In the early twentieth century it became apparent that the Bernadotte crypt in the Riddarholmen Church, the traditional royal burial church and historical pantheon of Sweden, was becoming quite full and that alternatives had to be sought for the future. Unless an extension was made, and this was not considered a good option considering the historical value and age of the church, it was advised that it would only continue to be used as a burial church for the monarchs and their Queens.
Around the same time Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland, son of King Oscar II and Queen Sofia of Sweden, had thoughts about creating a cemetery for those outer members of the ruling dynasty, and it didn’t take long before he himself acquired a setting for it. In 1915 he took over Karlsborg, a small islet in the Brunnsviken Bay that connects Stockholm city with a part of unique countryside, situated in the big and beautiful Haga Park, a favourite recreational area for Stockholm inhabitants.
Karlsborg couldn’t be closer to nature, surrounded by water and with hundreds of years old trees such as lime, willow, alms, oak and pine trees, and is a world apart from the austere medieval Riddarholmen Church and its dark crypts. Immediately after Karlsborg was acquired, Prince Carl ordered plans for a mausoleum with crypt from architect Ferdinand Boberg, but the plans never realised. Instead, all that came to be built on the islet was a granite crucifix on its highest point and a stone bridge with iron gates, both probably designed by Boberg. Where there are not graves, Karlsborg continues to be left in its natural state with hills covered in grass, big trees and some other wild vegetation.
In 1922 the early deceased Crown Princess Margareta came to be the first royal to be buried at the Royal Cemetery. The devout religious British-born supposed future Queen Consort of Sweden had died in complications of several afflictions, weakened by an advanced sixth pregnancy, aged only 38 and was deeply mourned by family, public officials and the people. After the funeral of Queen Sofia in 1914, which she obviously thought was much too gloomy and dark, the Crown Princess wrote down instructions for how she wanted her death to be handled.
Crown Princess Margareta did not find the Riddarholmen Church a good place for her eternal rest; instead she wanted to have her final rest in free nature. Others of her instructions entailed not wanting an open casket and her royal orders and decorations on display and no black draping of the church or signs of funeral dress on the horses and funeral carriage. Instead the Crown Princess wanted to hold a crucifix in her hands, rest in a simple oak coffin of English model and the ceremony to be less stuffy than previously. She wished for lots of big lighted candles, fresh flowers, and her children to be dressed in white. After a temporary burial at the Stockholm Cathedral in 1920, Crown Princess Margareta was laid to rest at the new Royal Cemetery at Haga in a ceremony performed by Archbishop Nathan Söderblom who thus also inaugurated the cemetery.
In 1973 King Gustaf VI Adolf broke the centuries old tradition of monarchs being buried in a church crypt. He also broke another tradition; from King Gustav II Adolf (d. 1632) to King Gustaf V (d. 1950), only excepting Queen Christina (d. 1689), Swedish monarchs were buried in the Riddarholmen Church.
When you walk over the stone bridge and enter through the iron gates, you first walk over a small gravel area before coming to some steps that take you up a level. On that first level there is a small path to you right, walking in that direction you will pass the graves of:
1) King Gustaf VI Adolf (1882-1973) together with Crown Princess Margareta (1882-1920) and Queen Louise (1889-1965)
2) Prince Bertil (1912-1997)
3) Prince Carl (1861-1951) together with Princess Ingeborg (1878-1958) and Prince Carl (1911-2003)
4) Count Sigvard Bernadotte af Wisborg (1907-2002)
Walking back that same path you can walk up some steps to the highest level of the islet, there you will find the Bernadotte crucifix and the grave of Prince Gustaf Adolf (1906-1947) and Princess Sibylla (1908-1972).
All tombs have large rectangular stones inscribed with names and titled on them. Rows of flowers are planted as decorations and mark the area of each grave. As the cemetery is only open to the public one day per week during the summer months, royal relations to those buried there often visit the graves to lay flowers for special anniversaries.
To view more of my photos from the Royal Cemetery at Haga, please visit my
Flickr album devoted to it and my visits there.
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