in 1682, his son Nicodemus Tessin the Younger carried on and completed the great project.
Drottningholm remained a residence for royal ladies until it was purchased by the state in 1777, becoming the home of Gustav III. The Palace has been the home of the current Royal Family since 1981.
Tullgarn Palace is a royal summer palace by Häggnäsviken bay in the Trosa archipelago, south of Stockholm, Sweden. Built in the 1720s, the palace offers a mixture of rococo, Gustavian and Victorian styles. The interior design is regarded as one of Sweden's finest.
Haga Palace formerly known as the Queen's Pavilion is located in Hagaparken, Solna Municipality in Metropolitan Stockholm, Sweden and is the official royal residence of Crown Princess Victoria and Crown Prince Daniel. The palace was built over several years, 1802 – 1805, and was modeled after ballet-master Gallodiers Italian villa in Drottningholm by architect Carl Christoffer Gjörwell. The palace was commissioned by King Gustaf IV Adolf for the royal children. It has been the home or summerhouse of several members of the Swedish royal family - most notably it was the birthplace of the present King - until 1966 when King Gustaf VI Adolf transferred its disposal to the government and it was turned into a guesthouse for distinguished foreign official visitors. In 2009, it was announced by Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt that the rights of disposal to the palace will be transferred back to the royal court to be used by Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, and her husband, Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland, as a wedding gift in 2010. They moved into Haga Palace after their wedding on 19 June.
Prince Carl Philip inherited Villa Solbacken, located in the Djurgården which was the home of Princess Lilian at the death of Prince Bertil in 1997.
There are numerous non-residential palaces situated all over Sweden, such as Strömsholm Palace, Strömsholm, and Gripsholm Castle, Mariefred, Rosendal Palace, Djurgården, Rosersberg Palace, Stockholm, and Ulriksdal Palace, Stockholm.