DROTTNINGHOLMS SLOTT (DROTTNINGHOLMS CASTLE)

This elegant palace on the shores of Lake Mälaren has been home to the royal family since 1981. Built on the site of the previous castle, which was destroyed by fire, this Baroque edifice is the pride of the Swedish Crown. The architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder drew up the plans commissioned by Queen Hedwig Eleanor, who found the old castle too crude and medieval to accommodate foreign representatives. In 1662, she launched the work that, a century later, would give the building its definitive shape, with decoration in the French Rococo style.

The great hall. All faux marble and trompe-l'oeil, populated by busts of Roman emperors, goddesses and false reliefs, this space deserves a good look, to capture the details of the frescoes and try to restore this timeless style. Just to the left are the apartments of the King of Sweden, where he lives with his family in winter.

Hedwig-Eleonora's state chamber. Arguably the most sumptuous room in the castle, and one of the most luxurious in Europe. An absolute expression of the Baroque style, with gold ornamentation symbolizing royal power. A fresco on the ceiling, with two hands joining, depicts the meeting in paradise of Eleonora and her husband Charles XI, who died in 1660.

The Chinese salon. A curiosity that reveals King Gustav III's fascination with China. By copying the Chinese style, local artists created the art that came to be known as "chinoiserie". Here we present an excellent example of this trend, in the form of a stove as surprising as it is ingenious.

Oscar's room. On the walls are tapestries in powerful colors. They are the wedding gifts of Hedwige Eléonore, found by Oscar II over 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 the crossing and drowns. When his body washes up on the shore, she lets herself die of grief.

The Throne Room. Renovated on 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.