Sjöö Castle (modern spelling: Sjö) is a castle in the tiny Parish of Holm (population in the year 2000: 26), in the Municipality of

Enköping Enköping is a locality and the seat of Enköping Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 30,000 inhabitants in 2018. Geography Enköping is situated near Lake Mälaren, about 78 km west of Stockholm. A comparably large number of Swedi ...

Uppland Uppland () is a historical province or ' on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. On the small uninhab ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. The Sjöö Castle Palace with its park is considered one of the most beautiful in Sweden, with its perfect and harmonious proportions.

History

The recorded history of the courtyard of Sjöö Castle begins from the Middle Ages. In 1409, Peter Laurensson took over the estate. In 1541, Gustav Vasa bought the estate from the bailiff Jacob Vestgöte Sjöö. Later, the castle was turned over by

Erik XIV Eric XIV ( sv, Erik XIV; 13 December 153326 February 1577) was King of Sweden from 1560 until he was deposed in 1569. Eric XIV was the eldest son of Gustav I (1496–1560) and Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg (1513–1535). He was also ruler of Est ...

to Gustaf Johansson (Three Roses). The estate was then passed in succession to Johan Gabriel Stenbock (1640-1705), who was one of the most powerful people in Sweden. As the Marshal of the

Realm of Sweden The Swedish Empire was a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic region during the 17th and early 18th centuries ( sv, Stormaktstiden, "the Era of Great Power"). The beginning of the empire is usually t ...

, Stenbock was a statesman, head of the court and chairman of the castle law. In the 17th century, the marshals of the realm were recruited from high noble families. Together with the renowned Swedish architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder (1615-1681) and the architect and master builder

Mathias Spieler Mathias Spihler (c. 1640 – February 1691) was a Swedish architect and master builder of German descent. Biography Spihler was born at Södermalm in Stockholm, Sweden. He aided Jean de la Vallée in the design and construction of Katarina K ...

(1640-1691), Stenbock built Sjöö Castle to his estate. The construction work lasted from 1669 until 1679. The nearby Church of Holm - closely connected with the castle - was erected in 1678, under the watchful eyes of Andreas Hackzelius (1630-1681) who became the first Rector - head of congregation - of the Parish of Holm to utilize the new facilities. The patronage of the Church of Holm then consisted of high-ranking statesmen and royal and other high noble friends and family members of Johan Gabriel Stenbock who owned Sjöö Castle. Johan Stenbock died unmarried. His sister's son's daughter

Hedvig Catharina Lilje Hedvig is a given name. Notable people with the name include: People *Hedvig Catharina De la Gardie (1732–1800), Swedish noblewoman of French descent * Hedvig Catharina Lilje (1695–1745), Swedish noblewoman, salonist and informal amateur-polit ...

inherited the Castle. Lilje married with Magnus Julius De la Gardie. Her son, Fredrik, was married to the famous Catherine Charlotte De la Gardie, who lived in the Castle between 1748 and 1763. In 1813, the castle was sold to Johan Gustaf Banér. Since then, the Banér family has owned the castle.

References

* Johan Eriksson & Peter Liljenstolpe, Sjöö slott: Nicodemus Tessin d.ä. och Johan Gabriel Stenbock som aktörer vid ett stormaktstida slottsbygge, Uppsala 2001. . * Sjö i Nordisk familjebok (andra upplagan, 1917) Castles in Uppsala County {{Sweden-castle-stub

History

See also

References