Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: palais

The history of Steninge began at the end of the 13th century when the first known settlement was established in this area. In 1667, Carl Gyllenstierna inherited the Steninge estate. His relationship with the queen allowed him to develop the estate and the beautiful areas around Lake Mälaren. In 1680 the well known architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger was asked to design a palace. He was inspired by the French and Italian baroque style.. In 1705 Steninge Slott (Steninge Palace or Steninge Manor) was completed, overlooking Swedish largest lake. Several buildings are dotted around the palace, in particular a huge stone barn dating from the end of the 19th century (PiP2), now housing several shops, an art gallery and a restaurant. Nowadays Steninge Slott is privately owned by a company and used for cultural events. Steninge Slott, is considered being “Sweden’s most beautiful and perfect baroque building”. I have to say that from a distances it looks quite good, but coming closer it was obvious that the manor could use some serious maintenance (PiP 1).

Drottningholm Palace is located just outside the city borders of Stockholm on an island (Lovön ) in Lake Mälaren. The palace is the official home of the Swedish royal family since 1981. Drottningholm (= Queen’s island) is dating back to the late 16th century, when King Johan III built a palace for his wife. In 1661 the palace was destroyed by a fire. One year later the building on a new palace - as it still is nowadays - began. Drottningholms slott is surrounded by a French formal garden (PiP 1) and a more natural English style park (PiP 2) with ponds and lawns. In 1991 Drottningholm Palace was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List.

The Royal Palace (Kungliga Slottet) is one of Europe’s largest palaces. The interior of this impressive building consists of 1.430 rooms of which 660 have windows. It is still the official residence of the Swedish King and Queen and also the work place and is used for official receptions. The palace is built in Italian baroque style in the 18th century on the site of the former ‘Tre Kronor’ castle, which burned down in 1697. The royal family was not able to move back in until 1754, nearly sixty years after the fire. The royal palace is open for public and offers also several museums. See for more info: www.kungahuset.se/royalcourt/visittheroyalpalaces/theroyalpalace/thepalace.4.396160511584257f2180003755.html Main picture: royal palace of Stockholm PiP 1: interior of the royal chapel PiP 2: inner court of the palace PiP 3: royal guards in front of the palace

Solliden slott (Solliden palace) is a fairly modest summer palace - better call it a villa - of the Swedish royal family. It was commissioned by Queen Victoria and built between 1903 and 1906. The Italian-style country house was designed by Torben Grut. The current Swedish king Carl Gustaf XVI inherited the palace in 1950 and is still used as a summer residence by the Swedish royal family. The gardens of Solliden Palace are open to the public from May to September. Solliden Palace is located on the island of Öland, in southern Sweden, nearby Kalmar.

Palacio de Jabalquinto (Jabalquinto Palace) is a late 15th century palace and is considered te be one of the landmarks of Baeza. This former palace of Juan Alfonso de Benavides is a fine example of flamboyant Spanish Renaissance Gothic with Mudéjar influences. The beautiful façade with Moorish influences is the work of Juan Guas and Enrique Egas and illustrates the fondness of the former nobility for ornate decorations with pineapples, flower shapes, garlands and decorative turrets. The two columns with the balconies are conspicuous. Palacio de Jabalquinto has a courtyard in Renaissance style with a monumental baroque staircase. Nowadays the building belongs to the International University of Andalusia "Antonio Machado".

Jacob de Graeff, mayor of Amsterdam, built around 1650 a countryhouse along a road - ‘Zoesdijc’ - between the villages of Baarn and Soest, which was called ‘Hofstede aen Zoestdijck’. Stadholder William III bought the manor in 1674 and used it as a hunting lodge. Many members of the family of Orange-Nassau lived in ‘Soestdijk Palace’ till 1795 during the French invasion, when it was seized as a spoil of war. The building then was used by French soldiers. In 1815 the Prince of Orange, later King Willem II, was presented ‘Soestdijk Palace’, in recognition of his services at the Battle of Waterloo. The palace was expanded by adding two wings, the northern or ‘Baarn-wing’ and the southern or ‘Soest-wing’. Many years the palace was only used as summer home by members of the Dutch royal family. After the investiture of Queen Wilhelmina ‘Soestdijk Palace’ was regularly used again. Her mother, Queen Emma, used the palace as a summer home until her death in 1934. After her death the palace was renovated so that Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard could make it their home after their marriage in 1937. ‘Soestdijk Palace’ became in 1948 their official residence until both of their deaths in 2004. Pending a decision about its future use, ‘Soestdijk Palace’ is a kind of a museum and it is possible to visit the building and the surrounding gardens.