Strömsholm Palace
Gustav Vasa (1496-1560) was Sweden’s first king to introduce strong central government throughout the country. In order to rule his kingdom as he wished, he needed castles where he and his subjects could stay during the many travels they made through the country. The castles were also needed for various activities that he started.
On an island in the flowing water just before Kolbäcksån flows into Lake Mälaren, the river forms a natural moat. There, Gustav Vasa had one of his castles built, Strömsholm Palace. He had inherited the land from his grandmother Sigrid Eskilsdotter in 1528, but it was not until he came here in the 1550s that he realized what a perfect place it could be for breeding horses.
One of the most important things at that time was to have good war horses to defend the country in the many wars. Therefore, he had a stud farm built at Strömsholm, with good breeding mares that he purchased from, among other places, Holland.
Soon, there were a couple of hundred horses and five stables, in addition to all the other buildings.
Yes, there was even a stable for sick horses, a predecessor to today’s specialist animal hospitals, which is located at the site where the stables were moved in the 1600s due to lack of space around the palace. Horses still live at Strömsholm today.
Katarina Stenbock (1535-1621) moved as a widowed queen to Gustav Vasa into the palace at Strömsholm. When she was not managing her estates and other business affairs, much of her time was spent mediating in family disputes, where she often succeeded in preventing enmity between her stepchildren, but not always.
After Gustav Vasa’s death, his three sons Erik, Johan, and Karl competed for the throne, and Katarina had to use all her diplomatic skills to try to make the stepsons reason. She died disabled and weak in 1621 at the royal farm in Strömsholm, aged 86.
A few decades after Katarina’s death, it was time for King X Gustav to marry. A marriage was arranged between him and one of the daughters of the Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. Queen Christina was the matchmaker. When she visited the duke’s family, she chose between their two daughters. She thought that the older daughter would be the best fit to be queen of Sweden, but Karl X Gustav felt uncertain. He wanted to choose which of them he would marry. Therefore, he sent some of his closest men to the Holstein court to make sure he could marry the foremost of the daughters.
When they returned to King Karl X Gustav, they showed him portraits of the girls and recommended the younger daughter, Hedvig Eleonora. After studying the portraits for a while, the king agreed with them. It would be Hedvig Eleonora.
And on September 29, 1654, Karl X Gustav’s emissary and Hedvig Eleonora’s father, the Duke, signed the marriage contract.
Now, Hedvig Eleonora also received her dowry, including jewelry, clothes, and cash. And as a wedding gift, she also received Strömsholm and a few other castles.
Since she felt that the stone castle at Strömsholm had outlived its purpose, she hired architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder to design a new palace.
Construction began in 1669 in French Baroque style with four characteristic corner towers. The garden, with embroidered parterres, avenues, and an orchard, was also created around the same time.
FACTS
Baroque palace designed by Tessin the Elder around 1669, originally a royal estate with a simpler stone castle. To this day, Hedvig Eleonora’s palace retains its appearance. She also had other buildings erected, of which the inn remains. It is an example of the timber construction of the time.
During King Gustav III and Queen Sofia Magdalena’s time at Strömsholm, several of the current interiors were created. The Great Hall on the upper floor was never fully furnished.
The 18th-century great architect Carl Hårleman designed the palace chapel, which was built between 1735-41. The chapel was integrated into the building’s central part, with a cupola rising between the corner towers.
The area around Strömsholm forms a nature reserve that stretches down to Lake Mälaren. It includes broadleaf forests, meadows, and pastures with rich flora, as well as many interesting bird species and rare insects.
In the palace park, there is the Strömsholm Palace Café in the old Stone Kitchen. Open only during the summer.
Palace Park. The Palace Café, Stone Kitchen, follows the palace’s opening hours.
The park can be visited independently. The place is well-signposted.
