1544 SWEDEN (Stockholm) - Waldemarsudde

Now a museum located on Djurgården in central Stockholm, Waldemarsudde (Cape of Waldemar) is the scenic former home of the Prince Eugen (1865-1947), Duke of Närke, the fourth and youngest son of Oscar II, King of Sweden (1872-1907) and of Norway (1872-1905). The prince showed early artistic promise which later on would result in a life-long commitment to arts. As a young student in Paris he took his first steps as an art collector, and by the turn of the century, he bought the property at Waldemarsudde where he found the space needed for his own works and the art he collected. He bequeathed his home and his collections to the Swedish state and since 1948 it has been open to the public as a museum.

The complex consists of a castle-like main building - the Mansion - completed in 1905, and the Gallery Building, added in 1913. Architect Ferdinand Boberg designed both buildings in close cooperation with Prince Eugen. The estate also includes the original manor-house building, known as the Old House and an old linseed mill, both dating back to the 1780s. The estate is set in parkland which features centuries-old oak trees and reflects the prince's interest for gardening and flower arrangement. The Art Nouveau interior, including the tiled stoves, by Boberg are designed in a Gustavian style and makes good use of both the panoramic view of the inlet to Stockholm and the light resulting from the elevated location of the building.

About the stamp
The stamp, depicting Baltic Hawker, is part of a series with insects,about which I wrote here.

References
Waldemarsudde - Wikipedia
Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde - Official website

Sender: Mircea Ostoia
Sent from Stockholm (Stockholm / Sweden), on 22.02.2015
Photo: Kjeil Renblad