Engso Castle

Engso Castle is located on the island of the same name in Lake Mälaren . It is a cubic four-story building of stone and brick. Its lower parts have been preserved since the Middle Ages. In the 1630s, the castle was renovated and expanded. The fourth floor, two garden wings and a new two-story building and a roof appeared during the reconstruction of 1740-1741 according to the project of architect Karl Horleman . Since that time, the castle got its present look. Around the castle is a large park, and inside it is a large collection of portraits of Swedish nobility.

Engse castle was first mentioned as Engsev ( Swede. Engsev ) in the royal charter of the King of Sweden Knut I Ericsson (who ruled in 1167-196), in which he declared that he had inherited the property after the death of his father, King Eric IX Saint ^[2] . Until 1272, the castle belonged to the Rizeberg Abbey and was then captured by Gregers Birgerssson , the illegitimate son of Birger , the ruler of Sweden and the founder of Stockholm .

From 1475 to 1710, it belonged to the Sparre family. The current castle was built as a fortress by the riksrode Bengt Fadersson Sparre in the 1480s. In 1522, Engse Castle was taken as a result of the siege by King Gustav I Waza , as its owner, the son of Fadersson Knut Bengtsson, sided with Christian II , King of Denmark. However, in 1538 it was donated by the king of Bengtsson's daughter Hillevy Knutsdotter, who was married to Arvid Troll .

In 1710, the castle was in the possession of Karl and Christina Pieper . It belonged to the Piper family from 1710 to 1971, and is now at the disposal of the Westmann Foundation. The castle building itself was turned into a museum in 1959 and was included in the list of architectural monuments in 1965. It is currently open to visitors during the summer ^[3] .

• Gävle slott on slottsguiden.info