Fiholm Castle

Eskilstuna, Sweden

Fiholm was first mentioned in 1275 in the letter of the king Valdemar Birgersson. In 1404 Eric of Pomerania donated it to the Eskilstuna monastery hosted by powerful Order of Saint John. After After Reformation the monastery was demolished and in 1562 received the Privy Council Kristiernson Gabriel Oxenstierna Fiholm as a fiefdom of King Erik XIV.

When Axel Oxenstierna in 1617 inherited Fiholm, he planned to build a castle. He hired Nicodemus Tessin the Elder as an architect. Two magnificent wings in the Franco-Dutch Renaissance style was completed in 1642. The actual main building was designed in 1642 by the French architect Simon de la Vallée in the Dutch Renaissance style, but it was never built.

Today the castle is owned by Charlott and Goran Mörner. There is a café and gift shop in a barn from 1864.

References:

Comments

Your name



User Reviews

Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Château de Foix

The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.

In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians.