Evening star., 1942-06-14
GripshoIm, Sweden's
Historic Landmark
Bu Frederic J. HdSkin.

! When the 18,134-ton Swedish liner
! Gripsholm nosed into New York Harbor
from Gothenburg last Tuesday with
some 200 passengers to be exchanged
for nationals of certain warning coun-
tries, the event revived in the minds OF
many Americans the ships illustrious
name Any one who is familiar with
! Sweden's long and romantic history
knows the story of Gripsholm, house,
| hold word to every Swede, young and old.
The Gripsholm often has sailed in
| American waters, and in the days when
travel to Europe was unrestricted and
many people of the United States went
abroad annually, this pride of Sweden's
seagoing vessels was a coveted ship. Its
last trip to this country was about two
years ago, and only the submarine
menace has kept it away SO long. Ar
irving this time bedecked in coat Of
white and designated as conveyer OF
diplomats. her safety was guaranteed
! by what appears to be the last vestige
of international respect for the high
seas.
In Sweden the name Gripsholm means
! lilOIt lIldll SlllU, anu IlC NcS-
sci would be christened there with such
an illustricus and historic name. In
deed, Gripsholm Castle, from which the
/ name is derived, is so well known and
revered in Sweden that it is equivalent
to the White House in Washington. The
White House dates back to 1892, a
mere $50 years, but Gripsholm Castle
dates back more than 400 years, or to
August TO- 1887, when one of the great
est edifices in Sweden had its begin
ming Like the White House, Gripsholm
Castle was many years in building, but
when completed the massive and extern
siYe structure became the show place
of the country. And although it is no
longer used for its original purpose, the
old castle is so much a part of Sweden
and Swedish history that it is still a
shrine of admiration and veneration.
Stretching from Stockholms famed
city hall far into the interior of Sweden
| is an expanse of blue-green loveliness
known as Lake Malaren. 1t is
meandering sort of water, diverted here
and there by numerous bays, islands
| and inlets. Curious little villages and
towns dot its heavily wooded banks, and
many spots memorable in Swedens his
tory line its sandy shores. Foremost
among these historic treasures is the
sturdy, red-brick Gripsholm Castle oc-
cupying practically the entire area of a
small island in one of Malaren's more
remote bays.
| The name Gripshom, however, pre-
dates the building of Gripsholm Castle.
About the year 1900 knight of the
north had an improvised castle on the
| island, and then in 1880 Bo Jonsson
! Grip, SWeden's richest man at the time.
acquired the property and began con-
| struction of a more pretentious palace.
| Being a nobleman he named the place
from his armorial bearings. a grip
which in Swedish means a griffin. And
because it was built on small island,
'holme,' it became Gripsholm. The
property had various owners during the
! ensuing years and in 1470 it was &C
quired by the lord protector, Sten
| Sture, who decided it in grant to a
monastery, an institution which Sture
| himself had founded. Some years later
| the estate was seized and claimed as
! personal heritage by Sten Stures great
nephew. the illustrious Gustav Vasa the
! hero king, founder of SWeden's greatest
ruling dynasty, and name perpetuated
in streets, statues and squares through
! out the land.
So the present Gripsholm Castle was
constructed under the personal direc-
! IF Cl,c III
had previously restored old castles at
Stockholm and Kalmar. Gripsholm,
however, was the greatest of all and the
most historic, even to the extent that
when Sweden some years ago started
the construction of another giant ocean
liner, it was decided to christen it the
Gripsholm
| Gripsholm Castle is no small affair.
and as to architectural beauty, especially
in the interior. it has few equals. With
a sufficient number Of rooms to provide
sleeping quarters for more than $50
guests, and having within it a theater,
its spaciousness is not easy to portray by
the printed word. 1t still possesses the
| furniture and other furnishings used
| when it was a royal residence and Wis
itors from all over the world have been
| charmed by this ancient and palatial
castle. which now houses one of the most
remarkable portrait galleries to be found
| in Europe or elsewhere. 1t is the largest
in Sweden and contains more than 1000
| pieces. Many of the subjects are persons
| connected with Swedens participation in
the Thirty Years War and the countrys
subsequent period of political distinction.
| Something of the heyday of Gripsholm
! Castle is cleaned from records of the
| time. Entertainment was a daily routine.
many guests often spending a day or
more. and when there was an ingather-
ing of royal gentlemen and ladies. the
| crowds were large. On one of these occa-
| sions. which lasted over period Of a
| few weeks. the record shows that $40
persons attended. During the time there
were consumed 229 barrels Of bread $50
| pound of -four, 12.70o eggs and barrels
of butter. All this was exclusive of meat
and fish, Consumption of the latter
| foods is suggested in a letter from a
| steward to the master of the house on
| similar occasion, deploring that 240
steers supplied for the purpose proved
woefully insufficient.
After the death of Gustav. succeeding
| members of the royal family lost inter-
est in the remote and chilly halls OF
| Gripsholm and took up their abode in
| the more modern and refined Drottning-
| holm Palace, from which the Gripsholms