Gripsholm Castle

Standing on the island in the middle of Lake Mälaren, the charming castle Gripsholm differs from other castles in Sweden by the bright carmine color of the walls. During his 400-year history Gripsholm knew many glorious moments and invariably remained the favorite residence of the Swedish kings. Today, the most famous castles in Europe can envy the magnificent interiors of the castle and its richest collection of art works.

The history of Gripsholm Castle begins at the end of the 14th century. It was then that the pretty island on Lake Mälaren liked the famous knight Bu Jonsson Grip. The nobleman bought the land and built a dwelling on it for himself - a spacious castle according to the last word of architectural science of that era. After the death of the owner, the castle gradually declined until it became the property of the Catholic Church, and after the reform it became the property of the state under King Gustav I Vas. The monarch ordered to turn Gripsholm to an outpost on the border with Denmark, and so the castle acquired new fortifications and tools. Gustav himself liked the castle and after the necessary reconstruction he moved into a new dwelling. The Swedish kings succeeded each other, and all of them invariably inhabited Gripsholm. In the 18th century the fortress was turned into a magnificent palace, which it still remains today. Most importantly, the castle of Gripsholm retains the obvious traces of all the architectural epochs and the concomitant rearrangements, so you can literally study the history of Sweden on the walls of the castle.