The Royal Domain of Drottningholm on the island of Lovön, Stockholm, was the first Swedish site on the World Heritage List. The crucial factor for the decision by the World Heritage Committee was the presence of two specific buildings in the domain: the Chinese Pavilion and the Drottningholm Theatre. Drottningholm Castle, a listed historic building, is now the residence of the royal family. The Chinese Pavilion, the Drottningholm Theatre and parts of the castle are open to the public.

Drottningholm Castle was built by the Queen dowager Hedvig Eleonora. Work began at the end of the seventeenth century under the architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder and was completed by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger. The interior was decorated between 1665 and 1703, at first in a heavy, sumptuous baroque style, but later increasingly refined to French patterns. Nicodemus Tessin the Younger also laid out the strict baroque garden according to the French model. The park was later expanded with a wilder section, and Gustav III also had an English park laid out in 1777.

Drottningholm Theatre is one of the best preserved baroque theatres in Europe. It was built in 1764-66 but its true period of greatness did not start until 1777, when Gustav III took over the castle. After the death of Gustav III, theatrical performances were discontinued and the theatre fell into oblivion. In 1922 it was restored to its original state under the direction of Agne Beijer. The sophisticated theatrical machinery is still fully intact, enabling quick changes of scene with the curtain up. A unique collection of stage sets is preserved.

The Chinese Pavilion was built in 1769 to replace a wooden pavilion from 1753. The architecture is basically French rococo but it has an exotic character, with Chinese and other oriental elements, which were the height of fashion then. The interiors are among the most splendid in Swedish rococo. The exterior of the Chinese Pavilion was renovated in 1943-55 and the interior in 1959-68. A thoroughgoing restoration of the exterior was started in 1990.

The Royal Domain of Drottningholm was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1991. The justification of the World Heritage Committee was:

"The Drottningholm site - the castle, the theatre, the Chinese pavilion, and the park - is the best example in Sweden of a royal eighteenth-century residence, representative of all European architecture from this period. Drottningholm Castle was influenced by the French king's Versailles, as were many other castles in Europe at this time."

Contact:

Castle administration - Phone: +468-402 62 80

See also:
Drottningholms slottsteater - The Royal theatre at Drottningholm.
The Royal Palaces - The Royal Court of Sweden.
The Royal Domain of Drottningholm - UNESCO.