Tyresö Palace

Tyresö, Sweden

The construction of the Tyresö palace began in the 1620s by the Riksdrots Gabriel Oxenstierna and completed in 1636. He also constructed the nearby Tyresö Church, which was inaugurated with his own burial in 1641.

The palace was inherited by Maria Sofia De la Gardie in 1648, who had married Gustaf Gabrielsson Oxenstierna, nephew of Swedish Regent and Lord High Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna. Both her and her husband's family were extremely wealthy. Maria Sofia resided in Tyresö Palace, from where she managed her estates around Baltic Sea.

During 1770s the palace was modernized and the first English garden in Sweden was created. Planned by the garden architect Fredrik Magnus Piper, it is a mixture of an English park, a Swedish flowery meadow and picture out of a fairy tale - with the ancient forest as its ultimate source. The natural-appearing large-scale landscape gardens still exist today.

Today Tyresö Palace is a museum. Marquis Claes Lagergren had purchased Tyresö Palace in 1892. Assisted by architect Isak Gustaf Clason, the Marquis rebuilt the castle, inspired by original drawings from the 17th century. The Marquis wanted the castle kept as a living document of Swedish history. He rebuilt large parts of the castle in a national romantic style. The marquis died in 1930, and in his will left Tyresö Palace to a museum foundation, the Nordic Museum (Nordiska museet). Today the Nordic Museum owns the castle, and it is open for guided tours during the summer.

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Address

Tyresö Slott, Tyresö, Sweden
See all sites in Tyresö

Details

Founded: 1620-1636
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Sweden
Historical period: Swedish Empire (Sweden)

More Information

www.xn--tyresslott-icb.se
en.wikipedia.org
www.nordiskamuseet.se

Rating

4.3/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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Royal Palace (16,7 km)
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The Royal Coin Cabinet (16,6 km)
Vasa Museum (15,9 km)

User Reviews

Andrew Cheese (4 months ago)
Take the tour. Audio guide provided in many languages so you can take your time. Afterwards take a stroll the park. Don't forget to bring picnic.
Kenneth Ingraham (6 months ago)
Nothing much to say about the castel but the surroundings more than make up for it. I don't want to sound like it was a mistake going there - have gone there twice and will not hesitate to keep returning. The meadows, hills, water, Island, etc., Make for a great spot to picnic with the whole family. Highly recommended if you want a relaxing day out with loved ones.
Sreeni C (7 months ago)
Excellent place for scenic beauty, the palace will be closed during winter. There's a small island kind of area where you can enjoy the weather near waterfront. Lots of apple trees around and you should be lucky to get a ripened one..
Martin T Focazio (11 months ago)
A very nice place if you enjoy nature, hiking, and just sitting around and blissing out. There's nothing major to do here, which sometimes is exactly the thing you want to do. A lovely pastoral setting.
Gilbert Lidholm (11 months ago)
Beautiful furniture and interesting history. Cheap entrens and free use of device where you can listen to the history of most rooms. Nice gardens and pretty views.
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The Porta Nigra (Latin for black gate) is the largest Roman city gate north of the Alps. It is designated as part of the Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St. Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier UNESCO World Heritage Site. The name Porta Nigra originated in the Middle Ages due to the darkened colour of its stone; the original Roman name has not been preserved. Locals commonly refer to the Porta Nigra simply as Porta.

The Porta Nigra was built in grey sandstone between 186 and 200 AD. The original gate consisted of two four-storied towers, projecting as near semicircles on the outer side. A narrow courtyard separated the two gate openings on either side. For unknown reasons, however, the construction of the gate remained unfinished. For example, the stones at the northern (outer) side of the gate were never abraded, and the protruding stones would have made it impossible to install movable gates. Nonetheless, the gate was used for several centuries until the end of the Roman era in Trier.

In Roman times, the Porta Nigra was part of a system of four city gates, one of which stood at each side of the roughly rectangular Roman city. The Porta Nigra guarded the northern entry to the Roman city, while the Porta Alba (White Gate) was built in the east, the Porta Media (Middle Gate) in the south, and the Porta Inclyta (Famous Gate) in the west, next to the Roman bridge across the Moselle. The gates stood at the ends of the two main streets of the Roman Trier, one of which led north-south and the other east-west. Of these gates, only the Porta Nigra still exists today.

In the early Middle Ages the Roman city gates were no longer used for their original function and their stones were taken and reused for other buildings. Also iron and lead braces were broken out of the walls of the Porta Nigra for reuse. Traces of this destruction are still clearly visible on the north side of the gate.

After 1028, the Greek monk Simeon lived as a hermit in the ruins of the Porta Nigra. After his death (1035) and sanctification, the Simeonstift monastery was built next to the Porta Nigra to honor him. Saving it from further destruction, the Porta Nigra was transformed into a church: The inner court of the gate was roofed and intermediate ceilings were inserted. The two middle storeys of the former gate were converted into church naves: the upper storey being for the monks and the lower storey for the general public. The ground floor with the large gates was sealed, and a large outside staircase was constructed alongside the south side (the town side) of the gate, up to the lower storey of the church. A small staircase led further up to the upper storey. The church rooms were accessible through former windows of the western tower of the Porta Nigra that were enlarged to become entrance doors (still visible today). The top floor of the western tower was used as church tower, the eastern tower was leveled, and an apse added at its east side. An additional gate - the much smaller Simeon Gate - was built adjacent to the East side of the Porta Nigra and served as a city gate in medieval times.

In 1802 Napoleon Bonaparte dissolved the church in the Porta Nigra and the monastery beside it, along with the vast majority of Trier"s numerous churches and monasteries. On his visit to Trier in 1804, Napoleon ordered that the Porta Nigra be converted back to its Roman form. Only the apse was kept; but the eastern tower was not rebuilt to its original height. Local legend has it that Napoleon originally wanted to completely tear down the church, but locals convinced him that the church had actually been a Gaulish festival hall before being turned into a church. Another version of the story is that they told him about its Roman origins, persuading him to convert the gate back to its original form.

In 1986 the Porta Nigra was designated a World Heritage Site, along with other Roman monuments in Trier and its surroundings. The modern appearance of the Porta Nigra goes back almost unchanged to the reconstruction ordered by Napoleon. At the south side of the Porta Nigra, remains of Roman columns line the last 100 m of the street leading to the gate. Positioned where they had stood in Roman times, they give a slight impression of the aspect of the original Roman street that was lined with colonnades. The Porta Nigra, including the upper floors, is open to visitors.

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