Drottningholm Palace - Lake Mälaren, Stockholms Län, Sweden
N 59° 19.246 E 017° 52.887
33V E 663970 N 6579317
The Drottningholm royal palace is located on Lovön island by the lake Mälaren in Stockholms Län. Titled as Versailles of the north it was listed as a world cultural heritage site and entered as one of the 1000 places to see before we die.
Waymark Code: WM145X2
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Date Posted: 04/24/2021
Views: 15
In the 16th century, King John III. of Sweden built Drottningholm Palace (literally Queen Island) for his Queen Catherine Jagellon. The palace was used by the Swedish queens as a summer residence and hunting lodge until 1777, when Queen Louisa Ulrika sold the palace to the Swedish state, who continued to use it for representative purposes.
The theater next to Drottningholm Palace was built between 1752 and 1754 and inaugurated in 1754 and was used until King Gustav III was assassinated. intensively used in 1792. Furniture was then stored there until 1921. In 1921 the theater was restored and the original theater machinery was kept as good as possible. Since then, new pieces from theater, ballet and opera have been staged in the theater on a regular basis.
Also in 1753, the Chinese pavilion was built on the site with parts made in China. However, the original wooden building did not survive the harsh Swedish climate and had to be replaced by a more permanent version just ten years later.
The palace stood empty between 1818 and 1844, after which extensive repairs were necessary and the royal family was able to use the premises again. The various garden areas that were laid out over the four centuries have also been redesigned. The baroque part of the garden led to Drottningholm Palace becoming known as the Versailles of the North.
In 1991 the castle was added to the list of World Heritage Sites due to the theater and the Chinese pavilion.
Since 1981, the family has restricted itself to the west wing of the palace, the rest of which are open to the public for a fee. The park of Drottningholm Palace, like all royal parks, is open to the public free of charge.
Entrance to the palace has an admission fee of 130 SEK per person, if you also want to visit the chinese pavillion and the theatre the fee rises to 290 SEK. A guided tour of around 45 minutes length costs 30 SEK extra, the royal park may be visited free of charge. Opening times are usually from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In the summer months from June to August the opening time is extended to 5 p.m.
Patricia Schulz has added Drottningholm Palace to her list "1000 Places To See Before You Die - Revised Second Edition"; the entry can be found on pages 370 and 371 of the July 2015 edition.
References:
- Drottningholm Palace (Wikipedia)
- Drottningholm Palace (official Website of the palace)