Venngarn Castle
The Venngarn Castle is a castle in the Swedish municipality of Sigtuna few kilometers north of the city of Sigtuna . It has been protected as a state Byggnadsminne since 1935 .
history
The oldest historical writings on Gutshof Venngarn come from the 12th century. The list of different owners is long. One of the first was the Councilor Folke Johansson of the Fånö family. In the first half of the 15th century the estate belonged to the Banér family. Gustaf Wasa's grandmother, who inherited the castle, belonged to this noble line . In 1555 Gustaf Wasa had an inheritance claim in the female line of the noble family Banér declared invalid, with which Venngarn came into possession of the crown. During this time the first permanent main building was built, which was expanded in the 1570s.
In 1619 Venngarn fell to Gustav II Adolf , who pledged it to Count Frans Berendt von Thurn (1592–1628). His son Heinrich von Thurn (1628–1656) sold it in 1653 for 50,000 Reichstaler to the statesman Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie (1622–1686). This heralded the heyday of the castle. As Chancellor and head of the government under the underage Karl XI. Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie was Sweden's most influential politician. With the income from his numerous possessions, he was able to afford a court that included hundreds of people.
When Charles XI. took over the business of government, the star of the Reich Chancellor began to decline. By royal decree, De la Gardie had to cede all his goods to the crown, but he was able to live at Venngarn Castle until his death on April 26, 1686.
The castle was later used for various occasions. At times it was the residence of the Landshövding von Uppland . In 1916 a state institution for alcoholics was established in the castle and the surrounding farm buildings. At times, difficult-to-educate young people were housed here. When the institution was wound up in 1983, the Lewi Pethrus philanthropic foundation bought the property. In 1997 the current owner Wenngarn AB bought the property. It has been on sale since 2007.
architecture
The lock
The main building consists of a central part with two wings enclosing a small courtyard. It was created in its current form between 1663 and 1670 under Imperial Chancellor De la Gardie based on drawings by Jean de la Vallée . Artists and craftsmen from abroad were employed for the interior decoration. For the most part, the walls were decorated with religious motifs.
The castle chapel
The castle chapel was prepared by De la Gardie and he probably hired the architect Jean de la Vallée here as well. As a visitor, you can reach the chapel from the courtyard gate via a short flight of stairs downwards, entering the chapel through a door that was originally intended as access for employees of the courtyard and park. The count couple had direct access from their apartment to the grand gallery.
A special feature of the interior design of the chapel are the numerous allegorical paintings on the doors of the pews, the gallery, the pulpit and the altar. These allegories clearly testify to the Reich Chancellor's line of faith, the longing for eternity and the feeling of living in an unstable vale of misery and grief. In the allegories, comfort and hope are portrayed.
The chapel has about 100 seats and contains one of the finest baroque furnishings preserved in Sweden. On the gallery there is a portable pipe organ that was originally intended to be taken to the battlefield. The year 1653 is written on the facade. Although the origin of the organ loft and the stately loft is only a few decades apart, they were not put together, certainly to underline the difference in rank. The pulpit is in the middle of the southern wall, exactly at the same height as the stately gallery, so that the pastor turned directly to the count couple. The stairs to the pulpit are built into the outer wall.
When the royal family of Venngarn took over in 1686, the chapel was left completely untouched. Nothing has been added and few parts have since disappeared. This makes the chapel one of the best-preserved church interiors of the Swedish great power times.
The Disasaal
The Disasaal ( Disasalen ) is located on the top floor of the castle, with a good view of the castle park. The name comes from the eight well-known paintings that illustrate the Disasage, known from Johannes Messenius ′ commedia about Disa, which he wrote in honor of Queen Christina of Sweden . The paintings were probably made by Lorenz Wolter in the early 1680s based on a template by David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl .
painting
The decoration of the castle was entrusted to the guild master in Stockholm, Måns Andersson, and his German journeyman Christijan Hoppe in 1655. The invoices show that Carlinus was primarily responsible for the decorations in the palace chapel.
literature
- Venngarn Castle . In: Theodor Westrin, Ruben Gustafsson Berg, Eugen Fahlstedt (eds.): Nordisk familjebok konversationslexikon och realencyklopedi . 2nd Edition. tape 33 : Väderlek – Äänekoski . Nordisk familjeboks förlag, Stockholm 1922, Sp. 102 (Swedish, runeberg.org ).
Web links
- Entry at the Riksantikvarieämbetet
Coordinates: 59 ° 38 ′ 55 " N , 17 ° 43 ′ 11" E