DROTTNINGHOLMS SLOTT (DROTTNINGHOLMS CASTLE)
Read moreThis elegant palace on the shores of Lake Mälaren has been the residence of the royal family since 1981. Built in place of the previous castle which was destroyed by fire, this baroque building is the pride of the Swedish Crown. The architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder designed the plans commissioned by Queen Hedwig Eleanor, who found the old castle too crude and medieval to accommodate foreign representatives. In 1662, she began the work that, a century later, would give the building its definitive shape, orienting the decoration towards the French Rococo style.
The great hall. All in fake marble and trompe l'oeil, populated with busts of Roman emperors, goddesses and fake reliefs, this space deserves a good observation, in order to catch the details of the frescoes and try to restore this timeless style. Just to the left are the apartments of the Swedish king, where he lives with his family in winter.
The ceremonial room of Hedwig-Eleonora. Without doubt the most sumptuous room in the castle and one of the most expensive in Europe. An absolute expression of the baroque style, with golden ornaments, symbols of royal power. On the ceiling, a fresco with two hands joining represents the meeting in heaven of Eleonora and her husband Charles XI, who died in 1660.
The Chinese room. A curiosity that reveals the fascination of King Gustav III for China. The local artists created, by copying the Chinese style, the art which will take the name of "chinoiserie". Here is an excellent example of this trend, through a stove as surprising as ingenious.
Oscar's room. On the walls are stretched tapestries with powerful colors. They are the wedding gifts of Edwige Eléonore, found by Oscar II more than 200 years later. The tapestries tell the Greek legend of the priestess Hero and her lover Leander, who swims across the sea from his beloved every night. One day a storm breaks out but Léandre attempts to cross and drowns. When his body washes up on the shore, she lets herself die of grief.
The Throne Room. Renovated at the initiative of Oscar I, son of Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte. The monarch, no doubt wanting to place his kingdom among the greatest, displayed his portrait framed by those of Napoleon III and Queen Victoria of Great Britain. With its high ceilings, this room would have been used to play badminton.
BAROQUE THEATER
Read moreIt is probably the presence of this theatre on the site of Drottingholm that decided Unesco specialists to inscribe this site on the World Heritage List. It is one of the few unrenovated 18th-century baroque theatres in the world that can be visited. Its history is picturesque, since the building was built in 1766 by Queen Lovisa Ulrika and then magnified by Gustav III, who brought in French, Italian and German artists. Then, the theatre was suddenly closed in 1792. It was almost by chance that it was rediscovered by a historian in search of a painting (which is actually on display in one of the rooms). The latter realized the treasure he had just unearthed (the theatre had been dormant for nearly two hundred years), and asked for permission to restore it, which was granted. Today, operas and plays are regularly presented to the public. The hall itself is magnificent, plunged into semi-darkness to make the many trompe-l'oeil effects effective, according to the architect's wishes. The stage sets are still changed by hand using the original mechanical system. The tour will then take you to the rooms adjoining the hall, to the rooms that were used to house the artists in Gustav III's time and to the reception room, where the king liked to have breakfast with the actors, to the sound of an orchestra playing from the circular aerial balcony... A beautiful and impressive visit not to be missed by amateurs!
THE CHINESE PAVILION (KINA SLOTT)
Read moreOriginally, the pavilion was smaller and built of wood. Today, the building is made of stone and can be fully visited. Completed in 1769, it was extensively restored at the end of the 20th century so that the public could visit it. This curious building is planted in the east of the gardens of Drottningholm. It is unique in its kind. At the end of the 18th century, trade with China, via the East India Company in particular, allowed the Swedish monarchs to discover the beauty of porcelain and silk and to taste the tea of this distant empire, which they turned into a garden of Eden. Inspired by the observations of travelers and in particular the sketches of the architect William Chambers, Swedish painters and sculptors created "chinoiseries" which mixed Asian influences and the often distorted symbols of imperial China with typically European and Swedish ornaments.
The Green Room or Pleasure Room. Decorated with representations of nature and scenes of Chinese characters relaxing, covered with a pale green painting, this room overlooking the gardens was, with its windows open, a place where one could indulge in the pleasures of life: reading, music, and tea tasting.
The yellow and red rooms. Furnished and designed by William Chambers, these two rooms are almost twins. They contain Chinese calligraphy signs that mean... nothing!