Tidö Castle

Tidö Castle (Tidö slott) is a castle outside Västerås in Sweden.

The former castle
The first building on the site was a medieval house built by the Gren family in the fifteenth century. In 1537, the Gren family sold the castle to the Queen consort, Margaret Leijonhufvud. In 1540, her husband, king Gustav Vasa, traded the castle to Ekolsund Castle and Tidö came to the Tott family.

Today, minor ruins of the former house can be found next to the present building.

The present castle
The present castle at Tidö was built by the Lord High Chancellor of Sweden Axel Oxenstierna in 1625–1645. The castle was built around a rectangular courtyard with the main building to the north and the three linked wings to the east, west and south. The main entrance is through a vault in the south wing.

In 1889, the von Schinkel family bought Tidö and they still own it today. Today visitors may see the Toy Museum. Tidö is one of Sweden's best preserved Baroque palaces, in the Dutch Renaissance style.