The history of Gripsholm castles visitors – An analysis of guide books from three centuries

The first signs of reshaping the rooms of the castle and rearranging the portraits in order to produce a historical context and experience towards the visitors were made by the king Gustav III. His motives were to enhance his legitimacy to previous regents. This approach to historical production and theming of rooms continued to be prominent during the course of the 19th and 20th century. As the visitors started increasing, so did the demand to adapt the castle into a more museum like format. My case study of the four guide books from three centuries show how the rooms have been arranged by authorities in relation to how the portraits and the intrinsic historical value of the castle are presented to the visitor. This result allows us to understand the continuous change and rearranging that takes place within the castle and illuminates new historical perspectives that can be applied to future rearrangements and fields of studies.Uppsats för avläggande av filosofie kandidatexamen i Kulturvård, Bebyggelseantikvariskt program 15 hp Institutionen för kulturvård Göteborgs universite