EXOTIC ESCAPE – The Chinese

The Chinese Pavilion at Drottningholm Exotic Escape

The Swedish royal palace of Drottningholm, is situated just outside of Stockholm. At the far end of its extensive park gardens, lies a delightful 18th century diminutive palace, known as The Chinese Pavilion (Kina Slott in Swedish).

THE RED ROOM

BY NYNKE VAN DER VEN

This utterly charming building, built in the then fashionable rococo Chinoiserie style, is one of the best-preserved examples of its kind. At the time of its construction, China was seen as an exotic, mythical, distant country - the pavilion is the embodiment of this oriental fantasy.

On 25 July 1753, in the evening of her 33rd birthday, Queen Louisa Ulrika was presented with this exotic pleasure palace - a surprise gift from her husband King Adolf Frederik. The keys were handed to her by her eldest son clad mandarin robes, and QUEEN ULRIKA LOUISA she was saluted by an entire court dressed as Chinamen. In a letter to her mother, she wrote of her delight: “He led me to one side of the garden and suddenly to my surprise, I found myself gazing upon a real fairy tale creation, for the King had built a Chinese palace, the loveliest imaginable.”

The initial wooden construction, was approached by a newly laid out avenue; with further avenues added the next year. The building complex underwent continuous improvements in the following years. Two smaller pavilions were also added: the King’s Pavilion with a small garden and the Confidence dining room above a new kitchen.

As the original wooden structure was vulnerable to the harsh Swedish winters, the first pavilion was replaced with a larger, more permanent, brick building in 1763 (completed in 1769). Designed by Swedish royal architect Carl Fredric Adelcrantz, it blended Chinese-inspired design with fashionable French rococo. The interior featured red, green, blue and yellow rooms, curved passageways and upstairs retiring rooms and a library.