Drottningholm Palace

Drottningholm is the private residence of the Swedish royal family and a UNESCO site, a graceful baroque palace on an island in Lake Malaren with formal French gardens, an English park and a Chinese pavilion. Its greatest treasure is the Drottningholm Court Theatre of 1766, still working with its original stage machinery and scenery.

History

The name, queen's islet, comes from a stone palace that John III of Sweden built in 1580 for his queen, Catherine Jagiellon, to a design by Willem Boy. The Queen Dowager Hedwig Eleonora bought it in 1661, it burned on 30 December that year, and from 1662 Nicodemus Tessin the Elder rebuilt it for her, his son Tessin the Younger completing the interiors after his death in 1681; as regent for the young Charles XI she needed a grand residence near Stockholm. It served as the court's summer residence through the 18th century, in 1744 it was given to Louisa Ulrika of Prussia on her marriage to the future Adolf Frederick, and she refitted its interiors in French Rococo and rebuilt the theatre after the first one burned in 1762; today it is the home of the Swedish royal family and, since 1991, part of a World Heritage Site (Wikipedia, Drottningholm Palace).

The main sights

• The palace - the baroque state rooms and the royal residence wing.
• The Court Theatre - the 18th-century theatre with its original machinery still in use.
• The gardens - the formal baroque parterre, the English park and the Chinese pavilion.
• The lake setting - the palace reflected across Lake Malaren.

When to go

Summer for the gardens in bloom, the boat from the city and the theatre's opera season; the palace is open year-round but the grounds are best warm. The summer boat ride is part of the pleasure.

Things to know

As a royal residence, parts are closed to visitors, so you see the state rooms rather than everything. The theatre is a separate ticket and a specialised delight for those who care about its history. It is out of the city, so allow travel time, ideally by the summer boat.

Nearby

Central Stockholm is a boat or metro-and-bus ride; Lake Malaren spreads around, with Birka further out.

Key facts