Carin Bergström

Skokloster during 350 Years

Skokloster Castle - A Unique Historical Site Skokloster Castle dominates the surrounding landscape in Uppland province. It is impossible to escape the display of power and affluence that Count Carl Gustaf Wrangel put on here during Sweden's Age of Greatness. Construction began in the 1650s - it was the largest private construction project conducted in the country at the time. The castle was filled with costly furniture, luxury goods, textiles and gilt leather, and to this Wrangel added his vast collections of art, books, weapons, tools and exotica. Visitors have marvelled at the unusual building and its lavish collections - a mirror image of 17th century Europe - since the eighteenth century. Skokloster Castle is not only a monument over the Age of Greatness, it is testament to the acquisitive fervour of later tenants in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Today, Skokloster Castle is a state-owned museum and a popular tourist destination that attracts visitors from all over the world. In this book, the history of the castle and its collections is presented by curators, conservators and other experts. Ralf Turander's photographs express the multifaceted beauty of this heritage site.