The Chinese Pavilion built as a gift for Queen Lovisa Ulrika

The Chinese Pavilion is one of Sweden's Royal Palaces and a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the grounds of the Drottningholm Palace park. Built between 1753 and 1769, it was a surprise gift from King Adolf Frederick to Queen Lovisa Ulrika for her birthday on 24 July 1753. The first building was a simple pavilion with two wings, prefabricated in Stockholm and assembled on-site. The architects were likely Court Supervisors Carl Hårleman and Carl Johan Cronstedt.

Because the first wooden structure was built in haste and secrecy, it did not endure the harsh Swedish climate. After ten years, rot began to attack the frame, and the King and Queen commissioned Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz to create a new and bigger pavilion made from more durable materials. This second structure, completed in 1769, replaced the 1753 wooden pavilion. The interior design work was led by Jean Eric Rehn, creating an exotic rococo style intended to reflect the height of fashion at the time.

The walls in the Yellow Room are covered with Chinese lacquered panels depicting relations between Asia and Europe in the 1700s. The pavilion also features four houses in Chinese style to the north, including The Billiard, The Silver Chamber, Adolf Frederick's Studio, and The Confidence. The Confidence is a dining room where tables could be hoisted up through the floor, allowing the royals to eat in confidence without the presence of servants.

The pavilion has undergone several renovations, including exterior work in 1927–1928, 1943–1955, and 1989–1996, as well as interior work in 1959–1968.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons