The Teleborg Slot Castle Hotel is a true fairytale hotel. It is so magnificent, whimsical and delicate that one would expect to find it in Britain rather than in Scandinavia. It is a historicist masterpiece reminiscent of a medieval knight’s castle. But its idyllic setting on the shores of Lake Trummen also helps to make the castle hotel an incredibly romantic place. What’s more, it’s a haunted castle. Find out more about the romantic Teleborg Castle Hotel in Växjö, Sweden, and the ghosts that haunt the building.
Teleborg Castle – Like a knight’s castle on the Middle Rhine
Castle Teleborg is a real fairytale castle, even though it was built in the 19th century. During the Historicist period , people were drawn to romanticism, ancient tales of knights and sombre, Gothic buildings with pointed arches and tall towers. Many castles were built during this time modelled on medieval examples; however, they did not reflect reality but were considerably more whimsical, charming and magnificent. The past was romanticised in the 19th century, particularly the Middle Ages, which is why many castles from this era look like fairy-tale castles. Neuschwanstein is a particularly fine example of this. It is said that the knight’s castles on the Middle Rhine served as the model for Teleborg Castle.
The Teleborg Castle Hotel offers a wonderful atmosphere.
History of Teleborg Castle in Växjö
This Swedish fairytale castle was not built until the end of the 19th century and is therefore just over 100 years old. However, it looks considerably older and more imposing. Count Gustaf Frederik Bonde had the castle built in 1986 for his much younger wife, Anna Koskull. I would be remiss not to mention the social scandal that ensued. Count Bonde had been married to his first wife for 26 years and had five children. But at the age of 47, he fell in love with his ward, the 21-year-old Anna Koskull. Anna’s parents had died young; Count Bonde was a friend and neighbour of the family and had therefore taken on her guardianship. The guardianship turned into love – and a huge social scandal. The Count divorced his wife in order to marry his lover, who was 26 years his junior and, moreover, his ward!
Following the death of Anna Koskull, the castle passed to Count Bonde’s nephew, who used it as a summer residence. As early as the 1930s, the family set up a restaurant in the castle and opened the park to the public, as this was the only way to cover the enormous maintenance costs. During the Second World War and in the period that followed, maintaining the castle proved unviable for the family and the building fell into disrepair. In 1964, the city of Växjö purchased the castle. As the castle grounds border directly on Linnaeus University, parts of the castle were initially used as university buildings. It is only since 2003 that the estate has been used for tourism as a hotel and restaurant.
Hotel and restaurant at Teleborg Castle in Växjö
We spent three nights at Teleborg Castle and had a brilliant time there. The hotel is very elegant, with old-fashioned and stylish décor. Some of the furniture is antique, but the most impressive features are the old tiled stoves. That’s exactly how we like it. The rooms haven’t been modernised, which means they don’t have en-suite bathrooms . However, there are several shared bathrooms on each floor. These are cleaned several times a day and were never occupied, so it’s very relaxed despite having to use shared facilities. The food was also very good and breakfast buffet offered a wide variety of dishes, including many Swedish specialities. The restaurant was also very good; the food was tasty and attractively presented. However, the restaurant advertises regional and Swedish specialities, which I found somewhat lacking. I really liked the hotel; otherwise, I wouldn’t be writing an article about it.
The area around Teleborg Castle
The beautiful surroundings are also worth mentioning. Although the castle grounds are small, the whole site is surrounded by woodland and the castle is situated almost right on the lake. It’s about 200 metres to the shore – I particularly enjoyed that. Because whilst dinner in a restaurant is lovely, I enjoy a picnic by the lake even more. We spent two evenings picnicking. Lake Trummen has a circumference of just under 4 km and borders the city of Växjö. I really liked that too, as it was the perfect route for my morning runs. Rarely have I had such idyllic running routes as at Teleborg Castle. You can walk to Växjö city centre, but it’s quite a long way. It took us just over 30 minutes to walk there. However, there are so many bus services that you can get into the city in less than ten minutes at any time of day.
And finally, a legend…
Swedish castles are considerably more haunted than the old ruins in Germany. Almost every Swedish castle has at least one house spirit. At Teleborg Castle, for example, the ghosts are said to keep the place in order. Guests have reportedly seen lights flickering on the second floor . The staff say that they sometimes see a white lady there. This is said to be the ghost of the ill-fated Anna Koskull. Her husband died nine years after the castle was built, and she spent the final years of her life in the castle, alone and without children or social acceptance. Unfortunately, we stayed on the first floor rather than the second floor of the castle.
Teleborg Castle, Slottsallén 33, 352 56 Växjö, Sweden
Sources:
History of Teleborg Castle
Magazine: Lokaltitninge
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