The Tureholm Armoury

When Russian troops burned and looted the Swedish coast in 1719 the old estate Gäddeholm went up in flames. Count Ture Gabriel Bielke, formerly one of King Charles XII’s closest men, had the manor house rebuilt after designs of the noted architect Carl Hårleman and changed the name of the estate to Tureholm.

In a room on the entrance floor Count Bielke installed a writing chamber. It was an armoury for the soul and for the body; on one side there was a library and on the other side handguns and a small workshop.

Later day ancestors to Count Bielke decided to sell the estate in 1915 and representatives of the Royal Armoury found it essential to preserve the writing chamber. Together with the Wrangel armoury at Skokloster, a complete 17th Century armoury in its original environment, the Tureholm armoury was one of the oldest in the country.

Although the sale and deconstruction of the room, brick by brick and panel by panel, took place in 1915, it took until 1978 for it to be reconstructed. The Royal Armoury moved into the Royal Palace that year after a longer period in the Nordic Museum. 2018 the Tureholm armoury was deconstructed again in order to make way for the Royal Armoury’s new exhibition. Where, and when, the armoury of the soul and the body will rise again only time can tell. But you can still visit the room virtually!

Visit the Armoury

Step into history with this immersive experience, which provides detailed introductions to each item.

Enter exhibition

The digital exhibition is not fully adapted for accessibility. If you have difficulty accessing the content, we have also gathered the selected objects on this page.