Tullgarn Palace

By Häggnäsviken bay in the Trosa archipelago, Södermanland

Tullgarn is one of Sweden's royal palaces. It is open to the public in the summer months, and the English-style park is open all year round. In the last few years, the windows have been renovated, a fire alarm system installed, and the orangery on the north part of the avenue converted into a gift shop and café.

Sold to the state by the De la Gardie family

In 1719 the old Renaissance castle from the late 16th century was demolished. Magnus Julius De la Gardie commissioned architect Joseph Gabriel Destain to design the present palace, built in the 1720s. The courtyard is open to the sea and took on its present appearance in the 1820s. It is modelled on Logården at the Royal Palace in Stockholm.

In 1772, Tullgarn was acquired by the state and became a royal residence. Occupancy was granted to Fredrik Adolf, youngest brother of King Gustav III. Another storey was added to the wings, and the palace was given a flat Italian-style roof. Fredrik Adolf's interiors are some of the finest examples of Gustavian style in Sweden. Among the designers involved were the Masreliez brothers, Per Ljung and Ernst Philip Thoman.

Gustav V's summer palace

Much of the present interior dates from the time of King Gustav V and Queen Viktoria, including the vestibule, whose walls are covered in hand-painted Dutch tiles. The breakfast room is furnished like a south German Bierstube, possibly reflecting the fact that Queen Viktoria came from Baden. The royal couple used the palace as their summer residence.

Since 1975, Tullgarn has been occupied by King Carl XVI Gustaf.

Purification dams in park

Ten dams form a biological water-purification plant. Waste water from all properties on the Tullgarn estate is piped to this dam system, where it is purified in stages using various biological processes. It passes through dams, gravel filters and flumes before flowing through an alder swamp into the sea, purified. The system also incorporates a composting plant, utilizing the nutrition-rich yield from the dam system and other organic waste from the rest of the park.

The dam system is intended to be the first step towards making the entire Tullgarn estate ecologically sustainable - the 1990s contribution to the park's history. The biological water-purification plant was constructed 1996-98 on behalf of the National Property Board.

In brief

• Address: Vagnhärad
• Built: 1720s
• Architect: Joseph Gabriel Destain
• Tenant: The Royal Court of Sweden
• Manager: Lennart von Quanten, National Property Board, tel 08 696 72 11, , Phone +46 8 696 72 11, E-mail lennart.von.quanten@sfv.se

More info

• For current opening hours please see the The Royal Court of Sweden website

Picture´s of Tullgarn Palace