Millesgården

Millesgården is fabulous. Especially on a hot, sunny day.

This was my first day in Stockholm after my travels ‘up north’ and I didn’t want to miss a moment of the sunshine by spending it indoors.

A metro from the hostel followed by a bus journey and a 10 minute walk brought me to the former home of sculptor Carl Milles and his wife Olga. The house and the beautiful garden were given to the people of Sweden in 1936 and now form a museum and stunning sculpture garden.

As Stockholm splashes itself across an archipelago, you’re never too far from water. Millesgården is no exception and the Baltic laps at the edges of the garden providing some lovely views.

The various parts of the garden have been designed to reflect different themes such as the Lower Terrace which was inspired by an Italian piazza (the Milleses spent many winters in Rome).

The house contains art and more sculpture.

A smaller, separate, house is known as ‘Anne’s House’. This was built in the 1950s when Carl and Olga returned from living in the USA. The house was lived in by Carl’s assistant, Anne. The house has been left as it was and the rooms can be viewed through glass panels.

I spent pretty much the whole day wandering around and went completely overboard with the number of photos I took.

Millesgården’s website has a lot of information about the history of the house and garden and the stories behind the sculptures.