Horse walks at Strömsholm
Strömsholm has been associated with horses ever since the time of King Gustav Vasa. An app is now available to guide you around the area, describing the equestrianism, the buildings and the people who lived and worked at Strömsholm.
THE STRÖMSHOLM'S EQUINE MUSEUM APP
The Strömsholm's Equine Museum app can be downloaded free of charge from the App Store
External link. and Google Play
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The routes in the app are illustrated with new and historical images and a map. The app can only be listened to at Strömsholm. The guide starts when you are at the current location for each route (using GPS), and is available in Swedish and English.
Find out more about Strömsholm's Equine Museum (in Swedish) External link, opens in new window.
Guide to the palace grounds
The app will take you on a free tour around the palace grounds via five different routes. An audio description begins automatically as you pass an interesting location. The routes tell the story of Strömsholm's 500-year history, which has been largely characterised by horses. Fascinating facts and anecdotes from the past are combined with the present and the future.
NEW! Guide to Strömsholm Palace
A guided tour of the palace itself will also be added to the app in June 2023. The narrator takes us through nine palace environments, including the Queen's Bedchamber, the Hall of State with Ehrenstrahl's famous portraits of King Karl XI's horses and, not least, the Club Room – the room at the palace that was used by students at the Swedish Army Riding School. The room you can see today is a reconstruction of what the Club Room looked like between 1880 and 1915.
Strömsholm's history and horses
Throughout its long history, Strömsholm has always been associated with horses. King Gustav Vasa liked the location by the Kolbäck River, and had a palace and a stud farm built for the army's horses. The excellent grazing pastures in the area provided ideal conditions for breeding, stud and stallion operations, which were extensive during the Caroline period. The palace was largely demolished on Hedvig Eleonora's instructions in the 1660s, when she built the palace we see today. Her son, King Karl XI, often stayed at Strömsholm, where he carried out two of his favourite pastimes: riding and hunting.
From 1868 until 1968, Strömsholm was home to the Swedish Army Riding School. Today, Strömsholm is an equestrian centre once again, with a college and a high school for young people with an interest in equestrianism. Annual horse shows are held in the palace park and its surroundings. The palace park is open for the public to explore, and during the summer the palace itself is also open to visitors.
Top image: Strömsholm Palace with its pastureland. Photo: Dick Norberg/Royalpalaces.se
The King's father, Heir Apparent Gustaf Adolf, studied the 'long course' at the Swedish Army's riding and driving school in 1928–29. Here, he can be seen training on the sand course before the race on Österängen with his horse Clan-Robert. Photo: Strömsholm's Equine Museum
Strömsholm's cross-country and race courses are located within the Österängen nature reserve. In 1887, horse racing became a military discipline and was included in the training at Strömsholm. The Swedish Grand National has been held here since 1971. Photo: Royalpalaces.se
The app will be expanded in summer 2023 to include routes inside the palace. The app is free, but there is an entrance charge for the palace. The palace is open during the summer months – see the link on this page for details of dates and times. The image shows the Queen's Bedchamber with its 1770s furnishings. Photo: Dick Norberg/Royalpalaces.se
Strömsholm Palace boasts an impressive collection of 17th century paintings. These include seven of David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl's paintings of King Karl XI's horses. Among them is the portrait of the King's faithful horse Kortom, who was reportedly 30 years old when Ehrenstrahl painted him. Photo: Dick Norberg/Royalpalaces.se
A club room was created at the palace for the students of the Swedish Army Riding School. On the walls hang photographs of managers, riding captains, stable masters and aides who worked at the school. The albums contain pictures of many of the year groups who attended Strömsholm. Photo: Dick Norberg/Royalpalaces.se
