Royal Palace in Stockholm - Stockholm Palace, Kungliga slottet

Anyone walking from the centre of Stockholm via Norrbron or Strömbron on their way to Gamla stan will also pass the Royal Palace. The building is huge. The palace is said to have 605 rooms, one more than Buckingham Palace in London. The rooms are spread over seven floors. This makes the Royal Palace in Stockholm one of the largest palaces in Europe.

We don’t find the Royal Palace particularly beautiful. It is also difficult to photograph, we feel. There are no trees or other greenery. The palace often looks dark, clunky and chunky – quite different from Drottningholm Palace, where the royal family lives.

Outside of Sweden, the Royal Palace is often called Stockholm Palace. On Stockholm street maps it is called Kungliga slottet.

Erected on burnt-down foundation walls

In 1697, Tre Kronor Castle burnt down on the site of today’s Royal Palace. The fire started right next to the fire watch. No one fell victim to the fire itself. However, during the rescue of the furniture and other objects, one person died: As the fire raged more and more fiercely, everything of value was simply thrown out of the window. In the process, someone was hit on the head by a heavy bible and died.

Today’s Royal Palace was built on the foundation walls of the burnt-down palace. The new Royal Palace was designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger. In Italian Baroque style, it is modelled on a Roman palace. Incidentally, the design was completed so quickly that it was rumoured that Tessin himself might have caused the old palace to burn down.

The construction of the new palace was supposed to take six years. In fact, however, it took sixty years because Sweden had no money due to several wars. By the time the palace was finished, it was already out of fashion.

Workplace and residence

Today, the Royal Palace in Stockholm is primarily the workplace of the Swedish royal family. It still serves as the official residence. On the occasion of state visits and other celebrations, the palace may therefore be closed to the general public. When this happens, information can be found on the Royal Court’s website (see link below).

Museums

At other times, the palace is open to visitors. There are five museums in total, including Gustav III’s Antique Museum, the Tre Kronor Museum, the Treasury and the Armoury with royal robes, armour, coronation carriages and magnificent carriages from the Royal Stables.

You can also visit the royal family chambers, the Imperial Hall and the Order Rooms.

Parade and Changing of the Guard

The parade of the guards and the daily changing of the guard are also spectacular, usually at midday (12.15 on weekdays, 13.15 on Sundays, see link below for exact times). In the summer months, the guard parade rides with music through the alleys of the city to the palace. If you’re lucky, they play a medley of Abba songs.

Souvenirs and gifts

The palace also has a shop selling souvenirs and gifts, the “Slottsboden”. There you can buy not only postcards, key rings and other souvenirs, but also exclusive jewellery in silver and gold. There are also furnishings: textiles, porcelain, glass, cachepots, trays … – all with patterns taken from the Royal Collections.