Sofiero Castle, Helsingborg, Sweden

Sofiero Castle was one of the Swedish royal family's country mansions. It was originally a Scanian farm called Skabelycke, bought in 1864 by Crown Prince Oscar of Sweden and his wife Sophia of Nassau. The first one-story palace was completed in 1865. It was expanded to its current size between 1874 and 1876, after crown prince Oscar had been crowned king Oscar II of Sweden and Norway.

In 1905, Oscar II's grandchild Prince Gustaf Adolf, future King Gustaf VI Adolf, and his wife, crown princess Margaret received the palace as a wedding gift. They renovated the palace and started the large Rhododendron garden for which the palace is known today. Prince Gustaf Adolf become king in 1950 and until 1973 Sofiero was his and his second wife Lady Louise Mountbatten's official summer residence. It was supposedly the King's favorite place and upon his death, which occurred in Helsingborg, he left Sofiero to the city of Helsingborg so that the general public could enjoy it as much as he had.

The main attraction today is the very large gardens with a wide range of local (and other) plant life, stretching to the shore of Oresund. The Rhododendrons are especially noteworthy, consisting of almost 500 different varieties. The park also holds a small collection of modern art. During the summer the large grass areas are sometimes used for large outdoor concerts with national as well as international stars. The castle itself is today used as restaurant, cafe and at times as a gallery.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Actual Counterfactual (6 months ago)
Pretty OK for being winter, I guess it will be much nicer in the summer time. It looked fairly well maintained for being late December, I expected it to be messier and forgotten, but was actually pretty decent.

Imagine 38 (7 months ago)
Unfortunately the castle is close in winter but you can still go there just to visit the park it's free during winter. The park is very well, great if you have children. You can see the sea !

Elena Konovalova (8 months ago)
I take away one star just because this year as we got to know they didn't decorate the whole park due to covid19, therefore the price for it doesn't really adjust to reality. Nice cafes around and very cozy time to spend with kids and friends. 30 minutes will definitely be enough in order to see the whole thing. If you are bored some evening, I would recommend to see it. Something is better then nothing!

Luciane Fortes (9 months ago)
It's a beautiful place to walk through in nature. Friends have advised me to come back in the spring for a much more impressive view. ?

Steve Christie (11 months ago)
Interesting gardens, the castle itself was a bit of a let down. Overpriced entry.

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