Solliden Castle on Öland - stroll in a royal garden

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Solliden Palace on Öland is the royal family's summer paradise. Although the villa is private, most of the beautiful garden is open to the public. Here you can stroll through beautifully landscaped parks, and perhaps have a coffee at Kaffetorpet.

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Solliden Castle

Solliden Palace was once built as a summer residence for Sweden's future Queen Victoria (Victoria of Baden) and was completed in 1906. Victoria had health problems and hoped that the mild climate on Öland would make her feel better.

Solliden Castle is located just outside Borgholm, on the west coast of Öland.

Kaffetorpet at Solliden Castle

Almost as soon as you arrive at Solliden Castle, you are greeted by Kaffetorpet, a very cosy summer café. The cottage itself was originally called Slöjdartorpet after the craftsman Olaus Persson, who once lived here with his wife and all their eight children.

Pavilion - with entrance to the castle park

Shortly afterwards you come to the pavilion and the entrance to the castle park. Here we had to pay 120 SEK/person to continue on to the gardens.

The castle and the Italian garden

Even if you can't go all the way to the castle, which is a private residence, you can get relatively close. And you can understand why the royal family likes it here, the surroundings are fantastically beautiful.

Queen Victoria was, in her time, very involved in the building. She often travelled abroad because of her respiratory problems, including visiting the Swedish doctor Axel Munthe at his villa in Capri.

From there she drew a lot of inspiration for her own villa. Axel also helped her acquire Italian architectural details and statues. (And yes, their relationship has sometimes been described as the 'love story of the century', albeit a hushed one. Victoria was, after all, married to Gustav V.)

Right next to the castle is the Haga Princesses' playhouse. The cottage was originally a residential building for day labourers, but in 1948 it was converted into a playhouse. A really cute little house!

English Park

Also adjacent to the castle is the English Park. This part of the garden is inspired by the romantic garden ideal, which is freer and wilder than the organised Renaissance garden.

For an English park, it may not be very big, but it has a variety of exotic trees such as walnut, giant tuja, tulip tree and cypress, as well as a magnificent blood book. There are also the so-called Fuchsia Arches, i.e. arches with fuchsias initiated by Queen Silvia. When we were here, art was also on display in the park.

Dutch rose garden

Another garden at Solliden Palace is the Dutch Rose Garden. This garden was a gift from the Dutch court for Queen Victoria's 60th birthday. The garden is adorned with four unique marble statues.

Frederick I of Baden

Near the Dutch Rose Garden is a statue of Frederick I of Baden. He was the father of Queen Victoria and it was he who paid for the castle and much of the park. Many of the plants in the garden come from his Mainau in southern Germany, but he himself never had the opportunity to visit Solliden.

Croquet pitch

The croquet pitch was built by Queen Victoria as a gift to her husband Gustav V, who was a keen ballplayer. There were tents for refreshments and a telephone booth for contacting the government. Two mighty marble lions guard the entrance.

More to discover around Solliden Castle

There is more to see and discover in and around Solliden Palace. Here are some more things to check out for those who want to:

• Waterfall or the "Kaskad" waterfall is a gift from the government to King Carl XVI Gustaf on his 40th birthday. The waterfall is adorned with the sculpture 'Frog'.
• The stone section was completed at the turn of the last century. Here, water seeps from a stream and you can see a statue by Carl Milles with two elephants.
• The perennialist and the hanging book offers, among other things, magnificent delphiniums, giant coneflower and red rudbeckia.
• Queen Victoria's memorial bust stands just outside the park.
• The gate at Alvaret comes from the old cemetery in Kalmar.

But above all, it's nice to just enjoy the environment and the flowers!

Where can you stay or park your motorhome?

In Borgholm there are of course many different hotels and other accommodations to choose from. If you are travelling by motorhome, you can stay overnight free of charge at the Solliden car park next door. However, there is no service.

Another option is to stay at Kapelluddens camping, which is beautifully situated by the water and well placed for visiting the centre of Borgholm.

See more in the neighbourhood

Right next to Solliden Castle is Borgholm Castle, which is indeed a powerful and exciting ruin. It is also nice to visit Borgholm with its restaurants and shopping street. Southeast of the castle you will find Öland's museum Himmelsberga, which is another nice stop. If you go north, you can follow the nice old coastal road between Äleklinta and Byrum.

Have you visited Solliden Castle? How was your experience? Do you have any other tips on nice places to visit in the neighbourhood?

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