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

Lee Norris (ELNOR) (47 days ago)
Stopped for a couple of hours, the gardens are spectacular and worth visiting every little bit of the grounds. The house is beautiful and much like a museum of life and architecture. We had lunch in the orangery which was lovely.

Roxanne Graham (55 days ago)
Very quiet environment. Loved the scenery and organisation. A place where you can spend half to all your day. There are restaurant/bistro options (the one across the bridge I recommend for affordable prices). Enjoyable experience.

Giga Chitishvili (4 months ago)
Very nice place to visit when you are at Helsingborg! Nice coffee and cafeteria there too, and suitable for children, amazing tree-house is there for your children to play. Inside the castle nice expositions. Recommendation would be student price for entry, now its 120Krona for adults. Staff is very friendly!

David Cline (13 months ago)
Absolutely LOVED the castle and the gardens were incredible. We could easily spend most of the day. Even in the rain the grounds and garden called to us.

Matt Speare (13 months ago)
Absolutely stunning gardens, the planting is some of the best I have seen in any botanical garden. Well worth the visit and from an English perspective a very interesting history linking Swedish and English royalty.

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The Broch of Gurness is an Iron Age broch village. Settlement here began sometime between 500 and 200 BC. At the centre of the settlement is a stone tower or broch, which once probably reached a height of around 10 metres. Its interior is divided into sections by upright slabs. The tower features two skins of drystone walls, with stone-floored galleries in between. These are accessed by steps. Stone ledges suggest that there was once an upper storey with a timber floor. The roof would have been thatched, surrounded by a wall walk linked by stairs to the ground floor. The broch features two hearths and a subterranean stone cistern with steps leading down into it. It is thought to have some religious significance, relating to an Iron Age cult of the underground.

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In the 9th century, a Norse woman was buried at the site in a stone-lined grave with two bronze brooches and a sickle and knife made from iron. Other finds suggest that Norse men were buried here too.

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