Gripsholm Castle, everything in the castle is absolutely beautiful.
Since Gustav Vasa, Gripsholm has belonged to the Swedish Royal Family and was used as one of their residences until the 18th-century. It is now a museum.
A fortress was built at the location in the 1370s by Bo Jonsson Grip. It was sold to queen Margaret in 1404, and remained the property of the crown until it was acquired by Sten Sture the Elder in 1472.
It was donated to a convent for males of the order of the Carthusians in 1498, and functioned as a convent for almost thirty years.
The King tore it down, and built a fortified castle with circular corner towers and a wall, for defensive purposes.
Of the original medieval fortress, only the façade of a wall remains.
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A fairytale castle of the banks of Lake Mälaren. The steam-ship s/s Mariefred from Stockholm takes you there.Renaissance-period Gripsholm Castle was built in 1537 and commissioned by Swedish king Gustav Vasa. It sits on the banks of Lake Mälaren and dominates the skyline around the small town of Mariefred that lies on the other side of the lake.
ReplyDeleteThe most picturesque way of getting to it is by taking steam-ship s/s Mariefred from Stockholm. The castle houses the Swedish state collection of portraits and here you will find portraits from the time of Gustav Vasa to the present day, including one of Benny Andersson of ABBA fame.The interior of the castle covers four centuries of furnishings and interiors; the many rooms connected by winding passages.
With its narrow streets, colourful, low wooden houses and boatmen’s cottage, the charming town of Mariefred is very much worth visiting, especially if you want to buy local specialties and handicrafts.
OK, thanks for the info and for comment
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