Bäckaskog Slott
You've heard of living like a king. That cliché can be taken literally at this favorite 19th-century summer address for royalty, because it's open for hotel bookings. This country palace of King Charles XV stands in a 16-hectare (40-acre) park managed by the Swedish Forest Service. The castle, a National Trust building, was a monastery founded in the early 13th century. The chapel dates from 1230, but its tower is from 1640. At Bäckaskog, you'll find a Biblical Garden featuring trees, bushes, and herbs mentioned in the Bible or having some other religious connection.
The on-site restaurant, plus 15 hotel rooms and 4 suites (all in a contemporary style), are open to guests all year. A double goes for 1,050SEK to 1,550SEK ($210-$310/£105-£155); suites range from 1,450SEK to 1,650SEK ($290-$330/£145-£165).
Exhibitions and sales of art and country furniture can be attended even when the castle is not open to visitors. The palace can be reached by taxi from Kristianstad; call Taxi Allians at tel. 044/24-62-46. If you're driving from Kristianstad, go 15km (9 1/3 miles) north along E66 until you reach the turnoff for Fjälkinge, at which point Bäckaskog is signposted.
You've heard of living like a king. That cliché can be taken literally at this favorite 19th-century summer address for royalty, because it's open for hotel bookings. This country palace of King Charles XV stands in a 16-hectare (40-acre) park managed by the Swedish Forest Service. The castle, a National Trust building, was a monastery founded in the early 13th century. The chapel dates from 1230, but its tower is from 1640. At Bäckaskog, you'll find a Biblical Garden featuring trees, bushes, and herbs mentioned in the Bible or having some other religious connection.
The on-site restaurant, plus 15 hotel rooms and 4 suites (all in a contemporary style), are open to guests all year. A double goes for 1,050SEK to 1,550SEK ($210-$310/£105-£155); suites range from 1,450SEK to 1,650SEK ($290-$330/£145-£165).
Exhibitions and sales of art and country furniture can be attended even when the castle is not open to visitors. The palace can be reached by taxi from Kristianstad; call Taxi Allians at tel. 044/24-62-46. If you're driving from Kristianstad, go 15km (9 1/3 miles) north along E66 until you reach the turnoff for Fjälkinge, at which point Bäckaskog is signposted.
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