Stockholm Castle
The Stockholm Palace (Swedish Stockholms slott or Kungliga slottet ) is the royal palace in the center of the Swedish capital Stockholm . It is located on the island of Stadsholmen, where the old town, Gamla stan , is located; to the north it is connected to the Norrbro Bridge over the Norrström with the Royal Opera and the former Hereditary Prince's Palace ( Arvfurstens palats ), today's Foreign Ministry , as well as the Norrmalm district .
Today's meaning and use
The offices of the Swedish King Carl XVI. Gustaf and other members of the royal family are in the castle. It is used by the king for representative or ceremonial purposes while performing his duties as head of state. It is no longer inhabited since the royal family moved into their previous summer residence, Drottningholm Palace , as their main residence in 1982 .
Parts of the castle can be visited today. There are several museums in the castle: the Gustav III Antique Museum . , the Castle Museum, the Treasury and the Royal Armory. A special tourist attraction is the changing of the palace guard . Every day at 12:15 p.m. (Sundays 1:15 p.m.), the new guards march in historical uniforms accompanied by music corps and celebrate the changing of the guard.
history
The castle was built according to plans by the architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder. J. built between 1690 and 1750 and is one of the most remarkable baroque buildings in Scandinavia. The square courtyard forms the center of the regular four-wing complex. The main building has three storeys and a mezzanine above the ground floor and under the roof. To the east, lower wing buildings enclose the castle garden, Logården , and to the west, semicircular wing buildings form the outer courtyard, in which the castle guard is located.
The castle stands on the foundations of an older castle, which was expanded under Gustav Wasa in the 16th century and was crowned by the imperial symbol, the three crowns. Charles XI. decided to have the "Tre Kronor" castle converted into a representative castle and commissioned Nicodemus Tessin the Elder. J. with work. In 1692 work began on the north facade facing the water, but in 1697 the castle burned down almost completely. On the ruins of the burned down castle, the new castle was built in the Italian Baroque style over the next few decades . The main facade is the north facade, which faces the water and whose central axis is aligned with the Norrbro bridge , which leads over the island of Helgeandsholmen to Norrmalm and to Gustav Adolfs torg (Gustav Adolfs Platz). At the north entrance are the two bronze lions cast in 1702 and 1704, after which the Lejonbacken driveway is named.
The appearance of the castle has changed several times. It was a similar brown color as it is today until 1697, then a shade of gray during the new building until completion. From 1750 it was finally golden yellow. The facade kept this color until the end of the 19th century, even if individual parts had already changed color several times. At the end of the 19th century the castle was renovated, whereby its light, golden yellow facade was replaced by a dark brown one. This hue has essentially been retained since 1898, albeit with minor variations. The opposite Royal National Opera , connected to the castle by the Norrbro Bridge across the Norrström River, is painted in a similar color.
Currently (as of August 2019) the complete renovation of the facade is in progress, which should be completed by 2036. You should wear a more pink shade than before. However, there are discussions about whether to return to the original golden yellow instead. This was supported by the responsible mayor of Stockholm, who u. a. pointed out that Ticino itself wanted this shade. In November 2014, a warm pink was finally chosen as the hue.
Interior decoration
The furnishings of the castle are shaped by different epochs. The oldest parts are still furnished in a French classicism inspired by the baroque . Since the castle was only occupied in the middle of the 18th century, a large part of the furnishings is in the Rococo and Gustavian style. The floor of King Charles XIII. and the Vita Havet ballroom were designed in the Empire style in the 19th century .
The Bernadotte Library is now located in the north-east wing of the castle . The original premises, designed by Carl Johan Cronstedt (April 25, 1709 - November 9, 1779) and Carl Hårleman , housed the Stockholm Royal Library from 1796 to 1877 .
More royal castles
Next to Stockholm's Royal Palace a number of other royal castles can be visited: Drottningholm Palace (also the residence of the royal couple), Gripsholm Castle , Rosendal Palace , Rosersberg Palace , strömsholm palace , Schloss Tullgarn , Ulriksdal Palace , the Haga Park (Haga Palace is home of the Crown Princess) as well as the park of the royal summer villa Solliden , which was built near Borgholm Castle , which has only survived as a ruin .
Web links
- Official website (German)
- The Stockholm Castle as a 3D model in SketchUp's 3D warehouse
- Interactive panorama: Stockholm Castle
- Entry in the bebyggelseregistret des Riksantikvarieämbetet (Swedish)
Individual evidence
- ↑ ”Låt Stockholms slott bli den ljusa pärla det kan vara”, Dagens Nyheter, contribution to the debate by Madeleine Sjöstedt, Mayor for Culture and Buildings in Stockholm, August 4, 2013
- ↑ Het debatt om Slottets nya färg ( Memento of the original from August 8, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Svenska Dagbladet, 5th August 2013
- ↑ Slottet blir varmrosa , Dagens Nyheter, November 6, 2014
Coordinates: 59 ° 19 ′ 36 ″ N , 18 ° 4 ′ 18 ″ E