Venngarn Castle

The earliest records of the Venngarn estate date from the 12th century. Over the centuries, the property frequently changed hands, including those of the Privy Councillor Folke Johansson and the noble family Banér. In the 15th century, it was owned by the Banér family, which included Gustaf Wasa's grandmother, who inherited the castle. In 1555, Gustaf Wasa invalidated a female claim of inheritance by the Banér family, bringing Venngarn into the possession of the Crown. During this period, the first solid main building was constructed and expanded in the 1570s. In 1619, Venngarn passed to Gustav II Adolf, who mortgaged it to Count Frans Berendt von Thurn. He sold it in 1653 to the statesman Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie, which ushered in the castle's golden age. As Lord High Chancellor and regent under the young Karl XI, De la Gardie was influential and could afford a large court. With Karl XI's assumption of government affairs, De la Gardie's star began to wane, and he had to surrender his estates to the Crown, though he was allowed to reside at Venngarn until his death in 1686. Later, the castle was rented out and from 1916 housed a state institution for alcoholics and, at times, difficult youths, until it was dissolved in 1983. Subsequently, the philanthropic Lewi Pethrus Foundation acquired the property, which passed to the current owner, Wenngarn AB, in 1997.

Venngarn Castle is located in Sigtuna, in the district of Sigtuna, in the Stockholm region, Sweden, at an elevation of approximately 14 meters above sea level.

Today, Venngarn Castle is privately owned.

• Steninge Castle (Castle), approx. 7.1 km away
• Skokloster Castle (Castle), approx. 8.2 km away
• Noor Castle (Castle), approx. 9.4 km away
• Rosersberg Castle (Castle), approx. 10.9 km away