Hidden within Botkyrka Municipality, a suburb of Stockholm, lies Sturehov Manor, a place where whispers of history echo through its elegant halls. Sturehov Manor wasn’t always known by this name. It was once a humble hamlet called Averhulta. In the Middle Ages, it was owned by prominent figures like Bo Jonsson, head of the royal council, and later, the Sture family. The estate’s name changed in the 1680s to honor statesman Svante Stensson Sture.
Sturehov Manor passed through many noble hands. It was owned by Johan Oxenstierna, whose widow sold it to Carl Gustaf Wrangel. Finally, in 1778, it was acquired by Johan Liljencrantz, a finance minister under Gustav III. He commissioned the manor house and gardens we see today. The main building, designed by Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz, was completed around 1781. The two wings are older, dating back to the 17th century. Scattered around the landscape are several cottages, remnants of the estate’s past. Sturehov stands as a testament to 18th-century architecture. It is considered one of the most beautiful and well-preserved manor houses from the Gustav III era.
The front courtyard features a three-sided extension, proudly displaying the Liljencrantz family coat of arms. The garden façade, adorned with a shallow avant-corps and urns, exudes an air of elegance. Inside, the ground floor once housed kitchens and simpler living quarters. The main floor, however, is a spectacle of opulence. The octagonal dining room, a masterpiece of Neoclassical style, showcases green and grey faux marble walls accented with golden decorations. Reliefs of Mercury, Venus, and Ceres grace the spaces above the doors. A unique feature of Sturehov is its collection of cocklestoves made by the Marieberg factory, which Liljencrantz owned. Seventeen of these stoves, out of only thirty known to exist, are found within Sturehov. The one in the yellow antechamber is considered the finest in all of Sweden. Seven main rooms on the first floor, each lavishly decorated in styles ranging from late Rococo to Neoclassicism, offer a glimpse into the past.
Sturehov houses a treasure trove of period furniture, art, and decorative objects, including sculptures by Tobias Sergel, a piano by John Broadwood, and furniture crafted by Georg Haupt. Even the wings, though less extravagant, boast Baroque-era landscapes painted directly onto the wooden walls. Sturehov Manor, once neglected and in disrepair, was meticulously restored between 1954 and 1959. Today, its 18th-century interiors are showcased in a state of perfection that may have never existed originally.