Royal Palace: from the ashes of Tre Kronor

In front of you stretches the Royal Palace, Kungliga slottet, the official residence of the King of Sweden. What you see is an 18th-century Baroque palace, but for centuries a medieval castle stood beneath your feet: Tre Kronor, 'Three Crowns'.

1The castle of Three Crowns

It began as a 13th-century defensive tower guarding the passage between Lake Mälaren and the sea. Over time it grew into a sprawling royal residence, crowned by a tower bearing three golden crowns, the symbol of Sweden. It was there that Christian II held the 1520 banquet that preceded the Stockholm Bloodbath.

2The fire of 1697

On 7 May 1697, while the body of King Charles XI lay awaiting his funeral in the castle, a fire destroyed it almost completely. The architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger, who was already remodelling it, was commissioned to build a new palace. Work stopped in 1709 because of the wars of Charles XII and did not resume until 1727. The royal family could only move in in 1754, long after Tessin's death.

3An enormous palace

The building has more than 1,400 rooms and is still the King's workplace and the seat of the Royal Court. The guard that protects it, Högvakten, has existed since 1523, the year Gustav Vasa entered Stockholm.

4What to look for

• The obelisk, raised in tribute to the citizens who defended the city during the war with Russia of 1788-1790.
• The statues in niches on the south front.
• The outer courtyard, to the west, where Högvakten changes the guard.