Did you know that Ängsholmen once hosted Hollywood royalty? Right here before you lies the very island where Greta Garbo Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks briefly landed in 1924. It was a fleeting visit a glamorous interlude in their whirlwind tour of Stockholm. The visit was arranged by Ivar Kreuger a prominent financier who owned Ängsholmen in the 1920s.
Ängsholmen a small island in the Stockholm archipelago holds a captivating story. It’s more than just a pretty spot in the sparkling waters. During Kreuger’s ownership Ängsholmen was a summer retreat a place of leisure and luxury. He had a long house built here with two chimneys three dormers and an added wing. The main building was designed by Edvard Bernhard and likely constructed by Paul Toll’s building firm.
Kreuger’s Ängsholmen wasn’t just a house. It was a complex a compound of leisure. A vast landscaped garden thrived there tended by a dedicated gardener. A large marina with docks and a boathouse accommodated about twenty boats. Kreuger docked his impressive fleet there including the express cruiser Loris the salon yacht Tärnan and his final motorboat the racing yacht Svalan. He even gave the Hollywood stars a tour of the Stockholm archipelago on his boat Loris.
Imagine Kreuger and his partner Ingeborg Eberth spending their summer days on Ängsholmen. She called it “Island of Bliss.” The island represented a sanctuary a refuge from the bustling city life. But the visit from the film stars made it briefly a scene on a much bigger stage. A six-minute film sequence exists it is a silent-era glimpse into this extraordinary visit to this extraordinary place. The film shows not only Ängsholmen but also Charles Magnusson’s summer residence on Skarpö before ending on the island itself.
Today Ängsholmen has a different role. It’s now used by KFUK-KFUM for summer camp activities. The island’s history echoes in the waters around it. The legacy of Ivar Kreuger and his glamorous guests remains a captivating tale whispered by the waves lapping at Ängsholmen’s shores. A tale of wealth a tale of celebrity and a tale of an island that was once a haven of peace. A haven that remains captivating to this day.