The Royal Palace in Stockholm in Sweden is the official residence of the Swedish monarchs. It is located in the heart of the capital, on the front embankment of the island of Stadholm, so no tourist can pass by it.
In the vicinity of the Swedish capital is a lot of palaces, which at different times were the residence of the monarch. Each has its own name: Drottningholm, Rozersberg and others. But only the palace, which is located in the very center of the city, has no name, since when people speak about the Royal Palace, locals and tourists know what kind of building they are talking about.
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History
The Royal Palace is considered to be the oldest of the surviving palaces in Sweden. Archaeologists discovered the first wooden fortifications during the excavations, which date back to the 10th century. This became a significant proof of the old age of construction and influenced the awarding of the title "The most ancient rezidence."
Some of the remains of the palace walls, preserved to this day, were created in the middle of the 16th century. At that time the building was called "The Castle of Three Coronas", and its owner was Magnus Erickson. This unusual name was given to the palace due to the fact that Magnus owned three kingdoms: Sweden, Norway, Skåne.
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One of the main attractions of the castle are the medieval towers with loopholes, which were built into the facade of the building later.
In 1523, the kingdom was headed by Gustav I, who decided to significantly change the building. Remaking it from a medieval fortress in gray tones to a palace made in a luxurious Renaissance style.
May 7 in 1697 there was a large-scale fire that destroyed almost the entire castle, with the death of most of the King's art collection. In the renovated palace the royal family could return only after several decades. After the reconstruction, the residence consisted of four facades. The western was prepared especially for the King, the eastern one for the Queen, the northern one was intended for the meeting of the Swedish parliament and the royal library, which was very rich. The southern facade is the most solemn. It consisted of a monumental archway, along which the State Hall and the Royal Chapel are located. The architects wanted to depict the symbols of the Swedish state - the throne and the altar.
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The Royal Palace as a tourist attraction
In the Royal Palace more than 600 rooms, including royal apartments, a solemn hall, the chambers of the Knight's Order, the palace museum "Three Crowns", the Arsenal, the Treasury and the Antique Museum of Gustav III, which visitors have the opportunity to see.
But the Royal Palace in Stockholm conquers not only its architecture and rich history, which stretches from the Middle Ages. Many tourists specifically go there to look at how the guard changes. This event is given not only strategic importance, but also aesthetic.
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Every day at noon at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, there is a change of guard. It begins with a speech by the "commander-in-chief", in which he tells the story of the ritual and only after that the soldiers come out, who, with their bearing and clearness of movements, give the guard of spectacle change.
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