King Gustav Vasa decided to create a royal park in the popular Haga area in the mid-18th century. The king’s vision was realized by the architect of the moment, Fredric Magnus Piper. The result was an English-style park with some very unusual buildings, including the Chinese Pagoda and the Roman battle tent, Koppartalten. A royal palace inspired by Versailles in France was also planned, but construction came to a halt after the king’s death and it remained unfinished.

Gustav III’s Pavilion, a Gustavian masterpiece designed by Olof Tempelman, with an interior by Louis Masreliez, is the park’s greatest  architectural attraction, while Fjarils and Fagelhuset has exotic butterflies and birds flying freely around a tropical greenhouse.

Haga Slott, built in 1802-04 for Gustav IV Adolf, was the childhood home of the present monarch, Carl XVI Gustaf, and his sisters. Now it is used for government receptions and to accommodate visiting heads of state.