Stenhammar is a palace and mansion located outside Flen in Södermanland County. The property has been known to exist since the 1300s. The estate was, in the late Middle Ages, developed by Laurens Birgersson and his sons. In the 16th century it was sold to Jöns Arp, a member of the royal council of that time. Through his daughter Carin’s marriage the estate came to the Rosenhane family. It was this family who erected the palace building we can see today.
The main building consists of two floors with several towers and was erected in 1658 after drawings by Jean de la Vallée and got its present appearance in the mid-19th century by architect Abraham Nyström. Parts of the facade were renovated in 2003. In addition to the main building itself, there is a large property portfolio of about 150 buildings.
Stenhammar is owned by the State and it has been leased to King Carl XVI Gustaf since 1966, but is not considered a crown palace. The previous leaseholder was Prince Wilhelm, Duke of Södermanland (younger brother of the Kings' paternal grandfather) who lived there and held it until his death. Stenhammar was donated to the State by landowner and courtier Robert von Kræmer in 1903, and the will stipulates that it should be leased out to a Prince of the Royal House, preferably a Duke of Södermanland, if there is one.
References:Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.
The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.
These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.