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.

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Address

Sofierovägen 131, Helsingborg, Sweden
See all sites in Helsingborg

Details

Founded: 1865
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Sweden
Historical period: Union with Norway and Modernization (Sweden)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
www.sofiero.se

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Kronborg Castle (5,5 km)
St. Mary's Church (4,8 km)
Kärnan (4,6 km)
Helsingør Cathedral (6,1 km)
Carmelite Priory (6 km)


City Hall (45,8 km)
Charlottenborg Palace (45,1 km)
Christiansborg Palace (45,6 km)
Rundetårn (45,1 km)
Trinitatis Church (45 km)
Amalienborg (44,7 km)
Caritas Well (45,4 km)
Rosenborg Castle (44,6 km)
National Museum of Denmark (45,8 km)

User Reviews

Githa Skea-Thuesen (2 years ago)
Beautiful! And great location for strolling. Will be back in spring / summer season, hoping to dine in the cafe / restaurant (closed during winter season).
Conny Gunnarsson (3 years ago)
Used to be the Swedish Kings summer-stay castle, now a magnificent garden, especially in May when the rhododendron is in full bloom! A great and truly magical concert arena, holding Toto and ZZ-top in 2017, and Sting and many others earlier.
Amado Carino (3 years ago)
An enormous magical garden built around the Sofiero Castle, offering thousands of variety of fruit trees and flowers so enchanting you can spend a whole day wandering around the grounds and absorb the beauty of the estate. Not only the variety but the way the flowers and trees were arranged is so special that it makes the ace more appealing and enjoyable. If you like flowers and trees, this is a must.
Yê Schmidt (3 years ago)
The garden is something to see absolutely ! Take your time strolling down the park, you might come across a magical forest, you never know ! Try to enter the castle. The first floor is a museum with some rooms displaying art and some rooms recreating the ambiance when the castle was still lived-in. We really enjoyed our morning there !
Carolyn Bailey (3 years ago)
Beautiful experience. Our tour guide was excellent! Very informative with lots of personal stories about the family. Delicious lunch!! And the dessert was to die for! Thanks for a wonderful experience!!
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The Beckov castle stands on a steep 50 m tall rock in the village Beckov. The dominance of the rock and impression of invincibility it gaves, challenged our ancestors to make use of these assets. The result is a remarkable harmony between the natural setting and architecture.

The castle first mentioned in 1200 was originally owned by the King and later, at the end of the 13th century it fell in hands of Matúš Èák. Its owners alternated - at the end of the 14th century the family of Stibor of Stiborice bought it.

The next owners, the Bánffys who adapted the Gothic castle to the Renaissance residence, improved its fortifications preventing the Turks from conquering it at the end of the 16th century. When Bánffys died out, the castle was owned by several noble families. It fell in decay after fire in 1729.

The history of the castle is the subject of different legends. One of them narrates the origin of the name of castle derived from that of jester Becko for whom the Duke Stibor had the castle built.

Another legend has it that the lord of the castle had his servant thrown down from the rock because he protected his child from the lords favourite dog. Before his death, the servant pronounced a curse saying that they would meet in a year and days time, and indeed precisely after that time the lord was bitten by a snake and fell down to the same abyss.

The well-conserved ruins of the castle, now the National Cultural Monument, are frequently visited by tourists, above all in July when the castle festival takes place. The former Ambro curia situated below the castle now shelters the exhibition of the local history.

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