Menu Close

Karlberg Castle Park - jogging trails and attractions

Advertisement

Karlberg Castle Park is just a few minutes' walk from where we live. Yet it took us several years to realise that there are great running trails there. Even more surprisingly, we discovered lots of sights, so one day we had to take our camera with us.

Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Share
Share

Karlberg Castle Park

Karlberg Castle Park is located behind Karlberg Castle, where the Karlberg Military Academy is located today. The castle is located in Solna, but borders both Vasastan and Kungsholmen in Stockholm. To the east, the castle and park are bordered by Pampas marina, where we live in our houseboat.

Exercise trail in Karlovy Vary Castle Park

We have mentally charged up for our new training period for a while, and in connection with that we suddenly found the jogging trails in Karlberg Castle Park. It feels strange that we've lived next to this park for over five years without knowing about it, but it's also nice to be pleasantly surprised. There are green, red, yellow, white and blue exercise trails - all with different lengths. But there is also a lot to see in the park!

  • GREEN TRACK: Light and flat ground - 1036 metres
  • RED TRACK: Medium easy and hilly - 1500 metres
  • YELLOW TRACK: Moderately easy and hilly - 1550 metres
  • WHITE TRACK: Medium difficulty, one big hill - 2550 metres
  • BLUE TRACK: Difficult, two big hills - 3880 metres

Karlberg Castle

First of all, of course, we have to mention the castle itself! In the 17th century, an estate called Karlberg was established, and in 1634 a large stone house was built that forms the centre of the current building. The house was bought by Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie, who built the castle we see today.

Karlbergs slott
Karlberg Castle seen from Kungsholmen
Karlbergs slottspark
On the left Karlberg Castle, in the centre Rörstrand Castle, on the right Stockholm in 1662. Image Suecia work

De la Gardie was eventually forced to sell due to financial problems and Johan Gabriel Stenbock took over. In 1688, the castle became royal property. Charles XI and his wife, Queen Ulrika Eleonora, often stayed at the castle in the summers and also started an orphanage here.

The palace served as a royal pleasure palace until 1792, when Gustav III established the Royal War Academy at Karlberg. Today, 300 professional officers and future professional officers are trained here every year.

Karlbergs slott
Karlberg Castle seen from Karlberg Castle Park.
Karlbergs slottspark
Suecia work

Karlberg Castle Park

Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie not only built a castle, but also a lavish baroque park with plantings, terraces and ponds. The park was completed by the architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger. In the 18th century, the park was transformed into an English park with walkways and tree plantings, in keeping with the fashion of the time.

Karlbergs slottspark

Attractions in Karlberg Castle Park

When we first walked around Karlberg Castle Park, we were very surprised by all the different sights we encountered. Next time we took our camera with us, and now we can show you what we found!

Karlbergs slottspark

Charles XII's EC

Entering the park from the palace, you will soon come across a huge oak tree with a circumference of 640 centimetres. The oak is called 'Charles XII's Oak' because it is said that the young Prince Charles (born in 1682) used to play here with his siblings Ulrika Eleonora and Hedvig Sofia. In other words, the oak has been here for more than 300 years.

Karl XII:s ek

rune stones

Not far from the magnificent oak tree is a large rune stone. The stone is from the 11th century and the text tells us that 'Anund and Torfils had the stone erected after Åsgöt'. The stone was first found in 1885, in an area by Karlbergsvägen. It then disappeared, and was first found in 1921, at a rubbish dump on Solnavägen, partly covered by soil. In 1922 it was moved to Karlberg Park.

Runsten i Karlbergs slottspark i Stockholm

von Döbeln's stone

The Von Döbeln Stone is a memorial stone erected in 1815 on the initiative of Crown Prince Oscar (later Oscar I) in honour of his commanding officer Wilhelm von Döbeln. Von Döbeln was a cadet at Karlberg 1802-1805, had an impressive military career and was finally shot dead in Leipzig in 1813.

WIFI.se
Von Döbelns sten

Memorial to the 100 years of the War College at Karlberg.

As you stroll along the paths or among the hills, you come across several different memorial stones. One stone commemorates the 100-year existence of the War College at Karlberg, which was unveiled by H.M. King Oscar II in 1892.

Karlbergs slottspark

Fyverkarhuset

The Powder House, as it was also called, was probably designed by Adolf Fredrik Wijnbladh at the end of 1790. Gunpowder and explosives were stored here and the cadets called it "artillery science".

The building is separated from other buildings with a risk of explosion in Karlbergparken. These ammunition stores were used until the middle of the 20th century.

Memorial stone for the 200-year existence of the war school at Karlberg.

Another stone commemorating the 200-year existence of the War College at Karlberg was unveiled by King Carl XVI Gustaf in 1992.

Minnessten i Karlbergs slottspark

Gravity pumps

Charles XII's dog Pompe (the first) has his own grave in Karlberg Castle Park. The dog died at Karlberg in 1699, Pompe number two died in Poland and Pompe number three died in Hungary.

Pompes grav i Karlbergs slottspark i Stockholm

Explosives

During the Second World War 1942-07-29 in readiness, reserve officers from Bohuslän Regiment practised "mine laying and clearing" with live mine material in Karlberg Park. One live mine was triggered by material failure, which led to two more mines being triggered by the blast wave. Six cadets died and three received shrapnel injuries.

Temple of Neptune or Temple of Diana

In 1792 Gustav III commissioned the architect Carl Christoffer Gjörwell to build a classicist temple in honour of the sea god Neptune. In the 18th century, the temple began to be called Diana's Temple, perhaps because it was confused with Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie's hunting temple Dianeberg at Diana's Hill in Karlberg Park.

Neptunis tempel i Karlbergs slottspark

Nice to walk in Karlberg Castle Park

Above all, it is nice to walk around Karlberg Castle Park. There are both fine jogging trails and more "wild" nature, and many different buildings belonging to the Karlberg Military Academy.

Sometimes you don't have to go very far from home to find nature or sights to photograph. This time, a ten-minute walk was enough for us. What are some interesting things to see and experience in the neighbourhood where you live?

Karlbergs slottspark
Karlbergs slottspark

Subscribe to our newsletter