Torpa Stenhus

Länghem, Sweden

Torpa stenhus is a well preserved medieval castle near Åsunden. The first stone house was built around 1470 by Privy Council Arvid Knutsson as fortress against the Danes. Reconstruction and remodeling took during the 1500s and 1600s. In the late 1500s the castle was enlarged and modernized: the 4th floor was added, the tower was erected and halls were decorated with beautiful paintings. The castle has still today a well-preserved Renaissance interior. The castle is best known in history as the manor of the Swedish noble family of Stenbock. It was the residence of Catherine Stenbock, third and last consort of King Gustaf Vasa.

The first half of 17th century was a heyday of Torpa Stenhus. Gustav Otto Stenbock built a new wooden manor house adjacent to the stone castle, which was used for representative events. The baroque style chapel was also built and decorated in the late 1699.

Later Torpa has been owned by Sjöblad and Sparre families. Today it hosts a hotel, restaurant and conference center.

References:

Comments

Your name



Address

Torpa 2, Länghem, Sweden
See all sites in Länghem

Details

Founded: 1470
Category: Castles and fortifications in Sweden
Historical period: Kalmar Union (Sweden)

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Pardalis Georgios (10 months ago)
One of the most wonderful places I have visited. The building itself is something the visitor MUST explore (take a guided tour) and the surrounding area is of unspoken beauty
Steven Mills (11 months ago)
Very nice historical site. Opens in May for tours, but you can still walk around it. Beautiful area.
Jenny Suurküla (14 months ago)
Amazing place for history lovers (and I'd say for ghost story lovers as well). An amazingly well-preserved building from the 1470s. Packed full of history - for example king Gustav Vasa visited there in the 1500s, and one of his wives came from Torpa Stenhus. Also several ghost stories. We took a guided tour and the woman was amazing! I think she is only there in the summer though, not sure how it works the rest of the year. Highly recommended indeed!
Andreea Galetschi (4 years ago)
Surprisingly beautiful. Very well kept. It tells a story.
Lori S (4 years ago)
What a beautiful setting for a cool, historic castle. We got a great tour in English and really enjoyed hearing the history is this place.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Château de Foix

The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.

In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians.