Gävle Castle

Castle dating back to the sixteenth century

Gävle Castle rises up on the south bank of the Gavleån river in Gävle. The castle's roots stretch right back to the sixteenth century but following a major fire its outward appearance is characterised by the eighteenth century austere French classicism of Carl Hårleman.

Johan III

In 1583 Johan III, a deeply religious man and possibly the keenest builder of all Sweden's kings, had an impressive "castle church" built, a castle in which the church was the central feature. The castle looked completely different to the castle of today. Like the other castles built by the Vasa kings, it had towers with pinnacles and ornamented gables. The architect was Willem Boy and the construction work was completed in 1597.

After several years of neglect, the castle was renovated in the 1650s and 1660s and the building became the headquarters of the local bailiff and his staff.

Great fire

In Easter week 1727 fire broke out in the castle, leaving the castle church in ruins and the top floor completely destroyed. The castle was left uninhabited until in 1741 it was decided that it would once more serve as the residence of the county governor. Court architect Carl Hårleman was commissioned to design plans for renovation and rebuilding work and after the work was completed Gävle Castle took on the appearance it has largely retained to this day. In 1754 the first county governor, A.J. Gripenhielm, was able to move in.

Original parts of the building

When it comes to the interiors, the cellar and the ground floor have largely retained their sixteenth century character. In addition the floor plan of the upper floors is still characterised by the original layout and the division into three parts with space for the former church in the centre can clearly be seen. The reception rooms on the first floor have retained some of the sixteenth century renovations..

Modern restoration work

In 1988-90 the castle's façade was completely restored. The work was preceded by a thorough technical and historical survey, which provided information on the appearance of the façade after Hårleman's renovation work and the work carried out subsequently. In the first half of the 1990s the National Property Board also renovated the wall and the fence surrounding the castle.