Rosendal Palace

Karl XIV Johan’s pleasure palace on Djurgården is one of the best examples of the Swedish Empire style, the Karl Johan style. The house is low and elegant, with classical details and an interior that survives almost intact from the 1820s.

Karl XIV Johan, the former French marshal Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, became King of Sweden in 1818. He wanted a summer retreat close to the city and in 1823–1827 had Rosendal Palace built on Djurgården. Fredrik Blom, who was architect to the navy, designed the house. Blom was known for having developed prefabricated wooden houses that could be moved, and he was one of the most sought-after architects of Karl Johan’s time.

The palace is a low, broad building with classical details, a typical feature of the Swedish Empire style. The interior is a complete example of the Karl Johan style, the Swedish version of French Empire. The furniture is of mahogany or lighter woods with gilt details, the walls have painted decoration and draped textiles, and the ceilings have paintings with ancient motifs and scenes from the king’s life. In the park stands the great Rosendal Vase, made of porphyry from Älvdalen, where the king owned the porphyry works.

The palace is managed by the Royal Djurgården Administration and is open for guided tours in summer. It is among the best-preserved royal interiors of the early 19th century in Sweden. Rosendal shows how the formal language of the French Empire was adapted to Swedish conditions: with a more restrained architecture and bright, warm rooms.

• Neoclassicism
• Fredrik Blom