Hallwyl Museum

Hallwyl Museum or “Hallwylska Museet” is a 19th century palace and the former home of the the Count and Countess von Hallwyl, who formed part of one of Europe’s oldest families.

Hallwyl Museum history

Hallwyl Museum was the home of Count and Countess Walther and Wilhelmina von Hallwyl. It was built as a winter home for the couple and was completed in 1898. It was designed by Isak Gustaf, the most renowned architect in Sweden at the time. Among his other famous works is Nordiska Museet (The Nordic Museum).

The Countess was very involved in the construction of the house, according to her own statement that she had the opportunity to prepare the couple’s first home at Erikslund’s manor in Södermanland which the Count prepared. She had not seen that house before moving in because it was traditionally the man’s job.

The building, which came to cover over 2,000 square meters and some 40 rooms, yet the spouses themselves never called the building the palace but said “Hamngatan 4” or simply “the house”.

The Hallwyl Museum was created as a result of the Countess’s passion for collecting antiques and works of art. Wilhelmina von Hallwyl had acquired large collections of art, antiques, weapons, porcelain and silver and decided early on to preserve the house as a museum. The Hallwilian collection comprises over 50,000 well-documented objects.

In 1920 the palace and estate were donated to the Swedish state. The museum was opened to the public in 1938. The museum was part of the authority Livrustkammaren and Skokloster’s castle with the Foundation Hallwylska museum between 1978 and 2017. Since the year 2017/2018 it has been included in the authority the State Historical Museums.

Hallwyl Museum today

Today, the Hallwyl Museum holds a diverse collection ranging from 19th and early 20th century household objects to paintings by great masters such as Pieter Faes. Guided tours are available as are audio guides for visitors to enjoy.

Although not one of the most well known attractions in Stockholm, the Hallwyl Museum does offer an interesting insight into life in early 20th century Stockholm.

Getting to Hallwyl Museum

The Hallwyl Museum is located at No.4 Hamngatan, in the heart of central Stockholm.