Salsta Castle

Salsta Castle is one of the finest Baroque palaces in Uppland. The earliest known settlement in Salsta was a fortified farm from the early Middle Ages and the first known owner was Magnus Greg Ersson in the 1300s. The family of Bielke became the owner of Salsta in the 1500s and they erected a three-storey Renaissance castle. The present castle with park was built in 1672-78 by Nils Bielke and the building master was Mathias Spihler. The castle was strongly inspired of French Baroque style. The model of Salsta, as well as many palaces, was taken from Vaux-le-Vicomte, a chateau near Paris.

Also the garden was a French-inspired. Nils Bielke had visited in the Versailles park, knowing that a baroque garden should be symmetric and strictly. There are today only some remains of the original Baroque park, but you can sense the romantic park with winding paths and pedestrian bridges that were built in the 1800s.

An extensive renovation was made at the end of the 1700s. Main floor was reconstructed with new furnishings and modern stoves. The owner of Salsta was then Fredrik Magnus Brahe, who also owned Rydboholm and Skokloster castles. Until 1976 Salsta was a residence of the family von Essen. Since 1996, Salsta is managed by the National Property Board.

Salsta castle became a national monument in 1993 due the well-preserved appearance and the site's long history.

References:

• Statens Fastighetsverk

Address

Lena-Salsta 63, Vattholma, Sweden

Details

Founded: 1672-1678
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Sweden
Historical period: Swedish Empire (Sweden)