Hundreds of years after the Royal Palace of Stockholm was built, the Forgotten Balcony is finally complete.
The completion of the balcony comes just in time for King Carl XVI Gustaf’s birthday on 30 April and the celebrations of his Golden Jubilee in September.
Stockholm Palace, as it is commonly called, was completed in 1754. Double doors that lead out to a copper roof have been there since its completion for a balcony that was not built despite the architectural drawings showing a balcony in its spot.
Investigators have found no evidence that the balcony ever existed. However, this area of the palace does not have good records, so it is possible that a balcony once was there, but there is no record of it.
The Royal Palace’s Baliff, Erik Kampmann, said: “These are fantastic drawings that show a great deal of the castle that Tessin wanted to complete but which unfortunately was not completely finished.
“We have not found any receipts from that type of work in the Palace Archives. But who knows – someday you might find evidence that the balcony was actually built.”
The National Property Board has collaborated with StÃ¥thÃ¥llarämbetet to complete the balcony shown on the initial drawings by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger – the architect who designed the palace.
The new balcony allows the entire Royal Family to appear together, unlike the previous option, where only a few could appear at the palace windows to greet the people.
The Royal Court has announced that the balcony will be used for the first time on the King’s birthday when the Royal Family will appear on the balcony in the afternoon. Details on which members of the family will attend have not been revealed. Still, it is likely that all of the King’s children and grandchildren (except Princess Madeleine and her family, who live in Florida) will participate alongside His Majesty and the Queen.
