Nestled in Hässelby gård, west of Stockholm, Hässelby Palace (Hässelby slott) showcases its historical charm. Initially, Gustaf Bonde began building it as a hunting lodge around the 1640s. However, the castle changed hands several times, with the Bonde family owning it for 275 consecutive years, until the City of Stockholm bought it in 1931. The mansion is a unique blend of Swedish and French architecture. Jean de la Vallée, a French architect active in Sweden in the 17th century, designed the mansion.
His son, Jean de la Vallée, completed the construction, leaving his mark in the mansion’s two wings, influenced by traditional French styles featuring elevated pavilions and architectural details borrowed from France. The French influence extends to the gardens as well. According to local folklore, a French garden designer was brought in to design Hässelby’s Baroque gardens. The resulting garden is characterized by a maze, a rose garden, and a belvedere, making it one of Sweden’s most beautiful gardens of its kind.
Today, Hässelby Palace stands as a monument to the Bonde family’s long tenure and Jean de la Vallée’s groundbreaking architecture. Owned by the City of Stockholm, the mansion now sits on a green hill, providing breathtaking vistas of the surrounding rolling hills and verdant landscape.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nik Frost
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