Drottningholm Palace, Royal residence in Ekerö Municipality, Sweden
Drottningholm Palace is a royal residence on Lovön island in Ekerö Municipality, Sweden. The complex includes a main building with reception halls, a historic theatre, and a Chinese Pavilion set within extensive gardens.
A stone palace built for Queen Catherine Jagiellon in 1580 burned down on 30 December 1661. Queen Dowager Hedwig Eleonora commissioned Nicodemus Tessin the Elder to rebuild it, and work began in 1662 on the surviving walls. His son Nicodemus Tessin the Younger completed the interiors. The palace became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.
The court theatre preserves its original 18th-century stage machinery and hosts classical opera performances during summer months. Visitors can see the working backstage equipment and hand-operated winch systems still used to move scenery.
Guided tours through the state apartments run regularly, while the garden areas remain freely accessible throughout the year. Reaching the site is easiest by boat or bus from Stockholm city center.
The royal family occupies part of the residence permanently while state apartments remain open for museum visitors. This dual function as both lived-in home and public museum exists in only a few European royal residences.
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