visit to Rosersberg Palace means taking a step back into an authentic royal milieu from the turn of the 19th century. The permanent interiors have been untouched since 1860.
In the 1760s the palace became a royal palace when Duke Karl (XIII) moved in and modernized the palace in late Gustavian style.
The modernization was lead by the architect Jean Erik Rehn and an important series of new interiors were introduced, typified by the Orange and Red drawing rooms.
The interiors at Rosersberg Palace differ from the Gustavian style interiors of other royal palaces in Sweden. At Rosersberg the friviolous vein in the Gustavian style has been replaced by a more serious and romantic ideal that is often called Karl XIII Empire style.
Karl XIV Johan and Queen Desideria, the first Bernadottes, were the last royalties to reside at the palace. Karl Johan's bedchamber is one of Sweden's finest examples of an interior from the early 1800s.
http://jeaninasnotebook.blogspot.com/2011/07/king-and-grouch-at-rosersberg-palace.html
I wrote about an ongoing exhibit in Rosersberg Palace, or Rosersbergs slott - the wedding gifts to the Crown princess Victoria and Daniel. Not an impressive exhibit, but it gives an idea as to what people give for gifts to the monarchy.
As I was there, I also went through a guided tour of the palace. I got dizzy during the tour. I was almost afraid I would swoon. But I didn't. Could it be the heat? Or that I had not yet taken my daily dose of Coca Cola?
Anyway, Rosersberg slott was built in the 1630s by Gabriel Bengtsson Oxenstierna, a count.
(This is the hierarchy when it comes to royal titles: King, duke, count or earl, viscountand then baron.
A count however does not need to be a hereditary title. One could have acquired it by earning favor, or property. And even if one had inherited the title, it did not mean that a count had wealth and property. A count is the equivalent of the British title earl. Counts, or earls, are titles inherited by the oldest son of a duke.
The title baron was introduced in England by William I, to distinguish men who pledged loyalty to him))
Anyway, the count - Gabriel Bengtsson Oxienstierna - named the palace after his mom, who belonged to the prestigious Tre Rosor, or Three Roses, family. The property later was acquired by a baron. And then the state. And then a duke, Karl XIII, the youngest brother of the king, Gustav III. Through this duke, the palace became a royal palace.
Later on, the palace would become a favorite palace of King Karl XIV Johan and Queen Desideria. Now this pair was not Swedish, but French. The former was a general of Napoleon Bonaparte, the latter was a daughter of a rich textile merchant. Desideria - or Desirée as her name was in french - was an ex-fiancé of Napoleon, but she got dumped.
Anyway, the french general - whose original name was Jean Bernadotte - was adopted by a Swedish monarch, Karl XIV. Adoption became an option because the swedish king had no sons and the royal family was dying out. And since Jean Bernadotte was a skillful general - and had a prestigious title, considering Napoleon's success - he was considered a good alternative to become a king.
So the french general-turned-swedish king and his wife resided in Rosersberg in the summer. She didn't like Sweden though. She hated the climate, the snow and the snobbish royalty. So she left the country and was separated from the king for 12 years.
Here was the couple's summer palace:
After the death of queen Desideria, it was handed to the Swedish infantry and was a school for musktery until the 1960's. Civil Defense took over, and now some parts are used by Räddningstjänsten, or the Rescue services agency.
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