<< Previous Next >>

Drottningholm Palace


Drottningholm Palace
Photo Information
Copyright: Andrzej Hladij (Andrzej_HHH) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 425 W: 14 N: 374] (2479)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-03-25
Categories: Architecture
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC-H1
Exposure: f/4, 1/400 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2007-03-28 19:06
Viewed: 727
Points: 0
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
The Drottningholm Palace is the private residence of the Swedish royal family. It is located in Drottningholm (literally meaning Queen's home) on the island Lovön in Stockholm country, and is one of Sweden's Royal Palaces.

The name Drottningholm came from the original building, a stone castle built by John III of Sweden in 1580 for his wife Katarina Jagellonica, then queen of Sweden. Hedwig Eleonora bought the castle in 1661, a year after her role as Queen of Sweden ended, but it burnt to the ground on 30th December that same year. Hedwig hired the famous Swedish architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder to design and rebuild the castle. In 1662 work began on the reconstruction of the building. With the castle almost complete, Nicodemus died in 1681. His son Nicodemus Tessin the Younger continued his work and completed the elaborate interior designs.

During the period of the reconstruction, Hedwig was head of the protectorate for the still underage King, Charles XI of Sweden. Sweden had grown to be a powerful country after the Peace of Westphalia. The position of the queen, essentially the ruler of Sweden, demanded an impressive residence located conveniently close to Stockholm.

The palace was given as a gift to the then Princess, later Queen, of Sweden, Louisa Ulrika of Prussia in 1744 when she married Adolf Frederick of Sweden, who became King of Sweden in 1751. During Louisa's ownership of Drottningholm the interior of the palace was transformed in a more sophisticated French rococo style. Louisa was also responsible for having the Drottningholm Palace Theatre rebuilt in a grand style after the more modest original building burnt down in 1762. In 1777, Louisa sold Drottningholm to the Swedish state. While it was owned by the Swedish state, Gustav III of Sweden, son of Louisa, lived in the palace.

For much of the 19th century, the palace was ignored and started to decay. This saw some change during the reign of Oscar I of Sweden. In 1907 a major restoration of the palace was carried out.

The current Swedish royal family have used Drottningholm as their primary residence since 1981.

In 1991 Drottingholm Palace was add to prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List.

Info by Wikipedia.


Only registered TrekEarth members may rate photo notes.
Add Critique [Critiquing Guidelines] 
Only registered TrekEarth members may write critiques.
Discussions
None
You must be logged in to start a discussion.

Critiques [Translate]

No critiques
Calibration Check
















0123456789ABCDEF