Gripsholm Castle, Mariefred

One of Sweden's Vasa castles

Gripsholm Castle in Mariefred in Södermanland is one of Sweden's royal palaces. It is named after Lord High Chancellor Bo Jonsson Grip, who built a fort here in around 1380.

Gustav Vasa took over Gripsholm Castle in 1526 and 11 years later, in 1537, he commissioned master-builder Henrik von Cöllen to begin work to build the castle as it stands today. A painted ceiling is all that remains of the original interior decoration from this period.

Royal alterations

During the time of Duke Karl (later Karl IX) the castle underwent considerable rebuilding and redevelopment work in several stages. This included building a new royal wing with a hall of state, Karl IX's wing in the castle ward and Duke Karl's Chamber, which has been preserved almost untouched to this day.

Queen Hedvig Eleonora (widow of Karl X) held Gripsholm Castle as her dower. During her time new building work was carried out, including the Queen's wing, constructed in the 1690s. In 1708-09 the attic level was rebuilt and the castle was re-roofed. After 1715 the castle was not used as a royal residence for some time. During this period some parts of the castle were used as the county prison.

Court theatre

However, the reign of Gustav III ushered in a new era for Gripsholm Castle. This period saw the construction and decoration of the courtiers' quarters and the building of Gripsholm's court theatre. It was Queen Sofia Magdalena who in 1773 had a simple theatre built in the castle, and in 1781 architect Erik Palmstedt was commissioned to transform this theatre into a working court theatre. The following year the new theatre was complete, with a new stage and machinery enabling changes of scenery. The amphitheatre design was introduced in 1785.

The Gripsholm Association

1889 saw the formation of the Gripsholm Association which, in stages between 1891 and 1899, had extensive changes made to the castle, following plans by architect Fredrik Lilljekvist. The aim was to recreate the Renaissance castle of the past. The rebuilding work attracted a great deal of criticism, with critics including poet Verner von Heidenstam. Today the association promotes Gripsholm Castle and its collections and spreads interest in the castle.

The castle is now a museum and home to the Swedish national portrait collection of around 1,400 portraits of famous Swedes.