Årsta slott - med minnen av Fredrika Bremer

Writer: Helena Bergström

Årsta Castle is located in Haninge, south of Stockholm, and is perhaps most closely associated with the writer and women's rights activist Fredrika Bremer. This is where she spent her childhood summers and where she wrote several of her books.

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Årsta Castle

Årsta Castle organises guided tours during the summer months, when the restaurant is also open. The castle also has an English park and some walking trails, and Haninge Golf Club is just next door.

Årsta Castle is located in Haninge municipality, in Södermanland county, about 20 miles south of the centre of Stockholm.

Our visit to Årsta Castle

We visited Årsta Castle with the motorhome last autumn. The first thing that met us when we arrived at the castle was a rune stone. The stone says (according to the sign) "Sven had the stone erected ... his good father and after Gudvar".

The castle where Fredrika Bremer grew up

Årsta Castle was built between 1660 and 1667 by the counsellor and admiral Claes Hansson Bielkenstierna and his wife Barbro Åkesdotter Natt och Dag. In 1805, the castle was bought by Carl Fredrik Bremer, the owner of the mill. In the summer of 1806, he moved in with his wife Birgitta Charlotta and their five children Charlotte, Fredrika, Hedda, Sophie and Claes.

If we had understood the word horrible, we would certainly have thought of it when we saw the then dilapidated old Årsta, built almost 200 years ago.
Charlotte Bremer

The children were initially unimpressed by the old castle. Frederica's older sister Charlotte wrote "If we had understood the word horrible, we would certainly have thought of it when we saw the then dilapidated old Årsta, built almost 200 years ago".

Over time, however, the attitude towards the castle changed. The Bremer family spent most of the year at Årsta Castle, and in winter they moved into their apartment in Stockholm. Fredrika wrote several of her books at the castle and it was here that she died, on New Year's Eve 1865.

After the Bremer family, the castle has had several different owners, including Lars Johan Hierta, Abraham Saxenberg, Gustaf Theodor Cedergren and Herman Meeths. Cedergren had new wings constructed and created new, exclusive interiors, inspired by, among other things Hallwylska Palace in Stockholm.

In 1966, the entire property was purchased by Österhaninge Municipality (now Haninge Municipality). Årsta Castle Museum is run by the Culture and Leisure Administration in collaboration with the Årsta Society for Fredrika Bremer Studies.

Årsta castle path - Fredrikaslingan

Årsta Slottstig offers two different walks - the short and easy Fredrikaslingan or the slightly longer Fornstigen. We were keen to learn more about Fredrika Bremer's life, so we followed the Fredrikaslingan, which runs through the castle park and the immediate surroundings of the castle.

Fredrika was brought up to marry, but she wanted something completely different from her life. She wanted to improve the world, with her Christian faith as her guiding principle and her pen as her weapon. She opened a school for children in Österhaninge, promoted women's issues and started a higher teacher training programme for women. Not least, she became a world-famous author, producing 20 novels and travelogues, which were translated into 12 languages.

The English Park

Fredrika Bremer had an early interest in gardening, but became jealous of her older sister who was given the beautiful 'Charlotteberg' to look after. Her own 'Fredrikeberg' was just a rocky hill, which made her feel inferior. In time, she overcame these concerns and eventually created an English park with green hills and winding paths.

The English park also includes the Saxenberg family's memorial grove.

Trädgård — The Saxenberg family's memorial garden in the English Park

More to see and do in the neighbourhood

Haninge Golf Club is located right next to Årsta Castle. It is also not far to Häringe Castle. You can also choose to visit the lovely Tyresta National Park and beautiful Tyresö Castle. It is also close to Stockholm, where you will also find our tips on different things to do in Stockholm

Peter och Helena vid Görvälns naturreservat

Have you visited Årsta Castle?

Have you visited Årsta Castle? Do you like to visit castles?

Facts about Årsta Castle

Address: Årsta Castle, 154 32 Österhaninge, Sweden
Location: Österhaninge
Municipality: Haninge municipality
County: Södermanland County
Landscape: Södermanland
Owners: Haninge municipality
More info: You can find more information at the castle's website.

Activities and practical info

Guided tours: Guided tours are offered to the public during the summer months, from May to September. Tours can be booked all year round.
Restaurant: Lunch and dinner restaurant, mainly open during the summer. Evening menu and sometimes special evenings such as barbecue or prawn feast.
Christmas table: At Christmas time, a traditional Christmas table is served with a modern twist.
Conference and party: The castle can customise conferences, parties and weddings. The castle's Knight's Hall serves as a banqueting hall for private events.
Golf: Haninges Golf Club is located next to Årsta Castle.
Accessibility: The castle building is not accessible to people with disabilities. Fredrikaslingan is accessible for wheelchair users. Parking for those with a parking permit for the disabled is available in front of the castle.

Getting to Årsta Castle

Car: Drive towards Österhaninge and take exit 56 towards Årsta Slott.
Municipal: You can travel by bus. See sl.se for routes and times.

All our top tips about Sweden! Click on the image

READ MORE: Things to do in Södermanland - sights and experiences

6 Comments

Add yours →

Frizz says:

I remember seeing the castle in a programme about ghosts. There were some visitors (or should we call them permanent residents perhaps?), of which Fredrika was probably one. Believe whoever wants to, of course, but many of the staff had experienced strange things at Årsta Castle. Such things do not scare me but rather attract, so I put it on the visitors' list!

15 February 2022 - 14:46

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Exciting with ghosts on site! I agree, I can probably also be a little attracted by hearing about the castle's resident spirits 🙂 .
  
  17 February 2022 - 7:08
  
bmlarsreseblogg says:

We visited Årsta Castle when we played motorhome golf at Haninge GK. We did not have time for a guided tour then. We had never visited those areas before so one day we took a boat out to Utö, so nice!

15 February 2022 - 21:24

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Yes, the golf is really right next door. I don't think I've ever visited Utö. Can think that it is nice! 🙂
  
  17 February 2022 - 7:09
  
Lena+i+Wales+och+Spanien says:

Interesting.
Fredrika Bremer is fascinating, so just for her I would like to visit the castle.
There are several Årsta in and around Stockholm, mixing them up.
Årsta is known, but perhaps not from this Årsta?
Take care!

16 February 2022 - 8:38

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Agreed, I am also fascinated by Fredrika Bremer. Interesting about Årsta's wife, I had to google her. She apparently comes from Årsta farm, closer to Stockholm. But apparently Årsta castle is also haunted 😉.
  
  17 February 2022 - 7:13

Årsta Castle - with memories of Fredrika Bremer

Writer: Helena Bergström

Årsta Castle

Our visit to Årsta Castle

The castle where Fredrika Bremer grew up

Årsta castle path - Fredrikaslingan

The English Park

More to see and do in the neighbourhood

Have you visited Årsta Castle?

Facts about Årsta Castle

Activities and practical info

Getting to Årsta Castle

You might also like:

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6 Comments

Frizz says:

Helena says:

bmlarsreseblogg says:

Helena says:

Lena+i+Wales+och+Spanien says:

Helena says:

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