Kina slott

About the museum

Kina slott is a pleasure palace in the Drottningholm palace park on Lovön. King Adolf Fredrik had a first, prefabricated house in Chinese style secretly erected, which surprised Queen Lovisa Ulrika on her birthday one July evening in 1753. At that time everything Chinese was fashionable in Europe, and the East India Company brought in tea, silk, porcelain and art objects.

Ten years later the first house was replaced by the present building, designed by Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz, and the foundation stone was laid in 1763. The castle combines European rococo with the dream of an exotic China. The lacquer-red walls of the façades show a good knowledge of Chinese building art, but the building itself is European.

In the rooms, Swedish rococo furniture inspired by China sits alongside imported objects, lacquer screens, glass paintings and porcelain. Several rooms retain their original wall coverings of Chinese silk and paper, and the lacquer panels in the Gula rummet (Yellow Room) depict the trading city of Canton. The collections were inventoried in 1777, when the state took over Drottningholm, and most of them are still in their original places. This makes Kina slott one of the most authentic examples of European chinoiserie from the 18th century. The castle is part of the Drottningholm World Heritage Site.

Highlights

• Fifteen rooms with Chinese and Japanese craftwork from the 18th century
• The Gula rummet (Yellow Room) with Chinese lacquer panels depicting Canton
• The Åttkantiga salen (Octagonal Hall) with Chinese silk wall hangings
• Part of the Drottningholm World Heritage Site
• Free audio guide in the app Kungliga slotten

Permanent exhibition

• Kina slotts salar – Fifteen rooms in which Chinese-inspired Swedish rococo furniture and imported Chinese objects, lacquer screens, silk wall hangings and porcelain are shown in their original places.

Operated by

Statens fastighetsverk / De Kungliga Slotten

Admission & discounts

Free entry, among others, for licensed guides, ICOM members and Nationalmusei vänner (Friends of the National Museum) upon presenting a card and identification. The Kulturarvskortet (Cultural Heritage Card) gives a 50% discount.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

There is no lift, but there is a lift ramp; contact the staff if the ramp needs to be used. A toilet for people with disabilities is below the Kina slottskök. Assistance dogs and guide dogs are welcome.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Stroller-friendly: not available

The picture hunt (bildjakten) for children aged 4–12 is included in the admission fee; the picture map is collected at the ticket desk, and all participants receive a reward. Pushchairs may not be taken into the castle and can be left outside by the entrance steps (unattended).

Getting there & parking

Kina slott lies in the far part of the Drottningholm palace park on Lovön in Ekerö municipality, about 10 km from Stockholm. There is a cycle path from central Stockholm.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check: not available
• Lockers: not available
• Wi-Fi

Kina slottskafé (the Kina castle café) lies in the park close to the castle and has seating indoors and outdoors. Items from the range of Kungliga Slottsboden (the Royal Palace Shop) are sold in the castle. Free Wi-Fi is available at the entrance so that visitors can download the app. There are no lockers or luggage storage on the palace grounds.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit