My Year in Lyon: Sweden: Drottningholm Palace

I took the subway out to Drottmingholm Palace on the outskirts of Stockholm. Excellent public transportation in Stockholm! This is the official home of the Swedish Royal Family, who open one of the wings to the public. The palace and gardens are included on the UNESCO World Heritage List – basically a shortlist of the most incredible sites in the world. It makes it easy to plan a vacation, just look up what UNESCO sites are near where you are going and you are sure to be impressed!

The Palace is in the island of Lovon, with a beautiful lake out front and extensive gardens behind. The main style inside is Baroque, as the palace was constructed in the late 1600s. Many of the rooms have been left in their original state. There was one room that was decorated in a modern style, but still fit for a palace. Apparantly that is was the private appartments look like, a pleasant mix of old and new. The Swedish monarchy is very modern – in the 80s they even amended the law to allow princesses to inherit before their younger brothers, giving them equal rights as men. Interesting how in many countries women have all the same legal rights as men, except when it comes to the head of state!

Lake Malar. The palace is located on the island of Lovon. There are ferry boats from central Stockholm to Drottningholm.

Drottiningholm Palace on Lake Malar.

Garden in front of the palace, Lake Malar.

The Palace Church.

Drottningholm Palace, seen from the back gardens.

The fantastical Chinese Pavilion, built at a time when chinoiserie was the hight of chic in the royal courts of Europe, is an interesting sight to see in the midst of the extensive baroque and rococo gardens. Lots of wedding photos going on here, and for good reason!

The Chinese Pavilion. One of the rooms was undergoing restoration - it was really cool to see how they go about preserving the buildings and furniture.