Waldermarsudde

Description:

• The youngest of Oscar II's four children, Prince Eugen (1865-1947) was more interested in becoming an artist than in inheriting the throne. Turns out he was no Sunday painter; he became one of the great landscape artists of his day, referred to as the "The Painting Prince" by Swedes. Today, his former home and studio, one of the most visited museums in Sweden, serves as an art gallery and a memorial to his talents.

  This lovely three-story mansion on the water was acquired by the prince in 1899, and he lived here until his death. The house and park were willed to the Swedish government upon his death and opened to the public in 1948. The rooms on the ground floor are furnished just as the prince left them. You can see the prince's paintings upstairs and in the gallery adjoining. The prince was not only a painter, but a collector, acquiring works by such great Scandinavian artists as Edvard Munch, Carl Larsson, and Anders Zorn. The prince's studio is on the top floor and is used for temporary exhibitions.

  Allow time to wander through the garden to take in its centuries-old trees and panoramic views of Stockholm harbor. That's not all: The park is filled with sculptures by some of the greatest masters in Europe -- Carl Milles to Auguste Rodin -- and is also studded with classical Roman and Greek sculptures acquired by the art-loving prince. While at Waldemarsudde, also see the Old Mill, a windmill built in the 1780s.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010