Mariedal Castle was built in 1666. The splendid interior of the castle provides stucco ceiling and wainscoting. A magnificent portrait collection of the Sparrerska family is displayed there. The manor was called Sörbo and the valley upstream is still called Sörbo Valley. In the middle of the 17th century Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie acquired the manor. On these grounds the present castle with two wings was erected. The castle was named after Magnus Gabriel’s wife Maria Euphrosyne, the sister of King Karl X. It has been commonly assumed that Jean De la Valle was responsible for the design.
There are many obvious similarities between Mariedal and other structures designed by De la Valle, in particular the Riddarhuset (House of Knights) in Stockholm, however, there is yet no proof of any connection between the buildings. Mariedal is now owned by the Virgin family and is counted as one of Västergötland’s finest castles.
References:The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.