House of Nobility, Stockholm, Sweden

The House of Nobility (Riddarhuset, “the House of Knights”) was built in 1641-1672 as a chamber of Estates of the Realm, and as such, a Swedish equivalent to the British House of Lords. After 1866, when the Riksdag of the Estates was replaced by the new parliament, the Swedish House of Nobility served as a quasi-official representation of the Swedish nobility, regulated by the Swedish government. Since 2003, it has been a private institution, which maintains records and acts as an interest group on behalf of the Swedish nobility, with the main purpose to maintain old traditions and culture.

The building design was started by the French-born architect Simon De la Vallée, but was killed by a Swedish nobleman in 1642. The plans were eventually finished by his son, Jean De la Vallée, in 1660. In the 18th century, the building was often used for public concerts. From 1731, public concerts were performed here by Kungliga Hovkapellet. The south end of the building carries the Latin inscription CLARIS MAIORUM EXEMPLIS, after the clear example of the forefathers, and holds a statue of Gustav II Adolph. North of the building is a park in which is a statue of Axel Oxenstierna. The architecture of the old main library in Turku, Finland was influenced by the Swedish House of Nobility.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

R K (3 months ago)
Even from the surface the Riddarhuset and the status is something you should see it when you visit Stockholm as I find it quite charming as Stockholm is quite known as quite on a modern edge so it's always nice to see authentic elements emerges to old one. However, this side is more of the authentic side of Stockholm (old city) which I recommend strolling around discovering location that may be not recommended on your typical tourists guide book.

Stephen Mills (6 months ago)
Pleasant place with nice staff that are well informed, lots of history to take in.

Caspar von Campenhausen (8 months ago)
Very beautiful and impressive

VIKAS KUMAR SINGH (20 months ago)
Great architecture of place

Lukasz Graniczek (Lukegeetravels) (2 years ago)
What an amazing piece of architecture! This building was very much alive hosting some kind of party when I walked by. The interiors of this building are gorgeous as they used to host meetings for the nobility, as the name suggest! Worth a visit!

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