The Royal Palace in Stockholm (Stockholm, Sweden) is not only an interesting museum. It continues to be the current residence of the royal family. Of course, you will not get into the apartments of His Majesty Karl Sixteenth Gustav. But the king of Sweden and his family do not occupy much space in the palace. Basically, this is an endless suite of ceremonial halls, richly decorated chambers. It houses a treasury that holds regalia of royal power. For Russian tourists, a visit to the palace will also be interesting because it stores gifts sent to Gustav the Third by his cousin, Catherine the Great, as well as magnificent malachite vases presented to Karl the Fourteenth Johan Nikolai the First. The current residence of the Swedish monarchs attracts the public with a beautiful sight - a change of the front guard. How to get to the royal palace, is it possible to book an excursion with a Russian-speaking guide, what to see on your own and how much it costs - read in this article.
Royal Palace in Stockholm (Sweden): Address
It is no exaggeration to say that the capital of Sweden was formed around a wooden feudal dungeon. In the Middle Ages, Birger Jarl built a fortress on this site to control the waterway from Mälaren to the Baltic Sea. The founder of the Swedish state, Gustav Vasa, significantly strengthened this citadel. And under her protection, people began to settle - artisans and merchants. And so Stockholm was formed. Much later, a gloomy-looking impregnable fortress was replaced by a charming “palazzo” created according to all the canons of the Italian Renaissance. And when this building burned down, it was replaced by a new one, built in the mannerism style. Where is the royal palace in Stockholm located? The address of this beautiful building is Stadholmen Island, the Main Embankment (Kungliga Slottet). Finding it is easy. Other attractions of old Stockholm are nearby: the Church of St. Nicholas, the central square of Sturtoryet, the museum of the medieval city (located under the bridge).
Practical tips for tourists
You can get to the Royal Palace by metro. The nearest subway station is called Gamla Stan. You can get to the sights by bus. Routes Nos. 3, 46, 43, 59, 55 and 76 run to Stadholmen Island. Tourists advise visiting the Royal Palace in Stockholm during the summer months. Opening hours during this period: from ten in the morning to five in the afternoon, and without days off. In other seasons, time for visits is reduced. In spring and autumn, the museum is open from ten to four seven days a week. And in the winter, when very few tourists visit Sweden, the residence is open for visits only from noon to three in the afternoon, with weekends on Mondays. The ticket price for an adult is one hundred kroons. Children under seven are free. The age category of seven to seventeen pays half the price - fifty crowns. Tourists are advised to purchase the Stockholm Card. This subscription gives you the right to visit the royal palace for free. Tickets are sold at the box office in the courtyard. There you can book an excursion with a Russian-speaking guide. It costs 150 CZK for adults and 75 for children. Meeting with the guide - at the entrance to the Representative Chambers.
Royal Residence History
We already mentioned that it all started with a small feudal castle. Already in the twelfth century, it is obsolete. The wooden fortifications around the dungeon were replaced by stone ones. But already the son of Gusava Vasa, Johan the Third, was bored with living in a militarized citadel. He discharged architects from Italy to build the royal palace appropriate for his dignity in Stockholm. An elegant and airy “palazzo” grew up around the ancient donjon, which came to be called “Three Crowns”. At the end of the seventeenth century, it became necessary to expand the palace in order to place the government apparatus of the Kingdom of Sweden. The Renaissance at that time was no longer fashionable. “Three crowns” were demolished, and in its place the architect Tessin the Younger erected a Baroque palace in 1690-97. But we do not see him today.
Fatal fire
One of the main attractions for tourists visiting Stockholm is the Royal Palace. The photo of this impressive building resembles another residence of the monarchs, but only in Spain. The Stockholm and Madrid royal palaces were built on the same project. Bernini designed it for the Palazzo Barberini, Pope Urban the Eighth. The reason for the rebuilding of the baroque building was a grand fire that occurred on May 7, 1697. The royal family only celebrated a housewarming party. Soon Charles the Eleventh died. The body had not yet had time to intervene when a fire broke out that destroyed the palace to the ground. From the flame, the royal family was barely able to evacuate along with the body of the deceased monarch. Paradoxically, fire began to spread throughout the palace from the fireman’s room, which was responsible for the fire safety of the building. But this official was not to blame. The cause of the fire was a crack in the chimney.
Modern building
The current royal palace in Stockholm has been under construction for quite some time. When in 1754 the monarch Adolf Frederic and his wife Lovisa Ulrika moved into their residence, it was not yet fully completed. Historians claim that ten kings of Sweden who ruled the state lived in the palace, replacing each other. And now the building is the official and residential residence of Karl Sixteenth Gustav. The beautiful palace reflects the power and grandeur of the Swedish power. It glimpses in the facades decorated with columns, in grand staircases and halls for official receptions. However, in other chambers, rococo elegant comfort reigns, as well as the style of the so-called Gustavian period. There are two courtyards in the palace - the outer one, where the ceremonial guard stands, and the inner one. For tourists, all rooms are open, except for the private apartments of the royal family. Even the ceremonial halls where official summits are held are accessible to the general public.
The Three Crowns Museum
The royal palace is quite extensive, and it is fit to get lost in it. Consider the key attractions of this residence. The Three Crowns Museum is located in the north wing, in the basement. Its exposition tells about how the city of Stockholm was formed and developed. The Royal Palace, whose photo is decorated with guides to the capital of Sweden, was built in the eighteenth century. More and more "old versions" are presented in very accurate mock-ups at the Three Crowns Museum. Various medieval artifacts found by archaeologists during excavations are also presented here. Also in the basement next to the Lion's Descent, you can see a fragment of the fortress wall of the 1200s - all that remains of the once impregnable feudal fortress.
Treasure chest
The Stockholm Royal Palace has more than one museum in its bowels. There are several of them, and if you have the time, you need to devote at least one full day to visiting the residence. You can get to the Treasury from the southern entrance of the palace, which is located at Castle Hill. The exposition of this museum shows not only the crowns of the Swedish monarchs, but also other regalia of power. There are also carriages on display, in which the rulers traveled for ceremonies. When viewing thrones, crowns, mantles and scepters, remember: many of these gizmos are not completely museum exhibits. Some of them are taken and used on the occasion of weddings, funerals and coronations of the rulers of modern Sweden.
Armouries
The Royal Palace in Stockholm contains another museum in its southern wing. The Armory presents the full arsenal of armor of the monarchs of Sweden. Here you can see both the knightly armor of Gustav Vasa and the ceremonial uniforms of the representatives of the Bernadotte dynasty. In addition to military clothing and all kinds of weapons, the royal arsenal of Gustavus Adolf the Second and Karl of the Twelfth is presented in the Arsenal. Moreover, the museum carefully stores even the clothes in which representatives of the royal dynasty took a martyrdom. This rich collection puts the Armory with the Treasury among the most famous museums on a global scale. This is not just a collection of beautiful things. The exposition conveys the image of the kings of Sweden, which they still use among ordinary citizens.
Museum of Antiquity
There was a patron king in the history of the state. His name was Gustav the Third, and he ruled at the end of the eighteenth century. The monarch was extremely keen on collecting at that time fashionable different curiosities and antiquities. And for this purpose, Gustav III personally traveled to various countries in search of artifacts. From his trip to Italy, he brought a very rich collection of antique marble statues, which he ordered to be placed in the royal palace in Stockholm (Sweden). It happened in 1792. When the revolution began in France, the king opened the Antique Galleries to visit ordinary citizens. In this regard, the Antiques Museum in the Royal Palace of Stockholm is considered the oldest in Europe. Now the collection of Gustav the Third is collected in the north and east wings of a huge building.
Tomb of the monarchs of Sweden
Opposite the island on which the royal palace rises in Stockholm, there is another, called Riddarholmen. There you should go after leaving the monarch's residence. After all, on the island is the church of Riddarholmen - the tomb of all the kings of Sweden, starting with Gustav Adolf and ending with Gustav Fifth. In addition, the remains of the great warrior monarch Magnus the First, as well as Charles the Eighth, were transported here. The Riddarholmen Temple is also interesting in that it is the oldest church in Stockholm that has survived to this day. It was built by the Franciscans in the eighties of the thirteenth century with an existing monastery. The church has preserved fragments of frescoes dating from the fifteenth century. Unfortunately, the temple is open only in the summer.
Stockholm Royal Palace: changing of the guard
This is another attraction of the capital of Sweden, which can also be seen absolutely free. In fact, the guard at the main entrance to the royal palace changes every two hours during the day and four at night. But the most beautiful sight takes place at noon. On the site near the guns, the crowd begins to gather at half-past eleven, and everyone is trying to take a position that is advantageous for viewing and photographing. The guards are located in the barracks in the middle of the palace. They say they are fed there royally. There are many military units in Sweden, and all of them delegate thirty of their soldiers for honorable service. Once every two weeks a truly enchanting spectacle takes place. The team of guardsmen is changing. Thirty soldiers come out with the flag of their military unit. They are replaced by a new brigade, which is marching from the center of Stockholm, carrying its oriflamm.
Tourists reviews
The capital of Sweden and its environs are full of all sights. It is especially good to visit it in the summer, when the weather facilitates excursions, and daylight hours are very long. Museums, galleries, ancient churches - the capital of Sweden is good for everyone. Many tourists recommend visiting the Royal Palace in Stockholm. The changing of the guard, the numerous museums inside the residence, and the walk itself through the chambers and halls are impressive. If you get tired and hungry, there is a summer cafe in the courtyard. The reviews assure that the purchased Stockholm Card subscription entitles you to a repeated visit to the royal palace. If you do not have time to inspect everything (and this is not surprising, taking into account the richest collections of museums), then you can come the next day.