Strolling Through Beautiful Castles Sweden

Drottingholm has been the royal family's residence since 1981. The Swedish King and Queen call it home along with their family. The palace was built by architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder by commission of Queen Hedvig Eleonora.The majority of the castle is open to the public. It is on UNESCO's World Heritage list.

Ericsberg is a Baroque castle located just outside Katrineholm in Södermanland. The palace has three levels not counting the basement and four wings with towers. The castle is known for its private library founded by Baron Carl Jedvard Bonde. There are 3 500 volumes concerning the history of Sweden, topography, and Nordic antiquities. The library was expanded for decades and eventually contained 50,000 volumes.Guided tours are offered in the garden, and the castle is open for conferences. The park is open to the public, and the grounds often used for horse training and riding sports and events.

Gripsholm is a 16th century castle located on the shores of Lake Malaren, outside of Mariefried. It is open to the publice. This lovely castle has impressive halls and interiors. It is home to the oldest National Portrait Gallery in the world. Even though the castle is now a museum it is still considered to be a palace at the disposal of the King and as such it is part of the Crown palaces in Sweden.

The museum includes a badly-stuffed lion which has become infamous in recent years.

Kalmar Castle is located on Slottsholmen next to Slottsfjarden. It lies where a Medieval port used to be. In the 16th century the castle was rebuilt in the Renaissance style.

Kronovalls Vinslott is located in southern Sweden The main building was completed in 1760 and in the 1890s rebuilt in the French Baroque style. The castle is the only wine castle in Sweden with a full wine cellar. It is also supposedly haunted and visitors have seen shadows and hear voices in the long hall. Perhaps the spirits would like some wine as well. Today there is a hotel, restaurant, wine café and conference rooms operated on site.

Lacko Castle sits on the shores of Lake Vanem. It was built in 1298 by the Scarab Bishop Brynoff Algotsson. The castle is beautiful in the Baroque style. In 1654 Magnus Gabriel and his wife Maria Eufrosyne did renovations to the castle and added a fourth floor. There is a Little Castle Garden that is used for organic farming.

Marsvinsholm Castle (pictured above) is located outside of Ystad. It was built in the 1600s on stilts in a small lake. The castle area also has a theater called “Marsvinsholmsteatern” and since 2007, there’s also an annual sculpture exhibition in the park

Orebo Castle is located on the islet of River Svartan and has hosted important meetings and parliaments throughout history. It is a Medieval castle fortifications and some of the rooms are used as classrooms for pupils from Karolinska Gymnasiet.

Skokloster Castle is a beautiful castle located between Stockholm and Uppsala on the Sko Peninsula in Lake Malaren. It is an impressive example of Baroque architecture. It became a state museum in the 1970s and displays collections of paintings, furniture, textiles and tableware as well as books and weapons that amount to 20,000 items.

Stora Sundby is a privately owned castle in the Sodermanland province. It is open ot the public and guided tours are available. As a means of defence is was built in the 13th century and later replaced by a fortress in the 1500s. The architecture of the castle resembles those of a calendar. There are four large towers that symbolize the seasons, twelve small towers symbolize the month of the year, the weeks of the year are symbolized by 52 rooms, and a window for ech day of the year.

Teleborg Castle is situated in the northern Linnaeus University area, near Lake Trummen. Today it is used mainly as an entertaining, wedding, and conference venue. The nearby university also uses some parts of the castle.

Tjoloholm Castle was built in the British style. It is a country house in Halland, Sweden. It is located on a peninsula in the Kungsbacka Fjord on the Kattegat coast. During the summer and weekend the house is open for tours. Throughout the year it offers hotel rooms and runs a restaurant, cafe, and banquet facilities. In 2010, Danish film director Lars von Trier shot the exterior scenes of the film "Melancholia" at the castle.

Trolleholm is a lovely castle that is not open to the public. It is located in Svalov municipality and used for conferences. It was restored in the 1800s and rebuilt in the early Renaissance style.

Vadstena Castle was built to protect from attacks by the Danes and Smaland. It was rebuilt in the Renaissance style. It is a former Royal Castle in Vadstena, the province of Östergötland,Sweden. Inside is a Castle Museum with 16th and 17th century furniture, portraits and paintings. The castle is also the seat of the International Vadstena Academy, Sweden's smallest opera house, commissioning new operas and reviving lost operas from archival scores. During summers the courtyard plays host to many concerts; both classical and pop music.