Mariedal Castle was built in 1666. The splendid interior of the castle provides stucco ceiling and wainscoting. A magnificent portrait collection of the Sparrerska family is displayed there. The manor was called Sörbo and the valley upstream is still called Sörbo Valley. In the middle of the 17th century Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie acquired the manor. On these grounds the present castle with two wings was erected. The castle was named after Magnus Gabriel’s wife Maria Euphrosyne, the sister of King Karl X. It has been commonly assumed that Jean De la Valle was responsible for the design.
There are many obvious similarities between Mariedal and other structures designed by De la Valle, in particular the Riddarhuset (House of Knights) in Stockholm, however, there is yet no proof of any connection between the buildings. Mariedal is now owned by the Virgin family and is counted as one of Västergötland’s finest castles.
References:Rosenborg Palace was built in the period 1606-34 as Christian IV’s summerhouse just outside the ramparts of Copenhagen. Christian IV was very fond of the palace and often stayed at the castle when he resided in Copenhagen, and it was here that he died in 1648. After his death, the palace passed to his son King Frederik III, who together with his queen, Sophie Amalie, carried out several types of modernisation.
The last king who used the place as a residence was Frederik IV, and around 1720, Rosenborg was abandoned in favor of Frederiksborg Palace.Through the 1700s, considerable art treasures were collected at Rosenborg Castle, among other things items from the estates of deceased royalty and from Christiansborg after the fire there in 1794.
Soon the idea of a museum arose, and that was realised in 1833, which is The Royal Danish Collection’s official year of establishment.