Salsta slott i Uppland - slottscafé, guidning och spöken

Writer: Helena Bergström

Salsta Castle is a beautiful 17th century baroque castle. We were fascinated by the beautiful building when we arrived, and as darkness fell we listened to the captivating ghost stories. The next morning we had an interesting guided tour of the castle and its history.

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Salsta Castle

Salsta Castle feels a bit magical somehow. Or maybe that feeling comes from listening to the ghost stories? Either way, Salsta Castle has a long and interesting history. If you also want to listen to the ghost stories, you can hear them at Spotify.

Salsta Castle is located in Uppland, about 2.5 kilometres north of Uppsala.

A beautiful baroque castle emerged

Ever since the 13th century, there has been an estate on what was originally a headland in Lake Salsta. Today the lake is no longer there, having been drained, but the nature around the castle is lush and green.

The first castle was burnt down in the 16th century and Niels Bielke the Elder then built a new Renaissance castle. Nils Bielke the younger, grandson of his namesake, took over the castle and gave it as a morning gift to his wife Eva Horn when they married in 1669. However, he didn't think the castle was grand enough and demolished most of it to build a new one. The baroque castle we see today was built in the 1670s.

The castle was inhabited until 1976, and is exciting because rooms have been preserved from completely different centuries of the castle's history. Today the castle is owned by the National Property Board and leased by "Alla tiders slott och kultur AB".

Legends and ghosts at Salsta Castle

We arrived at Salsta Castle in the late afternoon, and after some googling and emailing, we saw that there was the possibility of a guided tour the next day. Fantastic! We stayed in the car park overnight, after listening to the ghost stories ...

In the evening, an intense fog slid in over the area, as if to manifest the presence of all the ghosts. We thought, for example, of the boy who was locked up in the basement after stealing a cake, but who was gone when it was time to let him out. The one who can still be heard shouting "Let me out!"? ...

Guided tour of the castle halls

The next day we took a guided tour, and we highly recommend this if you have the opportunity! The rooms in the castle are beautiful, and tell about different periods in history.

Among other things, we were able to look into the Isabella Chamber, which according to legend was set up for a visit by the widowed Queen Hedvig Eleonora (1636-1715). The room's name comes from the off-white colour of the side damask, which in turn was named after the Spanish princess Isabella.

We also took a look at the Palace Chapel. The chapel was completed in 1711 and is very magnificent.

Another beautiful room is the music room, with interiors dating back to the 1810s, when the castle was inhabited by Count Erik Magnus Brahe.

Did everyone stay luxuriously and exclusively at the castle? Of course not. Over the years, there has been a big difference between gentlemen and servants. If you want to hear more, feel free to book a guided tour!

Ice cream at the castle café

The Castle Café at Salsta Castle is located in the Garden Hall at the back of the castle. This used to be a completely open room facing the garden, but now there are doors into the café. When we were here, however, the weather was fantastic, so we chose to sit outside.

We had our fill of ice cream, so we ordered ice cream even though there was only expensive ice cream in glasses. We can't say that the ice cream was affordable, but the view and the occasion were affordable. All in all, it was a very nice and interesting visit to Salsta Castle!

More to see in the neighbourhood

Have you visited Salsta Castle and want to see more nearby? We can recommend, among other things, a visit to the fine vallonbruken Österbybruk, Forsmark and Lövstabruk. There are also great coastal destinations such as fine Öregrund, Grisslehamn with our 7 tips and Norrtälje which we have several tips about.

Have you visited Salsta Castle?

Have you been to Salsta Castle? How was your experience? Do you have any other tips to share? Please tell us?

Facts about Salsta Castle

Address: Salsta-Lena 63, Vattholma
Municipality: Uppsala
County: Uppsala County
Landscape: Uppland
Architect: Mathias Spihler, after drawings by Nicodemus Tessin the Elder
Developer: Nils Bielke the younger
Completion: 1679
Style: Empire
Owners: State Property Agency
Read more: You can find more information at the castle's website.

Tours and activities

Views: Guided tours of the castle are given, including a children's walk and the ghost walk "Tales from Salsta Castle". Group tours can also be booked.
Open castle: A self-guided tour of the castle is available on exclusive occasions.
Music at Salsta Castle: Sometimes concerts are organised.
Venue hire: Premises in the castle can be rented.
Salstaleden: The area includes the Salstaleden trail, which runs through the natural and cultural landscape between Vattholma and Skyttorp. The trail is 7 kilometres long and is marked in light blue.

Services and practical information

Opening hours: See the castle's website for current opening hours.
Prices: Guided tour of the castle 120 SEK for adults and 60 SEK for children up to 15 years old (2020).
Toilets: There are toilets on the ground floor of the castle.
Food service: The castle café is available.
Accommodation: Accommodation is available in the eastern castle pavilion. The pavilion is not accessible.

Accessibility

Parking: Parking is available outside the castle gates. For those who need a car all the way, the road barriers can be opened.
Accessibility of premises: The ground floor of the castle, with the castle café, is accessible. However, there is no lift to the other floors. It is possible to carry a small manual wheelchair up to the main floor if you have your own porter.
Guide dog: Guide dogs are welcome in the castle, but other pets must wait outside.

Find Salsta Castle

Car: Take road 290, exit towards Salsta and follow the signs to the castle. Parking is available just outside the castle gates.
Municipal: The up train goes from Uppsala to Vattholma station. From there it is 2.7 kilometres to the castle, of which you can travel about one kilometre by UL bus line 823.

History at Salsta Castle

13th century: Since that time there has been an estate on what was originally a headland in Lake Salsta.
14th century: Birger Jarl's grandson Karl Gregersson traded his property in Salsta to Duke Erik's earl, Abjörn Sixtensson Sparre of Tofta.
1516: Due to a conflict with the King of Sweden, Sten Sture the Younger had the castle burnt down. Nils Bielke the Elder then built a Renaissance castle on the site.
1669: Nils Bielke the younger, grandson of Nils Bielke the elder, married Eva Horn, and Eva received Salsta Castle as a morning gift.
1670s: Nils Bielke the younger did not think the castle was impressive enough and therefore demolished most of the castle and built the baroque castle you can see today.
1976: The castle was inhabited until this year, when it was sold to the state-owned Domänverket.
1993: The castle has been protected as a listed building since this year.
2020: The castle has been leased since this year by Alla tiders slott och kultur AB.

All our top tips about Sweden! Click on the image

READ MORE: Castles in Sweden - 30 very beautiful Swedish castles
READ MORE: Things to do in Uppland - sights and experiences

5 Comments

Add yours →

BP says:

It was a magnificent castle that was also perfectly maintained. Nice that you got to stroll around inside the castle. Fun with mood-enhancing ghosts too:-)

26 May 2021 - 15:27

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Yes, very nice, and always fun to see the castles inside too. The ghost stories were really good and gave an extra spice to the visit 😉.
  
  26 May 2021 - 15:47
  
Ditte says:

Thanks for the tour and nice pictures. I have been here, but it was a few years ago and then we also went on a guided tour. Nice to get info directly on site.
Sometimes when I have travelled, we have stayed at Gimo Manor and then "toured around to other mills and then also been on tours of the nuclear power plant in Forsmark. Do not know if guided tours are still there anymore. or if it is only now in the area. It was very interesting.

26 May 2021 - 15:29

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Nice that you have also been here! As far as I understand, the organisers today are fairly new, but it's nice that activities are up and running again. As for Forsmark, I read on their website that there are guided tours of the nuclear power plant as well, but it seemed that it is only for universities and companies, if I understood it correctly.
  
  26 May 2021 - 15:50
  
Lena - gott för själen says:

Oh, I thought that castle was still in private hands.

It was a bit harder to raise children in the past, you could say! Hua!

Hug Lena

13 June 2021 - 8:03

Salsta Castle in Uppland - castle café, guided tours and ghosts

Writer: Helena Bergström

Salsta Castle

A beautiful baroque castle emerged

Legends and ghosts at Salsta Castle

Guided tour of the castle halls

Ice cream at the castle café

More to see in the neighbourhood

Have you visited Salsta Castle?

Facts about Salsta Castle

Tours and activities

Services and practical information

Accessibility

Find Salsta Castle

History at Salsta Castle

You might also like:

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5 Comments

BP says:

Helena says:

Ditte says:

Helena says:

Lena - gott för själen says:

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