Suecia antiqua et hodierna

13238 Views 25 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Hasse78, Mar 13, 2016

Hasse78

Discussion Starter · Apr 26, 2014

Suecia antiqua et hodierna

This thread is about Eric Dahlbergs ”Suecia antiqua et hodierna”. The mid 17th to early 18th century collection of engravings. The engravings show us today various locationssuch as swedish cities and castles of that era.
What is typical for the work of ”Suecia antiqua et hodierna” is how many of the important buildings was out of proportion making them look bigger than they really were. The added peaple to the engravings was smaller aswell adding to that effect. Aswell it´s common that there was shown planned addition to certain buildings. Additions that later never came into reality.

All pictures of engravings are from Wikipedia.

Eric Dahlberg

From wikipedia:

Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna, or Ancient and Modern Sweden, is the title of a large work of engravings collected by Erik Dahlbergh in the mid-17th century. The Suecia can be described as a grand vision of Sweden during its period as a great power. Dahlberg's direct source of inspiration was the topographical publications issued by the Swiss publisher Matthäus Merian. In 1661 Dahlberg was granted a royal privilege enabling him to realize his plans, which kept him occupied for a good decade, and a work that would not be printed until after his death. In its final state Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna comprised three volumes containing 353 plates.

Stockholm from the east.

Stockholm from the west

Today

The former Three Crowns castle. Destroid in a fire 1697.

Hedvig Eleonora church

Today

National bank building

Today

Source: Stockholm ghostwalk

Kungsträdgården park

Today

Riddarholmen church

Today

Wrangel palace

Today

Royal palace church

Today

House of knights (Riddarhuset)

Today

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1 - 20 of 26 Posts

dj4life

· #2 · Apr 26, 2014

Mmmm..

Hasse78

Discussion Starter · #3 · Apr 26, 2014

Uppsala

Today

Source: net.teflonminne.se

Uppsala Cathedral

Today

Uppsala Cathedral interiors

Today

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6

Reactions: 3

Hasse78

Discussion Starter · #4 · Apr 26, 2014

Old Uppsala burial grounds

Today

Skokloster castle

Today

Hässelby castle

Today

Source: rubensrabatter.blogspot.se

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6

Reactions: 4

dj4life

· #5 · Apr 26, 2014

More, please.

Hasse78

Discussion Starter · #6 · Apr 26, 2014

Bogesund castle

Drottningholm Palace

Drottningholm interiors

Today

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10

Reactions: 3

Hasse78

Discussion Starter · #7 · Apr 26, 2014

Näsby castle

Source: upplandia.se

Karlbergs castle

Today

Karlberg again

Today with the long extended east and west wings

Strängnäs

Today

Source: loggenbloggen.se

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8

Reactions: 1

Hasse78

Discussion Starter · #8 · Apr 26, 2014

Mariefred with Gripsholms castle

Today

Source: Britt-Marie Sohlström

Tyresö castle

Today

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4

Reactions: 2

Hasse78

Discussion Starter · #9 · Apr 27, 2014

Sandemar

Today

Source: gardochtorp.se

Västerås

Today

Source: panoramio user kjohl

Arboga

Today

Source: panoramio user jaakkoafs

Köping

Today

Source: panoramio user PetriH

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8

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Hasse78

Discussion Starter · #10 · Apr 27, 2014

Sala

Today

Source: panoramio user Johan_A

Strömsholms Palace

Today

Örebro

Today:

Source: panoramio user Bob Fleming

Göksholm

Today

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8

Reactions: 1

Hasse78

Discussion Starter · #11 · Apr 27, 2014

Geddeholm/Tureholm

Today:

Söderhamn

Today

Source: panoramio user epiphonium

Hudiksvall

Today

Source: panoramio user heja björn

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6

edxor

· #12 · Apr 27, 2014

Great work!!

I've always thought hat Uppsala cathedral looked better before it got it's neo-gothic make over. The towers look just like any neo-gothic church built between 1850 - 1900

Reactions: 1

Hasse78

Discussion Starter · #13 · Apr 27, 2014

Härnösand

Today:

Source: panoramio user Lazzze

Nora

Today:

Source: panoramio user bk56

Karlstad

Today

Source: panoramio user miccar

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6

Adde

· #14 · Apr 27, 2014

edxor said:
Great work!! I've always thought hat Uppsala cathedral looked better before it got it's neo-gothic make over. The towers look just like any neo-gothic church built between 1850 - 1900

Yeah, Helge Zettervall wasn't very sensitive in his church restorations. No one appreciated brick gothic at the turn of the 19th century. At least the original towers are still there under the outside brick skin in Uppsala. Zettervall actually completely tore down the towers of Lund Cathedral. The Norman towers there today are complete new builds.

Adde

· #15 · Apr 27, 2014

I do want to point out that while the Suecia sometimes do exaggerate the size of buildings, and sometimes portray parts of buildings that were planned but never executed, it's actually generally quite an accurate work, and most pictures can be trusted as realistic representations of what the buildings and towns looked like at the end of the 17th century.

Most of the differences seen between the engravings of the Suecia and the photographs of how the palaces and towns look today are down to 300 years of rebuilding, restoration and demolition.

A good example is Karlberg palace. The Suecia shows it as it looked when it was still a royal place in the second half of the 17th century, with a huge baroque garden and an elaborate dock in front of. The pictures show it as it is now, a military school since 1792, with large extensions to both sides for student housing (built in the 1790's), a late 18th century English garden heavily reduced by modern infrastructure (train tracks and motorway ramps mostly) and without a dock.

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Hasse78

Discussion Starter · #16 · Apr 27, 2014

^^
Very true Adde.

I do have to say that Sweden looked awesome back then. Atleast when looking at this collection of engravings.

Linköping Cathedral

Today:

Norrköping

Today:

Source: panoramio user Obydias

Finspång castle

Today:

Source: panoramio user Lennart S. Svensson

Vadstena

The castle today

Source: panoramio user arisal

The Abbey church today

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Adde

· #17 · Apr 27, 2014

Well, obviously the Suecia focuses on the more impressive stone buildings, especially in the town views where the average buildings are much smaller in scale than the churches, castles and houses of the nobility. But the work really is an invaluable source to especially upper class environments in late 17th century Sweden.

Hasse78

Discussion Starter · #18 · May 30, 2014

Time to add some more pics to this thread.

Säby manor

Today

Source: upplandia.se

Ulfsunda slott

Today

Södertälje

Today

Fiholms manor

Today:

Ållonö slott

Today:

Source: slottsguiden.se

Gothenburg with Skansen Lejonet fort at the fron and Skansen kronan fort at the back.

Skansen lejonet today:

Foto by: fredrikolsson69

And Skansen kronan today:

Source: goteborg2021.com

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Reactions: 1

Hasse78

Discussion Starter · #19 · May 30, 2014

Skara

Today:

Source: arix.se

Läckö castle

Foto by: lillepv

Gudhem monestary ruins

Today:

Trollhättan

Today:

Source: vastsverige.se

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9

Reactions: 1

Hasse78

Discussion Starter · #20 · Jun 1, 2014

Söderköping

Today

Foto by: Niklas Barsk

Stegeborg

Today a ruin

Borås

Today:

Jönköping

Today:

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