Stockholm Palace facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stockholm Palace
Stockholms slott
Stockholm Palace, the Royal Palace
General information
Status	In use
Type	Palace
Architectural style	Baroque
Address	Kungliga Slottet S-111 30 Stockholm
Town or city	Stockholm
Country	Sweden
Coordinates	59°19′37″N 18°04′18″E / 59.32694°N 18.07167°E / 59.32694; 18.07167
Current tenants	Royal Court of Sweden
Construction started	1697
Completed	1760
Inaugurated	7 December 1754
Renovated	Several times, Complete restoration of facades ongoing since 2011 (est. completion for 2050)
Owner	The Swedish State
Landlord	National Property Board of Sweden
Dimensions
Other dimensions	length 230 m (750 ft) width 125 m (410 ft)
Technical details
Material	brick, sandstone, stone
Floor count	3
Design and construction
Architect	Nicodemus Tessin the Younger Carl Hårleman
Designations	Listed buildings in Sweden No. 21400000339822
Renovating team
Architect	Andreas Heymowski
Other information
Number of rooms	1,430 (2008)

The Stockholm Palace is also known as the Royal Palace. In Swedish, it is called Stockholms slott or Kungliga slottet. It is the official home and main royal palace of the Swedish monarch. King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden usually live at Drottningholm Palace.

Stockholm Palace is located in Stadsholmen, within Gamla stan (the Old Town) in Stockholm, the capital city. It is right next to the Riksdag building. The King's offices, along with those of other members of the Swedish royal family and the Royal Court of Sweden, are located here. The King uses the palace for official events and duties as the head of state.

This royal home has been in the same spot by Norrström in northern Gamla stan since the mid-1200s. That is when Tre Kronor Castle was first built. Today, the name refers to the building known as Kungliga Slottet.

The palace was designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger. It was built on the same site where the medieval Tre Kronor Castle stood before it was destroyed by a fire on May 7, 1697. Construction of the new palace stopped in 1709 because of the expensive Great Northern War. Work did not start again until 1727, six years after the war ended.

When Tessin the Younger passed away in 1728, Carl Hårleman took over. He finished the palace and designed much of its Rococo interior. The palace was ready for use in 1754. King Adolf Frederick and Queen Louisa Ulrika moved in then. However, some interior work continued until the 1770s.

No major changes have been made to the palace since it was finished. Only small adjustments, new interiors, and modernizations have happened. Different rulers and their families have redecorated rooms. The outside walls have been repainted, and palace museums have been added. The palace is surrounded by Lejonbacken and Norrbro to the north. To the east are the Logården (Shot Yard) and Skeppsbron. To the south are Slottsbacken and the Storkyrkan. The outer courtyard and Högvaktsterrassen are to the northwest.

As of 2009, the palace has 1,430 rooms. About 660 of these have windows. The palace includes apartments for the Royal families. It also has rooms for official events and parties, like the State Apartments and Guest Apartments. The Bernadotte Apartments are also here. Other important areas are the Hall of State and the Royal Chapel. The Treasury holds the Regalia of Sweden. The Livrustkammaren and the Tre Kronor Museum are in the old castle's cellar vaults.

The National Library of Sweden was in the northeast wing until 1878. As of 2014, this wing houses the Bernadotte Library. The Slottsarkivet is in the Chancery Wing. The palace is also home to the offices of the Royal Court of Sweden. About 200 people work there. The Royal Guards have protected the palace and the Swedish royal family since 1523.

A big renovation of the palace's outside walls began in 2011. This is to fix parts made from sandstone that have been damaged by weather. These repairs are expected to cost about 500 million Swedish crowns (around US$77 million) over 22 years.

The Royal Palace is owned by the Swedish State. The National Property Board of Sweden is in charge of running and maintaining it. The Ståthållarämbetet (Office of the Governor of the Royal Palaces) manages the royal family's use of the palace. The palace is one of the Crown palaces in Sweden that the King and the Royal Court of Sweden can use.

History of the Royal Palace

From Fortress to Castle

The very first building on this spot was a fortress. It had a main tower and was built in the 1200s by Birger Jarl. Its purpose was to protect Lake Mälaren. This fortress grew into a castle. It was eventually named Tre Kronor (Three Crowns) because its main tower had a spire decorated with three crowns.

Early Ideas for a New Palace

In the early 1600s, King Gustavus Adolphus wanted a new royal palace. His plans did not happen. In 1651, his daughter Queen Christina hired Jean de la Vallée as the architect for the royal castles. One of his jobs was to suggest ways to improve the Tre Kronor Castle. Pictures from 1654 show de la Vallée's idea for a more noticeable castle. It would be on a raised area with a bridge connecting it over the Norrström. Queen Christina made many changes to the existing castle. However, no new castle was built during her time as queen.

From 1650 to 1660, Jean de la Vallée suggested big changes for the castle. But it was not until 1661 that more serious plans for a new castle were made. This was when Nicodemus Tessin the Elder became the City Architect and Architect for the Royal castles. In 1661, he showed his first design for changing the northern part of the castle. His son, Nicodemus Tessin the Younger, would later redesign and build this part from 1692 to 1696.

A map of Stadsholmen from the 1650s shows de la Vallée's idea for the old castle. This project also involved changing the Slottsbacken, making it partly surrounded by buildings. It is interesting to see Tessin the Younger's pencil additions on that map. He probably made them in the late 1600s. There is an early sketch for the northern wall's west wing. Also, the two curved wings that surround the outer courtyard were planned (both were built). Tessin the Younger also made plans for the city area west of the palace. These included large stairs with a clever visual trick. This area would include the Axel Oxenstierna palace and connect to the Västerlånggatan. He also planned a wide street to the current Mynttorget, going straight through the city block where Brantingtorget is now (this was not built). He imagined being able to see all the way from the center of the palace, westwards to the Riddarholmen.

The Northern Section (1692–1696)

The northern section of the current palace was built in 1692. It took only five months. It was part of the old Tre Kronor castle. The new section had the same simple Baroque style that it still has today. This style was very different from the rest of the Renaissance castle.

During the early stages of building in the 1690s, older Swedish artists were still active. These included David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl and Johan Sylvius. They helped with the art for the northern section, especially the Royal Chapel. Ehrenstrahl painted the large religious pictures. Sylvius painted the plafond (ceiling painting).

The simple Roman Baroque style, with its strict order and balance, was inspired by the Palazzo Farnese in Rome. Nicodemus Tessin the Younger, the architect in charge, had studied buildings there in 1688.

The walls around the storage areas, stables, and workshops of the Tre Kronor castle are now behind the Lejonbacken. They are also in the basement of the northern section. So, Lejonbacken hides the old wall that had no windows. Older walls can also be found higher up in many parts of the northern section's outer walls. For example, the walls from the old northeast and northwest square corner-towers are thicker on the palace's ground floor. This is because Tessin reused the existing walls and included them in the new palace. About half of the old walls were used this way. King Charles XI had only agreed to the changes, which started in 1690, with great reluctance. Saving money and reusing materials were important ideas when building the northern section. Because of this, construction went quite fast. After five months, the new section was topped out and had a roof. The new walls became taller than the old ones, except for the towers, which were completely covered by the new walls. The Charles XI's Gallery is another part that remains from before the fire, just as Tessin planned.

A new Royal Chapel in the northern section opened at Christmas in 1696. A new Hall of State was also planned there. The chapel was meant to replace the old castle chapel. That chapel had been built by John III in the same spot, near the old storage areas and stables at Tre Kronor castle.

Building the new chapel with the same size as the old one was hard for Tessin. He had to make it fit within the old chapel's walls. He also had to keep the high ceiling inside the walls of the former northeast tower (now the palace's northeast corner). This was difficult if he wanted to stick to the strict Baroque style. In this style, all windows should be the same size and in perfect rows, no matter what rooms were behind them. To achieve this, Tessin added a mezzanine floor. This floor had smaller square windows just above the lower row of windows. These smaller windows now go all around the building. They are a reminder of the first castle chapel. After the fire, Tessin could make bigger changes. The Royal Chapel and the Hall of State were then moved to the southern section. Some of the furniture and items, like benches and household silver, are still kept in the current Royal Chapel.

Before the fire, the plan was for the palace to be square-shaped without any wings. It would be in a simple Roman Baroque style. Essentially, the other sections would look like the northern section. This plan is not saved. Historian Boo von Malmborg thinks this is because Tessin did not dare to show his full plans to the King Charles XI, who was very careful with money.

The new building is shown in five pictures in the Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna. These were printed from 1695 to 1702. Picture No. I.19 shows the new northern front of the castle, including the Lejonbacken and the square courtyard. Picture No. I.20 shows the inside of the new chapel. Picture No. I.21 shows the outside of the chapel. Picture No. I.27 shows a view of the Hedvig Eleonora Church. Picture No. I.32 shows a view from the Kungsträdgården. Lejonbacken, which was supposed to lead up to the north gate from both the east and west, was never finished before the fire. It is only mentioned in the drawings.

The Palace Fire in 1697

On May 7, 1697, a large fire broke out at the castle. This led to the building of the current Stockholm Palace. The fire destroyed most of the old fortress, the Tre Kronor Castle. Only the strong, recently built walls of the northern section remained. Unlike the rest of the castle, these northern walls could be repaired.

Building the New Palace (1697–1709)

After the fire, the Regency Council of King Charles XII decided to build a new castle. This decision was made under the guidance of the Queen dowager Hedvig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp at the Karlberg Palace. Nicodemus Tessin the Younger was chosen as the architect to design and build the new Stockholm Palace. At the same time his plans were approved, Tessin was made head of the palace construction. This was part of his new job: Överintendent över de Kungliga Slotten (Superintendent of the Royal Castles). Göran Josuæ Törnquist became the Assistant Superintendent. He was an important person at the building site. Hans Conradt Buchegger became the main builder for the palace. In 1697, Abraham Winantz Svanssköld, Tessin's half-brother, was made deputy castle and court architect. He worked with Tessin on the palace. Several German journeymen also helped them. Important sculptors and craftspeople during the first years of building included René Chauveau, Bernard Foucquet the Elder, and his son Jacques Foucquet.

Tessin presented the first finished plans for the new palace within a year of the fire. First, the remains of the old castle were torn down. Almost everything was demolished, except for parts of the northern section with its strict Baroque style, which were still standing. The demolition was done by about 300 men from mid-May 1697 to mid-spring 1700. The remains of the old keep Tre Kronor were reused as filling for the Lejonbacken. So, most of the materials for the new palace were new.

When Tessin was asked to design the new palace, he changed some of his earlier plans. He had planned a square palace, but he added lower wings on the east and west sides.

This was done to make the palace look more grand. It was possible because there was now more open land to expand the palace. For example, the western area used to have King Gustav I's moat and cannon mounds. The southwest wing had to be made shorter because the Storkyrkan church was in the way. This difference in wing lengths was balanced by adding two separate, curved wings. These were for the Royal guards and the Commanders, located west of the main building. These wings surround the courtyard. Tessin's plans and instructions to artists still shape the outside walls, stone pilasters, and inside walls, floors, and pillars. This can be seen in the Hall of State, the Royal Chapel, and the stairwells.

The palace was built with great effort during King Charles XII's rule. However, the costly wars during the Great Northern War caused problems. Charles XII lost the Battle of Poltava in 1709. That year, building the palace completely stopped. At that time, the courtyard had been leveled. The courtyard walls were built to one floor high in the south and east, and half a floor high in the west. The palace stayed in this unfinished state until 1727. That year, the Riksdag (Swedish Parliament) gave money to continue the work. This was one year before Tessin died.

Some beautiful details in Tessin's plans were never built. For example, he wanted to put a statue of a horse and rider of King Charles XI in the inner courtyard. This was a French style at the time. But King Charles XII did not like the idea. He said it would "totally hide the beautiful view." Tessin's idea to decorate the roof balustrade with sculptures also did not happen. Tessin's vision for this can be seen in a picture of the palace made by Jean Eric Rehn around 1770.

The French Artists' Group

The largest group of artists came from France. Between 1693 and 1699, sixteen French masons, painters, and foundrymen arrived in Stockholm. Tessin had arranged for them to be invited through the Swedish diplomat in Paris, Daniel Cronström. They were offered yearly wages and places to live. The sculptor René Chauveau started with a salary of 1,000 riksdaler per year. This was about US$49,550 in 2014. He was one of the highest paid in the group. Some artists brought their families. They formed a French artists' community. Family members often helped with the construction. The whole group was called de fransöske hantwerkarne (the French craftsmen). Most of them had studied at the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture in Paris. They had also worked at King Louis XIV's large palace, Versailles. Most of the craftsmen were Catholic. They lived and worked closely together near the French embassy in Stockholm. They could practice their Catholic faith within their community. However, this was strictly forbidden in the rest of Sweden at that time. When the palace building stopped in 1709, the community broke up. Some craftsmen, like René Chauveau and his family, went back to France. But most of them stayed in Sweden until they died in the early 1700s.

Building the New Palace (1727–1771)

Nicodemus Tessin the Younger died in 1728, before the palace was finished. Carl Hårleman took over the building work. Tessin's job as superintendent officially went to his son, Carl Gustaf Tessin.

Hårleman designed many parts of the palace's interior in a newer style. This style, Rococo, was more popular at the time. Hårleman also decided to change the color of the outside walls. They went from brick red to light yellow. (See the section on Coloration below). When building started again in 1727, skilled workers were needed. The second group of French artists and craftspeople arrived in Stockholm in the summer of 1732. This happened after Hårleman's talks in Paris the previous winter. The group had six people: two Masters, Antoine Bellette and Michel Le Lievre, and four journeymen. Other famous sculptors and craftspeople during this second building phase included Charles Guillaume Cousin, Jacques-Philippe Bouchardon, Pierre Hubert L'Archevêque, Johan Tobias Sergel, and Adrien Masreliez. Giovanni Battista Tiepolo turned down Tessin's offer for a job.

Carl Hårleman died in 1753. His work was continued by Carl Johan Cronstedt and Carl Gustaf Tessin. They finished the palace together. Some parts of the palace where the royal family would live were also completed that year. These included the northern section and what are now the State Apartments. The Stockholm Palace was ready to be used in 1754. The royal family had been living in the Wrangel Palace on Riddarholmen since the old castle fire. They moved to their new home on the first Advent that same year. Instead of living in the State Apartment, the royal family chose to stay in the part now called the Bernadotte Apartments. Work on the inside continued even after the royal family moved in. Finishing the interior was more important than completing the Slottsbacken and Lejonbacken outside.

Lejonbacken and the Chancery Wing were finished by architect Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz. He also took charge of the interior work after Hårleman's death. The year 1771 is considered when the palace was officially declared finished. The wall of the eastern quay was completed that year. However, for several years, many statues and sculptures in the outside wall's niches were still missing. These included the eight statues on the southern outside wall showing famous Swedish men. Also missing was the Enleveringsgruppen (the Abduction group) on the same wall.

Palace Development After the 1770s

After the new palace was finished, no major changes were made to the whole building. There were only some adjustments, new interiors, modernizations, and redecorations for different rulers and their families. Museums were also added to the palace.

Artists like Jean Eric Rehn and Fredrik Wilhelm Scholander were important for the palace's grand interior in the late 1700s and 1800s. They added pilasters, columns, and wall decorations. Among the sculptors, painters, and craftspeople who also helped with later renovations were Louis Masreliez (interior work in Classicism and Neoclassicism), Jean Baptiste Masreliez (interior work), Axel Magnus Fahlcrantz (the Logården Wall and the wrought iron fence at Logården), Johan Niclas Byström (sculptures), Sven Scholander (restorations), Johan Axel Wetterlund (outside sculptures of famous men and four groups of statues on the Logården Wall), Julius Kronberg (ceiling paintings), and Kaspar Schröder (outside sculptures; lion masks at the courtyard façade).

A bigger change to the outside walls happened during the rule of King Charles XIV John. Hårleman's light yellow color was painted over. In the early 1900s, during King Oscar II's rule, it was decided to go back to Tessin's original brick red color. As of 2014, this is the color of the outside walls. (See the section on Coloration below).

During King Oscar I's rule, there was new interest in older styles. When the Vita Havet (the White Sea Ballroom) was created from Per Axel Nyström's designs in 1844–1850, a mix of old and new styles was used. Fredrik Wilhelm Scholander was King Charles XV's royal curator. He shared the King's taste in interior design. This led to rooms like the Victoriasalongen (the Victoria Drawing room) in a rich, revived Rococo style.

King Oscar II made many additions, improvements, and modernizations to the palace. Most of the empty spaces on the outside walls were filled with sculptures during his rule. He updated the palace's technical systems. For example, he installed a water pipe system in 1873, electricity in 1883, telephone in 1884, and central heating using hot water around 1900. As of 2014, the palace is connected to a city-wide heating system. The King was also interested in decorating the stairwells. He asked Julius Kronberg to paint the ceilings of the West Stairwell. Author Georg Svensson wrote about King Oscar II that "his goal was to complete the construction of the palace as intended in Tessin's plans in a manner worthy of this monument."

From 1922 to 1930, the Logården was rebuilt. It changed from an English park to a more open area. It now has pools of water on both sides of the path leading from the East Arch to the Skeppsbron.

From 1956 to 1958, Gustav III's Museum of Antiquities was restored. Architect and Chief Intendant Ivar Tengbom was in charge of this work. The Treasury opened in 1970, and the Tre Kronor Museum opened in 1999. In 2018, 600 solar panels were put on the palace roof. They are expected to produce 170 MWh of electricity each year. This is at least twelve percent of the palace's yearly electricity use.

In 1998, the Carl XVI Gustaf Jubilee Room was opened. This was to celebrate King Carl XVI Gustaf's 25 years on the throne. The room is on the Bernadotte Floor. It was designed to be a modern addition to the old palace. Today, the King and Queen use the room for official events. When Carl XVI Gustaf celebrated his golden jubilee in 2023, two new golden symbols were given to him by the Royal Court. These were placed at the gate to Logården (the palace gardens).

Palace Exterior

Overview of the Palace Design

The palace is built from brick and sandstone. Its roofs are covered with copper and slope inwards towards the inner courtyard. On the main building, a stone balustrade surrounds the roofs. The building has four main sections, usually named after the four cardinal directions.

Each side of the palace was designed differently. They do not all look like the original northern section. A grand triumphal arch in Baroque style frames the entrance and stairwell in the middle of the southern side. Niches for statues were placed at every other window ledge. The middle parts of the east and west sides were decorated with Baroque pilasters, herms, and statues. The palace has a total of 28 statues, 717 balusters, 242 volutes, 972 windows, 31,600 window panes, and about 7,500 windows, doors, and gates. The outside walls are covered with about 9,500 m² (102,000 sq ft) of cut stone and 11,000 m² (120,000 sq ft) of plaster. The main building, without its wings, is 115 by 120 m (377 by 394 ft). It surrounds the Inre borggården (the Inner Courtyard).

Four wings extend from the corners of the main building, facing east and west. Between the two eastern wings is the Logården. Between the two western wings is the Outer Courtyard. All the wings are 16 m (52 ft) wide and 48 m (157 ft) long. The southwest wing is shorter, only 11 m (36 ft) long, because of the Storkyrkan church's location. This difference in length is hidden by two separate, curved wings. These are the Högvaktsflygeln (The Royal Guards Wing) and the Kommendantsflygeln (the Commander's Wing).

About 800,000 people visit the palace each year.

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  The western façade

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  The northern façade

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  The eastern façade

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  The southern façade

Palace Courtyards

The palace has two courtyards. The Outer Courtyard is outside the western section. This is the main area for the changing of the guards. A statue of Christina Gyllenstierna stands in the Outer Courtyard. It was put there in 1912 by the Föreningen för Stockholms fasta försvar (Society for the Permanent Defence of Stockholm). The Outer Courtyard is surrounded by two curved wings. The northern one is used by the Royal Guards. The southern one is mainly used by the Royal Gift Shop.

The Inner Courtyard is surrounded by the four sections of the palace. You can enter it through portals in the middle of the four sections: the south, west, north, and east portals (or arches). The Inner Courtyard is 89 m (292 ft) long from east to west. It is 77 m (253 ft) wide from north to south. Tessin had planned to put a statue of King Charles XI on horseback in the middle of the courtyard. However, this plan was never carried out.

The design of the large Inner Courtyard, with its access to the Logården and the Norrbro, was inspired by the courtyard at the Louvre. This followed the general ideas of the Baroque style.

The Western Side

The western side of the palace represents "Male Qualities" and the King. The Chancery Wing extends from the western side towards the northwest. This side also borders the Outer Courtyard and the two curved wings. The Högvaktsflygeln is in the north, and the Kommendantsflygeln is in the south. On the outside wall, there are nine medallions showing nine Swedish rulers. There are also ten caryatids (carved female figures). The balcony above the courtyard was finished in 2023, using Tessin's original plans. This is usually where the Royal Family appears for the King's Birthday.

Western Side Sculptures

In the frontispiece of the western side, between the windows, are ten female figures called caryatids. The palace's caryatids are Rococo-inspired pilasters shaped like women. They were made by the French artist Charles Guillaume Cousin from Gotlandic sandstone in 1744. Each figure is about 4.5 m (15 ft) tall. Some of them have damage from weather. Because small pieces might fall, a net has been placed over the figures.

The Kungamedaljongerna (Royal Medallions) above the windows were made by Cousin. These medallions show Gustav I, Eric XIV, John III, Sigismund III, Charles IX, Gustavus Adolphus, Queen Christina, Charles X Gustav, and Charles XI. The medallions are about 1.5 m (4.9 ft) wide. They were made of lead in 1745.

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  Four of ten caryatids

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  Three of nine royal medallions

The Northern Side

The northern side of the palace represents "Power". This side is simple in design. Its location and northern view are meant to show and spread royal power.

Northern Side Sculptures

The art on the northern side is very limited. It only has a group of figures above the Bernadotte Gallery balcony. This group shows the Swedish coat of arms, the Tre Kronor (Three Crowns). It is held up by two goddesses of rumor. Claude Henrion made the coat of arms and the goddesses' wings. Bernard Foucquet the Elder made the rest of the group. It was cast in bronze and added to the outside wall in 1814.

Outside the northern side is the Lejonbacken with the two Castle Lions. The designs for the lions were inspired by the Medici lions in Villa Medici in Rome. King Charles XII approved them in 1700. The lions were then cast in bronze at the Casting House in Normalm in 1702 and 1704. They were placed at the Lejonbacken as a symbol of royal power. The bronze for the lions came from a well taken as war spoils from the Kronborg Castle in Helsingør. This happened during King Charles X Gustav's campaign in Denmark. The bases are made from granite and are 1.9-by-2.7-by-1.2-metre (6 ft 3 in by 8 ft 10 in by 3 ft 11 in).

The Southern Side

The southern side of the palace represents "The Nation". The center of this side looks like a triumphal arch. It has a portal (also called the South Arch) with three Corinthian columns on each side.

Along the outside wall, there are niches with sculptures of famous Swedish men. The entire side is meant to show the greatness of Sweden, its society, and important people. Inside the portal is the South Arch. Stairs from here lead to the Royal Chapel on the east and the Hall of State on the west. This symbolizes how both religious and worldly power are brought together in one place.

At the triumphal arch, there is a stone plaque with Latin writing. Two sculptures showing war trophies are on either side of the plaque. Antoine Bellette created them in 1735, and Gerhard Meyer the Younger cast them. The writing on the plaque honors King Charles XII and says:

Southern Side Sculptures

The southern side is the most decorated. It has statues, sculptures, and reliefs. Eight niches, which were empty at first, now hold statues of important Swedish men. These were added in the 1890s because King Oscar II wanted them. The statues are about 2.8 metres (9.2 ft) tall and made of zinc by Johan Axel Wetterlund. The statues show Erik Dahlbergh, Carl Linnaeus, Nicodemus Tessin the Younger, and Georg Stiernhielm to the left of the South Arch. To the right of the South Arch are Haquin Spegel, Olof von Dalin, Rutger von Ascheberg, and Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz.

The Enleveringsgruppen (The Abduction Group) has four sculptures. Two are to the right and two to the left of the South Arch. They show the abductions of women. Bernard Foucquet the Elder made them in the early 1700s. However, the sculptures were not put in place until 1897. From west to east, the sculptures show: Paris and Helen, Boreas and Orithyia, Pluto and Proserpina, Romulus and Hersilia. They are made of bronze and are about 2.5 m (8.2 ft) tall. King Oscar II wanted these sculptures to fill the empty niches in the triumphal arch. Sven Scholander restored the original sculptures, and Otto Meyer cast them. Bernard Foucquet also made the lions at the Lejonbacken.

Southern Side Reliefs

Above the ground floor windows are 16 reliefs. René Chauveau, a French artist, made them from 1699 to 1700. They are made of bronze. Originally, they were meant for the palace's stairwells. In the 1890s, these reliefs were put on the southern side. They replaced a row of windows of the same size. The matching windows still exist on the northern side.

The reliefs show scenes from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Some of the scenes include: the "Flood myth with Deucalion", "Pyrrha and Hellen", "Perseus and Medusa", and "Apollo slaying the dragon Python".

The Eastern Side

The eastern side of the palace represents "Female Qualities" and the Queen. Below this side is the palace park, the Logården. On a balustrade that separates the Logården from the Skeppsbron, there are four sculptures. These represent music, religion, poetry, and mercy. They can be seen as old ideas of female values and interests.

When designing the eastern side facing the Logården, Tessin likely thought of a Roman country villa. It would have stairs leading from the palace garden up to the palace gate. The central part, with huge pilasters between the windows of the two top floors and the rustic ground floor, is thought to be based on Gian Lorenzo Bernini's Palazzo Chigi-Odescalchi in Rome.

Eastern Side Sculptures

Antoine Bellette made the dragons on the eastern side. He also made the winged lions on the Logården side with windows, the shells on the middle floor, and the roses under the roof.

On the balustrade between the Logården and the Logårdstrappan, there are four symbolic sculptures. They represent "Music", "Religion", "Poetry", and "Mercy". Johan Axel Wetterlund made them in 1903. Otto Meyer cast them. They are about 1.5 by 1 m (4 ft 11 in by 3 ft 3 in).

From the eastern side, two wings extend towards the east. On the short ends of these wings are two waterfalls and head sculptures of the artists who created the palace's interior. On the north side are Pierre Hubert L'Archevêque and Carl Hårleman. On the south side are Carl Gustaf Tessin and Guillaume Thomas Taraval. Johan Axel Wetterlund made these sculptures in 1902. They are made of bronze. Between the sculptures, there are two plaques. One honors King Oscar II on the south side, and the other honors Charles XI on the north side.

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  King Oscar II
  had during the years 1898–1902
  with contributions from the Riksdag
  this kings' fortress restored
  Nicodemus Tessin's masterpiece
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  King Charles XI
  had the northern side of the castle rebuilt in 1690–1697
  fire ravaged the castle on 7 May 1697
  the rebuilding proceeded until 1712, resumed in 1726
  the castle was made available as the King's dwelling on 7 December 1754

Palace Coloration

The color of the palace's outside walls has changed several times. The first change was after the new northern section was finished in 1695. Tessin's first color was brick-red plaster with white-painted sandstone details. This brick-red color was called Dutch brunroot (brown-red). It came from brown ochre used to paint the walls. Carl Hårleman took over as head of the building site when Tessin died in 1728. During construction, the plaster was left unpainted. The stone details were painted with white lead.

Before the royal family moved into the palace in 1754, the entire outside wall was painted. Only the base was painted in a yellow ochre color to look like French sandstone. This yellow color was very fashionable during the Rococo period. Using a single yellow color, without contrasting white on the stone details, was a way to create a special architectural effect mainly with relief.

During King Charles XIV John's rule in the 1820s, the color was changed again, but not completely. The stone details of the northern and eastern sections were painted pink, which was not very popular. When the western and southern sections were painted, the stone details were done in a grey color. This contrasted better with the still-yellow plaster. This color scheme lasted until the 1890s. Then, King Oscar II decided to go back to Tessin's original red color for the plaster. All paint was removed from the sandstone details and sculptures. As of 2014, this color remains, but the red-brown color has become more brown over the years. Removing the protective paint has also caused more weathering.

Palace Lighting

The current lighting for the palace's outside walls was turned on by King Carl XVI Gustaf on March 29, 2006. The old lighting was from the 1960s. Its wattage had been reduced over time, making the palace look darker and darker.

The new lights were approved after many talks and tests. They provide almost twice as much light as the old ones. They also use half the energy. The lighting was a team effort between the National Property Board of Sweden, the Office of the Governor of the Royal Palaces, the Royal Architect Johan Celsing, and the Municipality of Stockholm Traffic Control. The color of the light is described as a neutral warm-white.

According to Johan Celsing, the lighting is meant to highlight the palace's different parts and details. It brings out decorative features that were not visible in the evenings before. For example, the eastern side's wings facing the Skeppsbron are now lit up.

Palace Renovations

Renovation of the palace's 922 windows began in the early 1990s. The windows range in age from the mid-1700s to the 1970s. The reason for the renovation was that the windows had not been properly cared for over many years. The windows on the south side were the most exposed. The sun had damaged their surface, causing rot. The window renovation was a team effort. It involved the National Property Board of Sweden, the Office of the Governor of the Royal Palaces, the Swedish National Heritage Board, and the Royal Architect at that time, Ove Hidemark. The work was done in a workshop in the Inner Courtyard and took about ten years. Each window was made specifically for the opening where it was originally placed. This means each window is unique in size and shape.

As of 2014, the palace is undergoing a major renovation. Almost half of the outside wall area is made of sandstone from Gotland. This includes decorations like sculptures and ornaments. In 2008, the National Property Board of Sweden, which maintains the palace, found that the sandstone had partly broken down. The damage from weather was getting worse. One incident involved a piece of stone weighing 3 kg (6.6 lb) falling from 20 m (66 ft) high. The most damaged parts were those exposed to the sun, like the south and west facing walls. As a temporary fix, the Property Board covered some parts of the outside wall with a black net to catch any falling rocks.

Since the palace was built in the 1700s, sandstone weathering has been a problem. This has gotten worse since the oil paint was removed from the stone during the 1890s renovation. In spring 2008, the Property Board started a detailed study. This was to create a long-term plan for palace maintenance over the next 50 years. The study showed that the Gotlandic sandstone was in worse condition than expected. Many stones were cracked and loose.

The biggest renovation of the palace's outside walls in its history began in May 2011. Starting with the east wing of the northern section at Strömbron, all the outside walls will be renovated over the next 22 years. Each stage of the work will take one year and cost 500 million crowns. To do this, the Swedish National Heritage Board plans to open a sandstone quarry on Gotland and start a masonry school.

• 

  The National Property Board of Sweden posts information, 2011

• 

  Renovation of the northern row, June 2011

• 

  The northern row, a ground-floor apartment after the renovation, June 2011

• 

  The southern façade, the east wing, June 2011

Palace Interior

Overview of Rooms

As of 2014, the palace has 1,430 rooms. About 660 of these rooms have windows.

The plans below show the layout. The northeast wing is in the upper right corner. The south curved wing is in the lower left corner. The northwest Chancery Wing is in the upper left corner. The courtyards are (from left to right): the Outer Courtyard (inside the curved wings), the Inner Courtyard (in the middle of the building), and the Shot Yard (between the east wings).

Here are the different floors and their main uses (not counting smaller rooms, closets, stairwells, etc.):

• The Cellar: There are 104 rooms here. Most were used for storage and as prisons. You can still see parts of the old Tre Kronor castle here. Some parts of the cellar have two levels because the ceiling heights vary greatly. The royal wine cellar was under the western section in the late 1800s and 1900s, and it is likely still there.
• The Ground Floor: This is the largest floor. Its rooms were mostly used by the court staff. It also has the four main entrances (portals or arches) to the palace. The Hall of State and the Royal Chapel are also on this floor.
• The Half Floor (Mezzanine): This floor has 115 rooms. Most rooms have kept their original size since the palace was built, but their use has changed. The name comes from the fact that this floor is only half as tall as the other floors. The rooms were mostly used by court staff. However, some apartments for princes and princesses were also here. The mezzanine also has the Small Guest Apartment, which is a few rooms in the north part of the western section.
• The First Floor: This floor has 67 rooms. Most rooms have kept their original size, but their use has changed. The Bernadotte Apartments and the Pillar Hall are in the northern section. The eastern section holds the private living areas. This is where King Carl XVI Gustaf and his family lived until they moved to Drottningholm Palace in 1981.
• The Second Floor: This floor has 57 rooms. Most rooms have kept their original size, but their use has changed. The Guest Apartments, the State Apartments with the Vita Havet (White Sea) ballroom, the Cabinet Meeting Room, and Prince Bertil's Apartment are on this floor.
• The Attic: This floor has about 25 rooms. It also includes the upper part and arches that form the ceiling for the Hall of State, the Royal Chapel, and the southern stairwell. The attic is mainly used for storage.

• 

  Ground floor
• 

  First floor
• 

  Second floor

Floor	The Southern Row	The Western Row	The Northern Row	The Eastern Row	The Northeast Wing	The Southwest Wing	The Northwest Wing	The North Curved Wing	The South Curved Wing
2	The Hall of State, The Royal Chapel	The Guest Apartments	The State Apartments	Prince Bertil's Apartment	-	-	-	-	-
1		The Apartments of the Orders of Chivalry	The Bernadotte Apartments	Princess Sibylla's Apartment	-	-	-	-	-
½		Royal Court of Sweden	Office	Office	The Upper Middle Gallery	Not available	Not available	Not available	Not available
ground	Royal Court of Sweden (with the Office of the Governor of the Royal Palaces' room and Office of the Royal Architect)				The Bernadotte library	Royal Court of Sweden (with the office of the Hofmarschall)	The Chancery Wing	The Royal Guards	The Royal Gift Shop
Basement	The Treasury	The Tre Kronor Museum		Livrustkammaren	Gustav III's Museum of Antiquities	Livrustkammaren	Slottsarkivet	Storage	Storage

The Western Section

Guest Apartments

The Guest Apartments are on the second floor in the south part of the western section. They are used for visiting heads of state during state visits to Sweden. The rooms were first decorated in the 1760s. This was done under Jean Eric Rehn's guidance for Prince Frederick Adolf, King Gustaf III's brother. Three of the rooms open to the public are in the mezzanine suite. These rooms have windows facing the Inner Courtyard.

Apartments of the Orders of Chivalry

The Apartments of the Orders of Chivalry are in the south part of the western section, on the first floor. They have four halls, one for each order: The Royal Order of the Seraphim, Order of the Sword, Order of the Polar Star, and Order of Vasa. These apartments have permanent exhibits about the Royal Orders. In the mid-1750s, the Privy Council used to have their apartments here. The Supreme Court of Sweden then used these halls from 1789 to 1949.

The Eastern Section

Prince Bertil's Apartment

The rooms on the second floor of the eastern section are called Prins Bertil's Apartment. This is named after its most recent famous resident. King Adolf Frederick used these rooms as his own apartment. During King Gustav III's rule, it was Duke Charles' apartment. Later, when King Charles XIV ruled, Crown Prince Oscar (I) used it for some time. Oscar had one of the rooms decorated in a neo-gothic style in 1828. This room became known as the Götiska (the Geatish Room). King Charles XV also used the apartment as his living quarters. During King Oscar II's rule, Crown Prince Gustaf (V) used it. Later, it was Prince Bertil's apartment until he died in 1997. After the prince's death, it has been used for visiting heads of state, interviews, and seminars.

Princess Sibylla's Apartment

The Princess Sibylla's Apartment is named after Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. It is on the first floor in the south part of the eastern section. The King and Queen use it for their daily receptions. It is not open to the public. Throughout the palace's history, this apartment has always been where the king or a close relative lived. The apartment is famous for the Blue Drawing room. This is where the engagements of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Silvia Sommerlath in 1976, and Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling in 2009, were announced. The Princess Sibylla's Inner Drawing room, once known as Crown Prince Gustaf's audience chamber, still has some interior designs by Carl Hårleman. These include pilasters and decorations above the door frames.

Livrustkammaren (Royal Armory)

The main part of the Livrustkammaren museum is in the cellars under the eastern section. You can enter it from the Slottsbacken. It is the oldest museum in Sweden, started by King Gustavus Adolphus in 1628. It holds items related to Swedish royalty from the time of the Swedish Empire onwards.

The Northern Section

The State Apartments

The State Apartments, also called the Apartment for Festivities, are on the second floor of the northern section. The Royal Couple uses them for receptions and official events. Formal dinners are held in the Charles XI's Gallery. These events include state visits, after elections to the Riksdag, and for Nobel laureates. Since 1950, it has been the palace's main dining hall. It can seat about 200 guests. Five to ten official dinners are held here each year. A few times a year, a Cabinet Meeting is held with the Swedish government in the Cabinet Meeting Room. This apartment was first designed as the Royal Couple's apartment. But when King Adolf Frederick and Queen Lovisa Ulrica moved into the palace in 1754, they chose to stay in the part now known as the Bernadotte Apartments. Later, Crown Prince Gustav (III) and Sophia Magdalena used the apartments after their wedding in 1766. The apartments have not been used as living quarters since the time of Oscar I.

In the northeast corner of the State Apartments is the ballroom called Vita Havet (the White Sea). It used to be two rooms: the queen's dining hall and the hall for the trabants (guards). The dining hall was called the White Sea. This name was kept for the new, larger hall after the wall between the rooms was removed. For dinners in the Charles XI's Gallery, the White Sea is set up as a salon with sofas, chairs, and coffee tables. On these occasions, the room is used as a drawing room after the dinners.

The Bernadotte Apartments

The Bernadotte Apartments are on the first floor of the northern section. They are named after Sweden's current royal family, Bernadotte. The name comes from a collection of portraits in the Bernadotte Gallery. This is the largest room in the apartments and shows members of the Bernadotte family. Most of the rooms are in the northern section. They are used for audiences, awarding medals, and meetings with the Advisory Council on Foreign Affairs. The rooms are also open to the public. Carl Hårleman originally decorated the apartment in the 1730s and 1740s. When King Adolf Frederick and Queen Lovisa Ulrica moved in in 1754, the rooms were furnished with pieces made by the best craftspeople in Stockholm at that time. The last Royal Couple to live in the apartment were King Oscar II and Queen Sophia. Since then, some rooms have been restored to their original 18th-century look. Others are kept as they were during King Oscar II's time, like his writing room.

The Exhibitions Apartments

On the ground floor of the northern section are the Exhibition Apartments. These are used for special exhibitions and public talks.

The Tre Kronor Museum

The Tre Kronor Museum is in the cellars of the northern and western sections. You can enter it from street level under Lejonbacken. The museum is in rooms that used to be kitchens in the Tre Kronor Castle. This makes them the oldest rooms in the palace. However, the museum itself is the newest of the palace museums. It opened in 1999. It has an exhibition about the old Tre Kronor Castle, which was destroyed by a fire in 1697.

The Southern Section

The Royal Chapel

The Royal Chapel was built in the 1700s. It is the church for members of the Royal Parish. The church is in the east half of the palace's southern section. It is as wide as the building and two and a half stories tall. The church entrance is in the South Portal (or Arch) at Slottsbacken 1. Services are held every Sunday and on holy days. The royal family uses the church for ceremonies. Before the old Tre Kronor castle burned down, the Royal Chapel was in the northern section. Some benches and silver decorations from the old church are still kept in the current chapel. After the 1697 fire, when Tessin planned the new palace, the Royal Chapel and the Hall of State were placed in the southern section. These, including the grand stairs, take up the first and second floors. The chapel represented divine power, and the hall represented worldly, or the king's, power. After Tessin's death, Carl Hårleman finished his work. The church opened at the same time as the rest of the palace in 1754.

The Hall of State

The Hall of State is in the west half of the palace's southern section. It is two stories high (first and second floor). It was first used for the Riksdag (Parliament) in 1755. Hårleman designed the hall, changing Tessin's plans. Queen Christina's Silver Throne is in the Hall. The main entrance to the Hall is in the South Portal (or Arch).

The Treasury

In the cellar of the southern section is the Treasury. Here, the Regalia of Sweden are displayed. The museum opened in 1970.

The Northwest (Chancery) Wing

The Chancery Wing is another name for the palace's northwest wing. It was planned for the main parts of the government administration, the Royal Chancery. Architect Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz finished the wing. It was originally used as the royal guardhouse, offices for domestic, foreign, and war departments, and the National Archives of Sweden. As the government grew, it moved from the palace and formed new, independent departments. Around 1780, the Chancery Wing became an apartment for the three-year-old Crown Prince Gustav (IV) Adolf. Later, his mother, Queen Dowager Sophia Magdalena, lived there. The Chancery Wing was again home to a prince in 1905. It became the private home of Crown Prince, and later King, Gustaf VI Adolf. He lived there until his death in 1973. Part of the mezzanine floor above his apartment was turned into his private library in the 1930s. The Spegelsalongen (the Mirror Hall), updated in 1866 by Fredrik Wilhelm Scholander, is in this wing. There is also a Green and a Blue Drawing room. The Slottsarkivet, which is part of the current National Archives of Sweden, is still in the cellars of the wing.

The Northeast Wing

Gustav III's Museum of Antiquities

The second oldest museum in Sweden is Gustav III's Museum of Antiquities. It is in the cellars of the northeast wing. It opened to the public in 1794. The museum displays over 200 antique sculptures. King Gustav III bought these during his trip to Italy from 1783 to 1784.

Palace Galleries

• 

  Rikssalen
  (The Hall of State)
  The southern row

• 

  Bernadottegalleriet
  (The Bernadotte Galleries)
  The Bernadotte apartments

• 

  Pelarsalen
  (The Pillar Hall)
  The Bernadotte apartments

• 

  Salongen
  (The Drawing room)
  Queen Victoria's apartment

• 

  Karl XI:s galleri
  (Charles XI's Gallery)
  Festvåningen
  (The State Apartments)

• 

  Konseljsalen
  (The Cabinet Meeting Room)
  Statsrådssalen (Government meeting room, when such meetings are chaired by the King)

Palace Activities

The palace is a workplace for about 200 full-time employees. More than half of them are women. The palace also hires more staff for dinners, during the summer, and as guides.

The Royal Court of Sweden

The palace houses offices for the Royal Court of Sweden. This organization works with the Swedish head of state and the Royal House. It is also in charge of keeping and showing the cultural history of the Swedish monarchy. The Royal Court is led by the Marshal of the Realm. In 2009, it had 216 full-time employees.

Palace Museums

The museums located in the palace are: Livrustkammaren, Gustav III's Museum of Antiquities, The Treasury, and The Tre Kronor Museum.

Archive and Library

The Slottsarkivet is in the Chancery Wing at the palace. This archive started in 1893. Since 1964, it has been a storage site under the National Archives of Sweden. The archive also holds records from the Royal Court and the Crown palaces in Sweden. In the northeast wing of the palace is the Bernadottebiblioteket (the Bernadotte library), which is a research library.

The Royal Guards

The Royal Guards are a special group of soldiers. They act as a guard of honour for the King and also guard the castle. The guard is also part of Stockholm's military emergency response. The Royal Guards are present at official ceremonies, visits by foreign leaders, or when foreign fleets arrive. King Gustav I started the guards in 1523. Their job was to keep order in the whole city, which is now Gamla Stan. The changing of the guards is a ceremony and a popular tourist attraction. It happens at the Outer Courtyard of the palace. About 800,000 people watch it each year.

The Royal Gift Shop

The Royal Gift Shop is the palace's gift and souvenir shop. It sells products related to the items in the royal collections. Many of the items are books about royal cultural heritage. Topics include history, architecture, biographies, and research. The shop is in the southwestern curved wing. You can enter it from the Outer Courtyard.

• 

  Livrustkammaren

• 

  Gustav III's Museum of Antiquities

• 

  The Tre Kronor Museum

• 

  The Royal Gift Shop

• 

  The Royal Guards

Palace Ghosts

There are many stories about ghosts at the palace. One is about the Grå Gubben (the Old Grey Man). People say he lives in the cellar ruins of the old Tre Kronor Castle. He is thought to be a guardian spirit for the palace and can predict the future. Other legends say he is actually Birger Jarl standing guard. He is said to have appeared to Nicodemus Tessin the Younger. He told Tessin that he would not live to see the palace finished.

The most famous ghost at the palace is the Vita frun (the White Lady). A White Lady is a ghost said to appear in many European castles, including Stockholm's. According to legend, the White Lady brings news of death for someone in the royal family. She would appear when someone was about to die. She is supposedly tall and wears a white silk dress. Only the rustle of the silk is heard as she approaches. There are different ideas about who she might be and where she comes from. One idea is that she is Duchess Agnes of Merán. She was a German noblewoman from the House of Hohenzollern who lived in the 1200s. She was married to Count Otto of Orlamünde. She is said to appear as a white lady in the Hohenzollern castles during important family events.

Other sources claim the White Lady is Perchta von Rosenberg. She was the daughter of Ulrich II von Rosenberg, a German noblewoman from the 1400s. She unhappily married Jan of Liechtenstein against her will. According to tradition, she appears in the Český Krumlov Castle in southern Czech Republic. Her portrait is said to look very much like descriptions of the White Lady at the palace.

Deaths of royal family members have happened when the White Lady appeared at the palace. In March 1871, Princess Eugenie saw the ghost. Three days later, Queen Louise died. The White Lady appeared again in 1907. Shortly after that, King Oscar II died. The last time she was seen was in 1920. Princess Margaret was dying then. Suddenly, the flag at the palace was lowered to half-mast. A guard is said to have seen the White Lady on the roof. Two hours after this, the princess died.

See also

In Spanish: Palacio Real de Estocolmo para niños

• Architecture of Stockholm
• List of Baroque residences