Lovisa Ulrika’s Library

Two queens have left their mark on Drottningholm Palace. One of them, Queen Hedvig Eleonora, had the palace built. The other, Queen Lovisa Ulrika, brought the palace into the modern age.

In August 1744, Princess Lovisa Ulrika came to Sweden to marry Prince Adolf Fredrik. A few days later, she received Drottningholm Palace as a wedding present. Lovisa Ulrika was pleased, but was hardly overwhelmed. After all, she was a member of the high-status Prussian royal family, and her brother was King Frederick the Great.

Sweden’s earliest Classicist interiors

She immediately undertook the task of modernising the palace’s dark, heavy Baroque interiors. Above all, she wanted a proper library. The magnificent library was created by Jean Eric Rehn. It retains some Rococo elements, but the room also has a distinctly austere character. This might be one of Sweden’s earliest Classicist interiors. The room is decorated entirely in white and gold, with rich carved wood ornamentation. The book shelves are made from cedarwood to keep vermin away from the expensive books, and in the centre there stands a long marble-topped library table, at which a reader can either stand or sit.

she had “more knowledge of, and insight into, the sciences than a lady needs”

Lovisa Ulrika – an educated queen

Many libraries have been created in stately settings, sometimes mainly for show. However, there is no doubt that Lovisa Ulrika was a keen reader. She knew German, French, Latin, Italian and English, and she also learnt Swedish. Her interests included architecture, history, art, drama, geography, mathematics, philosophy and biology. In 1772, Marshal of the Court Hans Gustaf von Rålamb wrote that she had “more knowledge of, and insight into, the sciences than a lady needs”. However, her ambitions extended far beyond simply being a lady. She wanted to be as educated a ruler as her widely admired brother.

Meeting place for intellectuals

Her library includes plays, maps, travel journals and books about mathematics, history, science and architecture. Here, The Iliad sits alongside Flora Danica and Rousseau’s Émile. There are also many works by Voltaire, with whom Lovisa Ulrika corresponded. The spectacular library became a meeting place for contemporary intellectuals, but Queen Lovisa Ulrika was particularly drawn to the naturalist Carl Linnaeus. He awakened her interest in the natural sciences and helped her to catalogue her extensive collection of butterflies, plants, shells and books.

Photo: Alexis Daflos/The Royal Court

She had “more knowledge of, and insight into, the sciences than a lady needs”. However, Queen Lovisa Ulrika's (1720-1782) ambitions extended far beyond simply being a lady. She wanted to be as educated a ruler. Oilpainting by Lorens Pasch the younger. 1768.

visit drottningholm

Drottningholm Palace is open year round, see opening days and hours:

Visit us

Guided tours Open today 10.00-16.00

You can explore Drottningholm Palace by yourself, but a guided tour will ensure that your visit is particularly memorable.

Read more
Childrens Drottningholm Open today 10.00-16.00

Take your children and grandchildren on a trip to Drottningholm. Here, you can go on a lion safari, hunt for gold and discover plants.

Read more

Events

Drottningholm Palace tour 13 Jan – 26 May

You can explore Drottningholm Palace by yourself, but a guided tour will ensure that your visit is particularly memorable.

Tickets
Easter at Drottningholm 29 Mar – 1 Apr

The family theme for the Easter weekend at Drottningholm Palace is feathers! Looking back through history, we can see how feathers have b...

Tickets

Take the chance to see the world’s largest collection of Adriaen de Vries sculptures. The museum at Drottningholm has on display a unique...

Tickets

Discover more at Drottningholm Palace

Drottningholm's Reception Halls Open today 10.00-16.00

Two queens have left their mark on Drottningholm: Hedvig Eleonora, who built the Palace during Sweden's Age of Greatness, and Lovisa Ulri...

Read more

Drottningholm Palace Park is open all year round. Here, you can wander through historic stylistic ideals from the 17th century Baroque to...

Read more

“He took me to the side of the pleasure gardens, and I was surprised to find myself suddenly standing in front of a real fairy tale palac...

Read more
The Royal Chapel at Drottningholm Open today 10.00-16.00

Drottningholm Palace Chapel was opened in 1730, and has been in continuous use ever since. The architect was Tessin, and the interior was...

Read more

The artist Evert Lundquist had his studio in the old machine house at the Chinese Pavilion. The studio is now a highly atmospheric museum...

Read more

Welcome to a boutique that is something out of the ordinary. The Royal Gift Shop is a unique present and souvenir shop offering products ...

Read more

Articles and movies

“Full of life, spirit and fire”. For much of Sweden's period as a great power, Karl X Gustav was on the battlefield. And his queen didn´t...

Read more

Discover the Rococo style at Drottningholm Palace, with a fun and educational image hunt for adults. Rococo was a playful, graceful style...

Tickets

In Sweden, we divide the Baroque into two periods: the Caroline Baroque, with its Northern European influences, and the later Tessin Gold...

Read more

Customer service

Opening hours: Open today 10.00-16.00