County Governor's Residence in Luleå

Sweden's only County Governor's Residence made of wood

The County Governor's Residence in Luleå is the only one in the country made of wood - the exception to the rule that the crown's more important buildings should be built in stone. The reason for this was doubts over whether a stone building would work as housing in the harsh northern climate, and whether enough stonemasons could be attracted to this part of the world, where wood was the dominant building material.

Work on the residence started in 1852, to a design by architect Ludvig Hawerman. The two-storey building is constructed from horizontal timbers. The façades are clad in cover boarding and decorated with joinery manufactured on site. The main building is flanked by two wings, with the south wing originally housing the County Administrative Board's offices, and the north wing offering an outhouse and farm workers' accommodation. While the south wing is still offices, the north wing now mainly contains recreation rooms.

Twentieth century renovations

A renovation in 1922, designed by county architect Olof Lundgren, resulted mainly in changes to the exterior. In order to make space for the entrance hall and upper landing's reception rooms, the large glazed veranda built in the 1890s was replaced with a whole new extension. At the same time, the park façade gained a balcony, and a terrace was also added later. A new renovation of the building in 1996-97 resulted not only in a technical upgrade of the whole building, but a complete redesign and refurbishment of the reception rooms.

The National Property Board's interior designer Carita Kull was responsible for the new look which, with its bold colour scheme in the fabrics and wallpaper, constitutes a departure from the traditional interiors of county governors' residences, which are often conventional and restrained.

The ground floor houses the county governor's private residence, the kitchen, a cloakroom, offices and the entrance hall. The upper floor has the reception rooms, while the attic level is the residence's guest suite, with four guest rooms, including a royal guest room, and a lounge/library.