Royal Palace of Stockholm

The palace that stands here now was built after the medieval castle Tre Kronor burned in 1697, and Nicodemus Tessin the Younger's replacement took over half a century to finish - a severe Roman-influenced square around a courtyard rather than anything with towers. Inside, the ticket covers several separate museums: the state apartments and the Bernadotte rooms, the Treasury in the cellars with the regalia, the armoury with royal costume and carriages, and the Tre Kronor museum built into the surviving medieval foundations. The guard changes in the outer courtyard daily in summer, with a mounted band on some days. The king works here but the family lives at Drottningholm.

Background

The site by the Norrström has held a royal residence since the middle of the 13th century. The first building was a fortress with a core tower raised by Birger Jarl, which grew into a castle named Tre Kronor for the three crowns on the tower's spire, and the fire that destroyed it broke out on 7 May 1697. Work on the new palace stopped in 1709 and resumed in 1727. After Tessin the Younger died in 1728, Carl Hårleman completed the building and designed much of its Rococo interior. The first royal couple to live in it, from 1754, were King Adolf Frederick and Queen Louisa Ulrika. It is 230 metres long and 125 metres wide.

Source: Wikipedia, "Stockholm Palace"

Highlights

• State apartments and Bernadotte rooms - the ceremonial floors.
• The Treasury - regalia in the vaults below.
• The armoury - costume, armour and state carriages.
• The changing of the guard - in the outer courtyard, daily in summer.

When to go

Year round; the guard ceremony is fuller in summer. Two to three hours.

Practical notes

Rooms close without notice for state functions. It is large and the separate museums add up to a long visit. Summer crowds around the guard change are heavy. The exterior is plain by palace standards.

Nearby

Storkyrkan is next door; Riddarholmen is across the water.

Key facts