History of the Palace and Gardens

Sofiero Palace built in 1864

In 1864, Crown Prince Oscar and his wife Sophia bought Skabelycke farm, just north of Helsingborg, in order to build their summer residence there. The palace was completed the following year but had a different appearance then, only being one storey high. Between 1874 and 1876, when Crown Prince Oscar had ascended the throne, the palace was renovated and took on its present exterior.

Sofiero, a wedding gift

In 1905, when the Swedish-Norwegian union was dissolved, Oscar II gave the palace as a wedding gift to his eldest grandchild, Prince Gustaf Adolf and his wife Margareta. The palace was in need of renovation and this was duly carried out. Walls were knocked down and the dark colours were changed to give the palace a brighter, lighter atmosphere.

Queen Louise

Crown Princess Margareta died an early death in 1920 and Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf remarried, with Lady Louise Mountbatten, becoming King in 1950.
With the same enthusiasm that Margareta had put into the gardens, Louise took an interest in the people of Sofiero as well as its neighbours. She was a very popular figure with everyone.

The palace gardens

The Crown Prince and Princess, Margareta and Gustaf Adolf, started to plan, sketch and start the work on the grounds around the palace. Gustaf VI Adolf loved his summer residence and spent considerable time and effort on cultivating his interest for rhododendrons. It is his collection of rhododendrons in particular that have given the palace gardens such a name.