Gunnebo slott och trädgårdar utanför Göteborg

Gunnebo Castle and Gardens is located just south of Gothenburg and can be visited all year round. Here you will find a beautiful castle building, a beautiful park, lovely nature areas and a restaurant and café. If you pick the right day and book in advance, guided tours are also available.

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Gunnebo Castle and Gardens

Gunnebo Castle and Gardens was built in the 18th century as a summer resort for the successful merchant John Hall and his family. Today the castle is owned by the municipality of Mölndal and the area is open to the public.

Gunnebo Castle and Gardens is located in Mölndal, just south of Gothenburg.

Gunnebo Castle - inspired by Italian villas

Gunnebo Castle is a neoclassical castle built in the 18th century as a summer residence for John Hall and his family. Both the castle and its gardens were designed by Gothenburg city architect Carl Wilhelm Carlberg, who was inspired by the luxurious Italian villas of the time.

Unfortunately, his son, John Hall the younger, was not as financially minded as his father, and the castle eventually fell into disrepair and was auctioned off. After several changes of ownership, it is now owned by the municipality and has been restored according to the original drawings and inventories.

Guided tours are organised from time to time in the castle, but unfortunately we managed to catch a day when it was not possible to book a tour. When the high season turns into low season, many attractions reduce their opening hours, and even if we wish it was Saturday all week, it is not. So we had to make do with admiring the castle from the outside.

If you have the opportunity to take a guided tour, it will certainly make your visit more interesting. During the summer of 2021, an exhibition about the Swedish East India Company was on display.

The beautiful gardens

The gardens around Gunnebo Castle are fantastic. Here you will find a pleasure garden with various green rooms and an English park with a path up to the viewpoint Flora's hill.

Gunnebo Castle and Gardens has been a cultural reserve since 2003. This means that the areas around the castle are carefully maintained, in some cases using old methods. For example, scythes are used in some areas to cut the grass.

In the cultural reserve, you can walk around among deciduous forests, meadows, pastures, lakes and cliffs. There are a number of walking trails, and you can pick up a map free of charge in the shop or café.

There are also beautiful flower beds with cut flowers and a kitchen garden for growing vegetables and fruit trees.

The greenhouse is also used for cultivation. Vegetables, fruit and herbs grown on site are then used in the menus of the restaurant and café.

Gunnebo slott och trädgårdar - drivhuset

Coffee house and restaurant

Kaffehus och Krog is a restaurant and café with KRAV certification. Here they use, as far as possible, ingredients from their own kitchen garden and supplement with ingredients from the area around Gothenburg. It was not the time for us to eat when we were here, but it looked nice!

Gunnebo slott och trädgårdar - Kaffehus och krog

Shop

The Gunnebo shop offers products with an organic profile. For example, the shop sells its own tea blends, marmalades, handicrafts and heritage seeds. You can also buy tickets for events and tours in the area.

Visiting Gunnebo Castle and Gardens

Visiting Gunnebo Castle and Gardens is nice if you want a quiet day with park visits, nature and maybe a lunch. Personally, we would have found it more fun if we could go on a tour or see an exhibition, and you can do that if you check the times and book a ticket in advance.

Finally, we show a picture of our motorhome parked outside the castle. You don't always manage to park your 7.3 metres perfectly in a regular parking space, but it worked out pretty well here, didn't it?

See more nearby Gunnebo Castle and Gardens

In Mölndal you can visit Mölndal Mill Village, where the power of the Mölndal Falls has been utilised since the Middle Ages. If you like castles, we can also highly recommend visiting Tjolöholm Castlewhich is about 4 miles south of Gunnebo Castle and Gardens.

Of course, you can also take the opportunity to experience Gothenburg and islands such as Öckerö and Hönö. Further destinations are Bohus Fortress in Kungälv and the exciting city of art and textiles. Borås.

göra i Västergötland — All our top tips for holidays in Västergötland

Facts about Gunnebo Castle and Gardens

Landscape: Västergötland
County: Västra Götaland County
Municipality: Mölndal
Creator: C.W. Carlberg
Established: 1778
Style: Neoclassicism
Material: wood
Owners: Mölndal municipality
Read more: You can find more information at the castle's website.

Tours and activities

Guided tours: Tours of about 45 minutes are given in Swedish and are booked on the castle's website.
Activities for children: Playground at Lantgården, children's menu and possibility to book a room for children's parties.
Events: Many different events are organised, such as lectures, exhibitions, catwalk, yoga etc. See the castle's event calendar.

Services and practical information

Opening hours: The park is open all year round. For opening hours in the restaurant, shop, etc. see the castle's own website.
Prices: Visiting the park is free. Guided tours cost 175 SEK/adult and are free for children (2021). For other activities and updated prices, see the castle's website.
Food service: Coffee house and restaurant with organic food.
Shop: Small gift shop with an organic profile.

History at Gunnebo Castle and Gardens

13th century: The name Gunnebo appeared for the first time in a list of church properties.

18th century

18th century: At this time there was an older farm on the property.
1778: The merchant John Hall bought the Gunnebo property in Fässberg parish to build a summer house for his family. The city architect in Gothenburg, Carl Wilhelm Carlberg, was commissioned to design the buildings and garden. He had recently travelled in Europe and was inspired by neoclassical movements and, in particular, the Italian villas of Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio.
1796: The first dinner was organised in the villa. The family was then visited by important people of the time, such as royalty, artists and politicians.

19th century

1802: John Hall died and his son, John Hall the younger, took over the family business and properties. His daughter Christina was married to Count Claes Adam Wachtmeister of Johannishus.
1807: John Hall the younger was artistically gifted but did not have his father's business acumen, which led to the bankruptcy of the Hall trading house. Years of decay followed.
1830: Johan Hall the younger died in poverty. His life is described in a book of fiction by Sophie Elkan from 1899.
1832: The property was sold at auction and was in poor condition.
Late 19th century: There were several changes of ownership and the property was inhabited by, among others, the Baron and Baroness Carl and Hilda Sparre.

20th century

1949: After Hilda Sparre's death, Gunnebo was bought by the city of Mölndal.
1949-1952: The castle was renovated with the help of inventories and preserved original drawings.

READ MORE: Castles in Sweden - 30 very beautiful Swedish castles
READ MORE: Things to do in Västergötland - sights and experiences
READ MORE: Holidays in Sweden - your guide to Sweden's best destinations

7 Comments

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Annar Aas says:

As vicar of Mölndal, it was a matter of course to have baptisms and weddings at Gunnebo Castle. So in addition to stays in the service, it was natural to exercise in the area on all the nice trails. Your travel report makes me long for the years there. You write so well.

23 September 2021 - 9:13

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Those sound like very nice memories! And thank you so much for the nice words! 😍
  
  25 September 2021 - 6:32
  
BP says:

Gunnebo Castle's owners seem to like tourists. Because it was not only you who got to park really well in the box but an even bigger bus in the background as well;-)
The castle was very nice and I liked the garden. Personally, I'm not very interested in castle interiors (if you've seen one, you've seen them all), but I love strolling around in beautiful castle gardens.

23 September 2021 - 19:34

- Elisabeth says:
  
  We have not been there. A good tip for future seasons!
  
  23 September 2021 - 23:29
  
  - Comment by post author
    
    Helena says:
    
    Great if the tip comes in handy! 😀
    
    25 September 2021 - 6:36
    
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Yep the bus stood lengthwise. We considered the same thing, but it felt safer to stay within the box 😉 The castles equal? I have not thought so, but if you ever want to check out something that stands out properly then look at Tjolöholm 😜 Otherwise agree that it is nice in the castle gardens! 😀
  
  25 September 2021 - 6:35
  
Lena+i+Wales+och+Spanien says:

I have been there many times.
My son lives just a few kilometres away.
We also collaborated with Gunnebo when I worked at Nääs Castle, so there were some meetings there.
Fascinating story about John and Christina Hall.

02 October 2021 - 8:47

Gunnebo Castle and Gardens outside Gothenburg, Sweden

Gunnebo Castle and Gardens

Gunnebo Castle - inspired by Italian villas

The beautiful gardens

Coffee house and restaurant

Shop

Visiting Gunnebo Castle and Gardens

See more nearby Gunnebo Castle and Gardens

Facts about Gunnebo Castle and Gardens

Tours and activities

Services and practical information

History at Gunnebo Castle and Gardens

18th century

19th century

20th century

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7 Comments

Annar Aas says:

Helena says:

BP says:

Elisabeth says:

Helena says:

Helena says:

Lena+i+Wales+och+Spanien says:

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