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Drottningholm Palace. Photo by Pudelek.

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Drottningholm Palace

The Drottningholm Palace is the Swedish royal family’s private residence. Drottningholm is located near Stockholm. It is one of Sweden’s Royal Palaces and is located on the island of Lovön. It was built in the late 16th century and served as the Swedish royal court’s summer residence for the majority of the 18th century. The palace is a popular tourist attraction in addition to being the private residence of the Swedish royal family.

Drottningholms Slottsteater (the Drottningholm Palace Theater) is Europe’s best-preserved eighteenth-century theater and the world’s only one that still uses the original stage machinery on a regular basis. During the summer, the theater offers guided tours and performances.

Since 1981, the palace has been the permanent residence of the current royal family. The rooms in the palace’s southern wing are reserved for members of the royal family. Drottningholm was the first Swedish attraction to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1991.

1. Drottningholm is a Swedish word that means “Queen’s Islet”

Drottningholm Palace. Photo by Boberger.

Drottningholm got its name from the original Renaissance building designed by Willem Boy, a stone palace built by John III of Sweden in 1580 for his queen, Catherine Jagiellon. This palace was preceded by a royal mansion called Torvesund.

2. The palace was designed by architect Nicodemus Tessin

The castle was actually bought by Queen Dowager Regent Hedwig Eleonora in 1661, a year after her throne as Queen of Sweden ended, but it burnt to the ground on December 30, that same year. Nicodemus Tessin the Elder, an architect, was hired by Hedwig Eleonora to design and rebuild the castle.

Work on the building’s reconstruction began in 1662. Nicodemus died in 1681, with the castle nearly finished. His son Nicodemus Tessin the Younger carried on his work and finished the intricate interior designs.

The Flemish sculptor Nicolaes Millich created marble sculptures of the nine muses for the great staircase and hall, as well as a series of busts of Gothic kings. He also created bust portraits of King Charles X Gustav, his wife Hedwig Eleonor, and their two sons, the young King Charles XI, as well as Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie and his wife Maria Euphrosyne, a sister of King Charles X Gustav. In the queen dowager’s bed chamber, Millich and his assistant Burchard Precht also carved decorative wood carvings. 

3. The palace and its grounds have undergone numerous renovations

Drottningholm Palace. Photo by BjoernEisbaer.

Over the past 400 years, the palace and its grounds have undergone numerous renovations, changes, and additions. Between 1907 and 1913, the most extensive renovation took place, during which electricity, heating, sewage, and water lines were installed or updated, and the castle roof was replaced. Several major areas of the palace were restored and rebuilt over a 20-year period beginning around 1977.

The library and national hall were given special attention, and fire alarms were installed throughout the palace. Work on cleaning and rebuilding the exterior walls began in 1997. This was finished in 2002.

4. The Palace, like Stockholm Palace, has been protected by the Swedish military

Since 1981, the current Swedish royal family has made Drottningholm’s west wing their primary residence. Since then, the Palace, like Stockholm Palace, has been guarded by the Swedish Military. The rest of the Palace is open to the public.

5. A Baroque and English-style garden surrounds the palace

Drottningholm Palace. Photo by Jakub Hałun.

The English style garden, located north of the Baroque garden, was commissioned by King Gustav III in the 18th century.  It has two large ponds, bridges and expansive lawns. This section of the garden is embellished with marble sculptures imported from Italy and placed in unusual positions.

6. The Drottningholm Palace Park is open all year

The gardens and park areas that surround the castle and its buildings are one of the main draws for the tourists who visit the palace every year. Since the castle’s construction, the gardens have been established in stages, resulting in a variety of park and garden styles.

One can stroll through historic stylistic ideals ranging from 17th century Baroque to late 18th century English park style.

A stroll through Drottningholm Palace Park takes visitors through a formal garden designed in the late 17th century, a more relaxed English-style park begun about a century later, and more intimate 1760s bouquets at the Chinese Pavilion. The distinct styles of these various areas attest to both changing ideals and many years of continuity.

7. At some point Drottningholm Palace was abandoned

The palace was abandoned during the reign of Charles XIV John of Sweden (reign 1818-1844). Drottningholm was abandoned because the King saw it as a symbol of the old dynasty. The buildings were damaged by natural disasters, and their contents were either removed or auctioned off. 

It was apparently opened to the public for the first time during this time period: a tour was mentioned in 1819, and picnics were held there.

The grounds were occasionally used for public events: in 1823, the crown prince’s bride, Josephine of Leuchtenberg, was welcomed upon her arrival in Sweden, and her name day was continued to be celebrated here. Tsar Nicholas I of Russia and other foreign guests were welcomed in the palace gardens.

8. The palace was given as a gift by King Frederick I to the then Crown Princess in 1744

Drottningholm Palace. Photo by Boberger.

Drottningholm remained the royal ladies’ residence, and it was given as a wedding present to Princess Lovisa Ulrika of Prussia on her marriage to the Swedish heir apparent, Adolf Fredrik, in 1744.

Lovisa Ulrika’s time in Drottningholm became a cultural epicenter. Some of the Palace’s interiors, such as Lovisa Ulrika’s Green Antechamber, were redecorated in a French-inspired Rococo style.

9. The Treasurer of the Court owns the Royal Chapel at Drottningholm Palace

The Drottningholm Palace Chapel was built in 1730 and has been in continuous use since then. Tessin designed the architecture, and Carl Hrleman designed the interior.

The Drottningholm Palace Chapel is located in the north round building of the palace. Tessin the Younger finished it in the early 18th century, according to plans created by his father (Tessin the Elder). Carl Hrleman was in charge of the interior design, and the chapel was completed in 1730.

The chapel is owned by the Treasurer of the Court and is part of the Royal Court Â鶹APPh; however, Lovö Â鶹APPh holds services in the chapel on the last weekend of each month, and everyone is welcome to attend. There are also concerts here during the summer and at Christmas. On the second Sunday of Advent, the traditional Christmas mass is held.

Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas, Prince Alexander, and Prince Gabriel have all been christened at Drottningholm Palace Chapel in recent years.

10. The palace’s interior is a prime example of Rococo architecture

Library of Drottningholms palace. Photo by Martin Kraft.

Rococo architecture, is a popular style in France during the 18th century. The rooms are dominated by an exuberant and theatrical style that is quite a sight to behold.