House of Nobility (Sweden)
The House of Nobility (Swedish: Riddarhuset) in Stockholm, Sweden, is a corporation and a building that maintains records and acts as an interest group on behalf of the Swedish nobility.
Name
The name is
History
Between the 17th and the 19th century the House of Nobility was a chamber in the Riksdag of the Estates.
In the 18th century, the building was often used for public concerts. From 1731, public concerts were performed here by Kungliga Hovkapellet. Elisabeth Olin is believed to have debuted here in the 1750s, and foreign artists performed such as Elisabetta Almerighi, Giovanni Ansani (1772) and Rosa Scarlatti.
In 1866, the Parliament of the Estates was replaced by the new Riksdag (Parliament of Sweden). From then on, the House of Nobility served as a quasi-official representative body for the Swedish nobility, regulated by the Swedish government. Since 2003, it has been a private institution which maintains records and acts as an interest group on behalf of the Swedish nobility, its main purpose being to maintain old traditions and culture.
Building
The south end of the building carries the Latin inscription CLARIS MAIORUM EXEMPLIS, after the clear example of the forefathers, and holds a statue of Gustav Vasa, the king of Sweden 1523-1560. North of the building is a park in which is a statue of Axel Oxenstierna.
The architecture of the old main library in Turku, Finland, was influenced by the Swedish House of Nobility.
Gallery
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Swedish House of Nobility in 1885
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Swedish House of Nobility during the Age of Liberty, in the 18th century.
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The Swedish House of Nobility, north end, with a statue of Axel Oxenstierna.
See also
- Architecture of Stockholm
- List of Swedish noble families
- Finnish House of Nobility
- Riddarhustorget
- Riddarholmen