Logården

Logården is the Royal Palace's garden. Its sculptures, ponds and neatly trimmed hedges all speak of horticultural perfection. The small garden can be visited on special occasions.

It is not known whether the name Logården derives from the 17th century storage of soldering metal ('lod' in Swedish) and cannon missiles, or from when the Tre Kronor Palace kept wild animals here, including lynx ('lo' in Swedish). Today, it is the name of the Royal Palace's restrained garden – a place for both formalities and festivities.

The palace's ceremonial entrance

Logården has great formal significance as the Royal Palace's entrance facing the water. During certain state visits and royal weddings, dignitaries have disembarked from the Royal Barge Vasaorden at Logård Quay, entering the palace via Logården.

The lower Logårdstrappan steps and the terrace wall were built in 1757, probably following palace architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger's 1713 plans. During the reign of King Gustav III, Fredrik Magnus Piper designed a proposal for a precisely laid-out baroque park, but the park was not completed until after the king's death in 1792. A few years later, Logården was transformed into a miniature version of a leafy English park. In 1820, King Karl XIV Johan had the walls and the lower Logårdstrappan steps renovated.

1930s-style horticultural perfection

The baroque garden we see today was created by Ivar Tengbom in collaboration with Rudolf Abelin in 1930. Terraces, steps, neatly trimmed hedges and pyramid-shaped elms, and elongated ponds were then added. Of all the royal gardens and parks, Logården boasts some of the best preserved features from the early decades of the 20th century.

Top image: The white marble urns were purchased in Italy by King Gustav III, together with a number of sculptures. The sculptures are now in Gustav III's Museum of Antiquities on the ground floor of the northeast wing of the palace. Photo: Raphael Stecksén