Stjärnorp Castle is situated north of Linköping

Linköping

Linköping is a city in southern middle Sweden, with 104 232 inhabitants in 2010. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality with 146 736 inhabitants and the capital of Östergötland County...

, in the southern province of Östergötland

Östergötland

Östergötland, English exonym: East Gothland, is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland, and the Baltic Sea. In older English literature, one might also encounter the Latinized version, Ostrogothia...

, Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

. It was built by the Douglas Family, with a view over Lake Roxen

Roxen

Roxen is a medium-sized lake in south central Sweden, east of lake Vättern, part of the waterpath Motala ström and the Göta Canal. South of lake Roxen is the city Linköping....

.

History

The castle was built in 1655-1662 by Field Marshal Robert Douglas, Count of Skenninge

Robert Douglas, Count of Skenninge

Robert Douglas , Count of Skenninge, Baron of Skalby, was a Scottish Field Marshal in the Swedish army, during the Thirty Years' War and the Swedish-Polish wars...

 (1611–1662). The castle and terrace

Terrace

A terrace may refer to:*Terrace , a leveled surface*Terrace , a raised flat platform*Terrace , a step-like landform that borders a shoreline or river floodplain...

s were designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Elder. According to one legend, a story relates that during the war, comrades and brothers in arms Robert Douglas and Axel Lillie came home from the Peace of Westphalia

Westphalia

Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...

, and they had made an agreement to build their own castles, Stjärnorp Castle and Löfstad Castle

Löfstad Castle

Löfstad Castle is a château situated near Norrköping, the province of Östergötland, in Sweden. Löfstad has its origins from the 15th century, but the present building was erected by Axel Lillie in the 17th century...

, so high that from the top floor, they could see and send greeting messages to each other.

Carl Fredric Broocman, writing in the mid-18th century on "Stiernarp":

"This manor farm is well located beside Lake Roxen, 5 eighths of a mile from the church, and has a sizeable stone building of four stories, with a tower on the western side and a terrace on the roof, as it seems imitating the King's adviser, Count Er. Dahlbergs Svec. Ant. & Hod.

Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna

Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna, or Ancient and Modern Sweden, is the title of a large work of engravings, collected by Erik Dahlbergh in the middle of the 17th century...

There are 2 wings of 2 storeys besides, and a room in the southern building with altar, pulpit, organ and gallery furnished as a chapel, and in the middle of the roof is a handsome tower with a clock. In this so wonderfully arranged chapel the peasants, farmers and crofters of the woodland districts furthest from the parish church have, with the proper consent of the gentry and clergy, freedom to hold their regular worship every Sunday and holy day throughout the year. The good-sized building just named was erected by Count Robert Douglas about 1654, and Major General and Knight, Count Wilhelm Douglas is now the owner thereof."

All the Stjärnorp buildings were destroyed during a fire on May 12, 1789, but the chapel was restored in the same year. Although the wings were built up again within a few years after the fire, the funds were lacking for the repair of the main building, which is still in ruins.

When Stjärnorp parish was formed in 1810, the castle chapel became the parish church chapel.