page_title: Makalös
section_title: Construction
hierarchical_section_title: Makalös / Construction
caption_attribution_description: Engraving from Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna, view of Kungsträdgården facing south.
context_page_description: Makalös was the colloquial name for the grand mansion, or palace, of the Swedish noble family De la Gardie. Situated at Norrström, south of Kungsträdgården in Stockholm and vis-à-vis the Royal Palace, the building was completed in 1653 and demolished in 1825 after a fire.
context_section_description: Construction of the mansion was begun in the 1630s on a piece of land owned by Jakob De la Gardie. De la Gardie tasked Hans Jacob Kristler with the construction. The five-floor building was built of brick and stone with a copper roof. The living quarters were situated in the ground floor, the festivities hall on the second (piano nobile), dancing and music rooms on the third, and stores and armoury on the fourth and fifth floors. The cellar comprised larders, while housekeeping facilities, stables and gardens were situated outside the main building. Four towers marked the corners of a facade richly decorated with stone masonry and adorned with bay windows and column-supported loggias in Italian style. The interior was equally splendid, with stucco decorations, picturesque plafonds, tapestries, decorative masonry, and galleries of paintings.
  At the time of construction, the building's size and architecture stood in stark contrast to the humble surroundings and were unrivalled in Sweden. Although the mansion was colloquially known as "Makalös", the De la Gardie family referred to it exclusively as Stora huset ("the great house").
caption: This engraving from Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna shows Kungsträdgården facing south towards Norrström. Makalös is depicted near the centre of the image, Saint James's church to the right, and the Royal palace in the background.
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