Tidö Castle, Västerås, Sweden

Tidö is one of Sweden's best preserved Baroque palaces, built in the Dutch Renaissance style. The first building on the site was a medieval house built by the Gren family in the 15th century. In 1537, the Gren family sold the castle to the Queen consort, Margaret Leijonhufvud. In 1540, her husband, king Gustav Vasa, traded the castle to Ekolsund Castle and Tidö came to the Tott family. Today, minor ruins of the former house can be found next to the present building.

The present castle at Tidö was built by the Lord High Chancellor of Sweden Axel Oxenstierna in 1625–1645. The castle was built around a rectangular courtyard with the main building to the north and the three linked wings to the east, west and south. The main entrance is through a vault in the south wing. In 1889, the von Schinkel family bought Tidö and they still own it today. Today visitors may see the Toy Museum.

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User Reviews

Hans Södervall (8 months ago)
17th century castle well worth a visit! Beautiful surroundings!

Esther Emmanuella Spio (9 months ago)
Got here later hours of the day but was able to get a good view of the surroundings although I didn’t enter or have an assisted tour. Will recommend for anyone around Västerås.

Oksana Valetska (11 months ago)
Good place to visit, but do not expect a lot of "glamor" from this castle. It's another style. To visit the third floor you need to buy a ticket, but it is worth it.

Eric A.L. Axner (4 years ago)
I was here a few times as a child, from which I have no memory. Visiting it now however, I can say for certainty that it is a fabulous castle, sterdy and rustic, much like its original owner Axel Oxenstierna, the creator (for good and bad) of the Swedish bureaucracy. I can definitely see myself visiting again.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Andy Hay

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The ancient Argos Theater was built in 320 BC. and is located in Argos, Greece against Larissa Hill. Nearby from this site is Agora, Roman Odeon, and the Baths of Argos. The theater is one of the largest architectural developments in Greece and was renovated in ca 120 AD.

The Hellenistic theater at Argos is cut into the hillside of the Larisa, with 90 steps up a steep incline, forming a narrow rectilinear cavea. Among the largest theaters in Greece, it held about 20,000 spectators and is divided by two landings into three horizontal sections. Staircases further divide the cavea into four cunei, corresponding to the tribes of Argos A high wall was erected to prevent unauthorized access into the theatron and may have helped the acoustics, but it is said the sound quality is still very good today.

Around 120 CE, both theaters were renovated in the Roman style.

Tidö Castle

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