Cedergrenska Tower

Cedergrenska Tower of the Danderyd commune is an excellent example of the desire to construct elaborate medieval architecture by the wealthy during the late 19th-century.

Construction on the Cedergrenska Tower began in 1896 and the exterior took around 12 years and three different architects to complete. The project was the brainchild of Albert Gotthard Nestor Cedergren, a hunter with a large family fortune that he could spend on acquiring land and building the structure. 

The tower was designed to look like a mighty fairy tale castle. People with a keen eye will notice arches, overhangs, battlements, and corbelling along the design. The architectural styles span several centuries with a large square tower on one side and smaller rounder towers that look as if they are glued onto the walls.

The daughter of Cedergren laid the first stone of the castle when she was just 17, and the idea seemingly was that this would be for her. However, Cedergren miscalculated construction time. By the time of his death in 1921, the tower was still unfinished save for his office on the third floor.

His daughter took over the construction and attempted to finish her father’s dream. However, the project had all but ruined the family’s wealth. She would not live to see it completed.

In 1975, the tower and lands were given to the Forest College, who quickly transferred the property to the Nordic Museum. Unfortunately, they also didn’t have the funds to complete the project and it became neglected for many years.

Eventually, the property was sold to the Danderyd municipality in 1996 and turned into a public park. The tower was renovated and restored, becoming a restaurant and conference center. It was officially opened in 1986, a century after construction began.

The entire tower is renovated and accessible, apart from one room that was found walled off. It’s believed to be a shrine, but the developers chose not to open it until the 200th anniversary of the tower in 2096.