Ekenäs Castle: A Renaissance Castle and Private Museum in Sweden
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.3
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Sweden
- Primary era
- Early Modern
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Swedish
- Site type
- Domestic
- Remains
- Castle
On this page9 sections
History
Ekenäs Castle is a seventeenth-century Renaissance castle in Sweden, outside Linköping in Östergötland, built on the site of a medieval fortress. The earlier stronghold probably dates from the fourteenth century and occupied a rocky elevation protected by a surrounding lake. The present castle developed through the work of several noble families and is now regarded as one of Sweden’s best-preserved Renaissance castles.
Medieval Fortress and the Sture Estate
In the Middle Ages, the surrounding lands belonged to the Natt och Dag family. A fortified residence at Ekenäs probably stood here from the fourteenth century, using the elevated rock and the lake as part of its defense. Ownership passed to the Sture family in 1562. Svante Stensson Sture the Younger, a Swedish aristocrat who later received the title of count, established a manor house on the site of the present castle.
The Banér Reconstruction
During the later sixteenth century, Gustav Axelsson Banér rebuilt the manor house as a castle. Between 1630 and 1644, the royal councillor Peder Banér reconstructed it in Renaissance style, a European architectural tradition based on classical forms, symmetry, and ordered composition. After Peder’s death in 1644, his son Clas Banér continued the work.
The Banér family retained Ekenäs through the following decades. King Charles XI’s land-recovery policies, which reclaimed noble holdings that the crown considered to have been acquired without sufficient legal basis, led Gustav Banér to transfer the castle to Isak Breant. Breant’s son sold Ekenäs in 1687 to Count Mauritz Vellingk, a Swedish military and diplomatic official who owned it until 1727. Through Vellingk’s daughter’s marriage to Lieutenant General Baron Johan Mauritz Banér, the castle returned to the Banér family.
From Noble Residence to Agricultural Estate
The Banér family held Ekenäs until 1879 or around 1880, when Baron Johan Gustaf Eskil Banér sold it to Count Philip Otto Leonard Klingspor. Klingspor and his wife, Ida Maria, lived at the castle for more than twenty years. Under Klingspor’s ownership, Ekenäs became a center for agricultural and forestry activities rather than primarily a fortified residence.
The castle remained a residence until 1934, when Matilda Klingspor became the last person to live there directly. The Bergengren family acquired Ekenäs in 1939, partly because of the value of its surrounding 1,200 acres, or about 490 hectares, of farmland and forest. Ekenäs has remained privately owned throughout its history.
Wartime Use and Restoration
During the Second World War, Ekenäs again served a defensive purpose as a local military headquarters and supply depot. After the war, the castle stood in disrepair for several decades, and local residents repeatedly took furnishings from the building. Swedish authorities recognized Ekenäs in 1974 as a site of national cultural importance. That recognition helped its owners undertake substantial restoration.
Wilhelm Bergengren later initiated further work, including the restoration of rooms and the return of authentic furniture. The castle now functions as a private museum. Since 1993, a medieval festival with jousting has been held each year in May or June, and Ekenäs is also associated with recurring events focused on Swedish medieval culture.
Legends of Ekenäs
Several traditions are associated with the castle. One legend says that Count Mauritz Vellingk had a boy named Niss walled alive into a basement room to conceal secret documents. According to the story, Niss’s ghost asks for the sealed room to be opened.
Another tradition credits Hennsagumman with saving the castle from an enemy attack and says that her spirit watches those who enter. A further legend holds that Countess Maria Klingspor leaves her grave and visits Ekenäs every 2 May, when pastries are traditionally left for her. Tradition also surrounds a concealed room in the lakeside tower. Breaking through its wall is said to bring disaster, while the wall is described as serving a supporting function.
Remains
Ekenäs Castle stands on a rocky elevation at the northern end of a lake. The lake once formed part of the castle’s natural defenses, but it was drained in the late nineteenth century to create additional arable land. The former defensive ditches consequently became dry. The present stone-and-brick building occupies the foundations of the earlier medieval fortress.
Main Castle Structure
The main building has three stories, high white walls, and a steep roof. Three square towers rise from the structure. Two occupy the southern corners, while the third stands at the center of the northern facade. Each tower has a Baroque dome, a later architectural form associated with more elaborate and dynamic design. A fixed stone bridge, which replaced the former drawbridge, leads to the entrance vault. The entrance lies in the southeastern tower and is flanked by heavy corner towers.
Courtyard and Interior
A stair tower stands in the middle of the building at the castle courtyard. Two square wings were added to the courtyard in the eighteenth century. Inside, furnishings, decoration, and carpentry from approximately three centuries survive, while authentic furniture was also returned during the modern restoration.
A large portrait of Hennsagumman occupies a place of honor at the center of the castle. It is connected with the tradition that she saved Ekenäs from an enemy attack. The castle has never had running water or electricity installed.
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