Stockholm Palace
When the Tre Kronor castle burned in 1697, Tessin the Younger had already begun rebuilding it. He designed a new palace on the model of Roman city palaces: a closed quadrangle with an inner courtyard and four different façades. War and finances meant that construction took a long time; the royal family could not move in until 1754.
The medieval castle of Tre Kronor had been rebuilt many times. In the 1690s Nicodemus Tessin the Younger began rebuilding the north range in a modern style. On 7 May 1697 the castle burned, and Charles XII commissioned Tessin to build an entirely new one. Work began immediately, but after the defeat at Poltava in 1709 it came to a complete halt for many years. Building could not resume until 1727, and when Tessin died in 1728 his son Carl Gustaf Tessin and Carl Hårleman took over. The palace is built of brick, with rendered façades and details in sandstone. The royal family, Adolf Frederick and Lovisa Ulrika, moved in in 1754. The building became a national project that continued through several reigns.
The palace is a closed quadrangle around an inner courtyard, with additional wings to the west and east. Each façade has its own character. The south façade is designed as a triumphal arch, flanked by the Hall of State and the Royal Chapel. Queen Christina’s silver throne stands in the Hall of State. The north façade faces Norrström, with Lejonbacken. The west side has a semicircular outer courtyard where the Royal Guard parades. The north range contains the Gallery of Charles XI, inspired by the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles and begun before the fire. The interiors range from Tessin’s Baroque to Hårleman’s Rococo and later Gustavian rooms. Remains of Tre Kronor are preserved in the basements, including walls from the medieval fortress.
Tessin’s models were the Roman city palaces and Bernini’s unexecuted design for the Louvre in Paris. He envisaged the palace as the centre of a new town plan, with squares and bridges around it, and part of the plan was later realised, including Norrbro. During the 19th and 20th centuries interiors were remodelled to suit the needs of new kings, but the façades have been retained. The sandstone has weathered and has been gradually replaced since the late 20th century. Today the palace houses the Royal Armoury, the Treasury and the Tre Kronor Museum. Stockholm Palace is still the official residence and workplace of the head of state. It is one of the largest palaces in Europe still used for its original purpose and the most important Baroque building in Sweden.