Gunnebo House AND Gardens – one of northern Europe’s best-preserved eighteenth-century estates
Two hundred years ago Gunnebo House was one of the most modern summer residences in Sweden. Today, it is home to one of the most innovative initiatives in the country to re-create a historic estate.
John Hall, a merchant from England, was one of the richest people in Sweden at the end of the eighteenth century. He commissioned Gothenburg’s city architect, Carl Wilhelm Carlsberg, to design and build his summer residence, Gunnebo House. Carlsberg, recently returned from a five-year-long study trip through Europe, took on the task with great enthusiasm. He created more than 200 drawings and also acted as construction manager. As a result, Gunnebo came to be an exceptionally well-integrated Gustavian mansion – a true masterpiece. Carlberg’s original drawings have provided the main historical source material for recreating the estate in modern times.
In the grounds of the house, Carlberg laid out three different types of gardens: a dramatic park in the English style, the formal Italian-inspired gardens, and lush kitchen gardens where vegetables, herbs and cut flowers are still grown today. The entire estate is now a 100-hectare heritage park, and the house itself is a listed building.
Visitors to Gunnebo can enjoy the superb architecture in tranquil natural surroundings. The coffee house serves organic dishes that are specially created by Gunnebo’s gardeners, chefs and bakers. Tours of the house and a variety of public music and cultural events are organised throughout the year.
But Gunnebo is also a centre for education and research. Right now a historically accurate orangery is being reconstructed using Carlsberg’s original drawings. The orangery, which was located in the southern formal garden, was used to over-winter exotic fruit trees, from pineapple to citrus and laurel. The building will be completed in 2018 and will then be used for the same purpose by Gunnebo’s gardeners. During the reconstruction a new generation of craftsmen will be trained in traditional crafts, to preserve knowledge in crafts such as carpentry, cabinet-making, stucco, masonry and tiled stove construction.
Welcome to Gunnebo House and Gardens – the gardens are open every day of the year.