Grönsö (or Grönsöö) Castle was built in 1607-1610 by the Privy Council Johan Skytte. The building was constructed of brick and granite in a French style with pitched roof, ridge turrets and four rectangular corner towers. The ground floor can still be seen today with well-preserved interiors and painted ceilings from the 1600s.
Family Skytte owned Grönsö throughout the 1600s until it was reduced to the crown. After reduction, Grönsö has seen number of ownership changes. During the first half of 1700s of the castle was owned by the family Falkenberg . The castle underwent major repairs, whereby the house lost its tower in 1738. The building got its simple but stylish look that survived into modern times.
In 1700 the second half of the estate was owned by Stockholm doctor David von Schultzheim , who in 1786 built a Chinese pavilion on the waterfront, which today is one of Grönsö’s major attractions. The pavilion is located on the waterfront and built according to models of the architect William Chambers and the interior is decorated with shells and minerals from East Asia.
In 1820 Grönsö was acquired by Court Chamberlain, Reinhold Fredrik von Ehrenheim, the first in the current owner's family. The castle has never been completely reconstructed, but has gradually evolved. Traces of each period, thereby continuously preserved in the palace in an unusual way today. The castle is owned and operated today by the family von Ehrenheim and Grönsöö cultural foundation. Grönsö covers 720 hectares of land, which includes apple orchards. Castle Park renovated carefully with the help of landscape architects from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
References: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.