Contributions of the group Sweden (Sverige)

Winter View

nobody@ipernity.com (Eva-Britt) — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 07:09:17 +0000

The view from our balcony November 1.st
Skellefteå; Sweden

Sweden - Stockholm, Kungliga slottet

nobody@ipernity.com (Jaap van 't Veen) — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 16:22:27 +0000

The Royal Palace (Kungliga Slottet) is one of Europe’s largest palaces. The interior of this impressive building consists of 1.430 rooms of which 660 have windows. It is still the official residence of the Swedish King and Queen and also the work place and is used for official receptions.

The palace is built in Italian baroque style in the 18th century on the site of the former ‘Tre Kronor’ castle, which burned down in 1697. The royal family was not able to move back in until 1754, nearly sixty years after the fire.

The royal palace is open for public and offers also several museums.
See for more info: www.kungahuset.se/royalcourt/visittheroyalpalaces/theroyalpalace/thepalace.4.396160511584257f2180003755.html

Main picture: royal palace of Stockholm
PiP 1: interior of the royal chapel
PiP 2: inner court of the palace
PiP 3: royal guards in front of the palace

Sweden - Torekov

nobody@ipernity.com (Jaap van 't Veen) — Wed, 22 Jun 2016 16:23:34 +0000

Jaap van 't Veen has posted:

Torekov is a small village at the tip of the Bjärehalvön peninsula. Originally it was a fishing village, but nowadays a well-known holiday destination due to its ideal location at the sea with some beautiful beaches.

Sweden - Tjärby, Örelids Stenar

nobody@ipernity.com (Jaap van 't Veen) — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 08:30:59 +0000

Jaap van 't Veen has posted:

Örelids Stenar (or Örelids gravfält) is dating back to the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age. People of the village of Örelid buried their dead in this grave field. There are 36 standing stones from the Iron Age and four mounds from the Bronze Age. One of the mounds was examined in 1930; the archeologists found a bronze dagger and double buttons.

Behind the church in Tjärby, Örelids Stenar stands out against the horizon, situated on a beach embankment from the final stage of the Ice Age. In the 1830s there were more than 100 standing stones in the grave field. In 1971 many fallen stones were re-erected.

Sweden - Alvastra kloster

nobody@ipernity.com (Jaap van 't Veen) — Tue, 19 Jan 2016 09:05:58 +0000

Jaap van 't Veen has posted:

Alvastra Abbey was founded by Cistercian monks from Clairvaux in France in the year of 1143 after a donation of land from King Sverker I of Sweden. It was the first Cistercian settlement in Sweden. The monastery is one of the oldest and was the largest of the country.

Alvastra Abbey flourished for nearly 400 years, but after the Swedish Lutheran reformation in the 1530s, the monastery was demolished, never to be rebuilt. Construction materials - limestone from the nearby Omberg - were used among other things for building Vadstena Castle.

The ruins have been restored and preserved in several phases. Nowadays it is one of the most important cultural sights in the province of Östergötland and open for visitors.

Sweden - Vadstena Slott

nobody@ipernity.com (Jaap van 't Veen) — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 09:58:23 +0000

Jaap van 't Veen has posted:

Vadstena Slott (Vadstena Castle) is a former royal castle, originally built by King Gustav I in 1545 as a fortress to protect Stockholm from possible attacks by the Danes and the Smålanders. The fortress consisted of three smaller stone buildings facing Lake Vättern, three 31-meter wide ramparts, a courtyard, a moat and four circular cannon turrets.

However, the plans changed and in the 1550s the reconstruction from fortress into a habitable castle began and the buildings were turned into a Renaissance palace for Duke Magnus, the King’s son. It was not fully completed until 1620. It is still one of Sweden’s best examples of Renaissance architecture.

Vadstena Castle was a royal palace until 1716, when the royal family lost interest in it; after which it became a storage barn for grain. The original ramparts were torn down in the 19th century and the present impressive ramparts were inaugurated in 1999

Since 1899, the castle has housed the Provincial Archives and nowadays it houses also the International Vadstena Academy, an opera house and the Castle Museum

Sweden - Strömsholms Slott

nobody@ipernity.com (Jaap van 't Veen) — Tue, 08 Sep 2015 08:34:49 +0000

Jaap van 't Veen has posted:

Strömsholms Slott is one of the royal palaces in Sweden. It is built on the site of a former fortress from the mid 16th century and is located on an islet in the Kolbäck river, nearby Lake Mälaren. Strömsholm Slottwas built in 1669-1674 for Queen Hedvid Eleonora and designed by architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder.

The baroque palace with its remarkable yellow colour has 18th century interiors and an important collection of Swedish paintings. The palace consists of a central building framed by four square corner towers and a central domed tower. About twenty estate buildings were erected at the same time as the palace.

Sweden - Sigtuna, Mariakyrkan

nobody@ipernity.com (Jaap van 't Veen) — Sat, 16 May 2015 07:21:29 +0000

Jaap van 't Veen has posted:

The construction of the ‘Mariakyrkan’ (St. Mary’s Church) started in the year of 1230 and was inaugurated in 1247. It is the oldest stone building in the area around Lake Mälaren. The church was built even before Stockholm was founded. The beautiful brick exterior shows a style between Romanesque and Gothic.

The church originally belonged to a Dominican monastery, but was demolished after the Reformation in 1530 and the Mariakyrkan became the local parish church. The church is the only medieval church in Sigtuna to have survived the Reformation.

The interior houses a number of fine medieval artifacts and wall paintings. The altarpiece has sculpted figures of the 14th century (PiP 1) and beneath the beautiful stained-glass window is a magnificent altarpiece, which probably was made in Sigtuna (PiP 2).

Sweden - Trelleborg, Trelleborgen Fortress

nobody@ipernity.com (Jaap van 't Veen) — Mon, 23 Jun 2014 08:39:24 +0000

Jaap van 't Veen has posted:

In 1988 traces of a fortress complex were found at the highest point of the city of Trelleborg. It turned out this wall belonged to a wooden ring fortress from the Viking Age. The fortress was built in the 980’s - most probably on orders from Harald Bluetooth, by that time king of Denmark.

The Trelleborgen as it exists nowadays is a reconstruction from 1995, based on the archaeological finds, crafts traditions and educated guesses. The reconstructed quarter of the fortress lies in the middle of the city.

The complex offers also a Vikingmuseum, a souvenir shop and a café.

Sweden - Ystad

nobody@ipernity.com (Jaap van 't Veen) — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 10:30:52 +0000

Jaap van 't Veen has posted:

Lilla Västergatan: one of the most photographed streets in the old part of Ystad. In the background the tower of the S:ta Maria Kyrka (13th century).

Sweden - Simrishamn, Sankt Nicolai kyrka

nobody@ipernity.com (Jaap van 't Veen) — Sat, 26 Jul 2014 08:30:47 +0000

Jaap van 't Veen has posted:

Sankt Nicolai kyrka (St. Nicholas’ Church) is dating back to the 12th century and was first mentioned in 1161. The nave was added during the next century. The church - named after Sankt Nicolaus, the patron saint of the sea men - was originally a chapel for fishermen and as the town expanded, has been built on substantially. It became its present size at the end of the Middle Ages.

The exterior of the church was changed in 1953 when the white plaster was knocked down and the original facade of quartzite appeared, something that gives the church its external character.

The church is located in the centre of the city of Simrishamn, next to the Stortorget, the central square. The flowers are from a Crimson Hawthorn.

Sweden - Smygehuk, harbour

nobody@ipernity.com (Jaap van 't Veen) — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 09:42:07 +0000

Jaap van 't Veen has posted:

The area around the little harbour of Smygehuk has been inhabited for a long time. The small fishing hamlet has existed here since the 17th century. The harbour, built in the 1920's, was originally a limestone quarry. The small 'falu red' houses are huts where fishermen keep their nets.

Nearbij the harbour one can find a coign af vantage that marks Sweden's southernmost point.

Smygehuk's lighthouse (see note in the main picture), built in 1883, ia a 17 m high cast iron tower.