Up in the North of Stockholm, by the Brunnskiven Lake is a hidden gem – the Bergian Garden, in which you’ll find the beautiful Victoriahuset. This eighteenth-century garden abounds with incredible plants, flowers and best of all, waterlilies.
You’ll find the tropical waterlilies in the greenhouse, Victoriahuset and the greenhouse was created because Bergianus Veit Witrosk, a botanist and resident of Stockholm, needed somewhere to study aquatic plants. Nowadays these kinds of greenhouses are very unusual in Europe and because Victoriahuset houses tropical plants it needs to be heated, which must have been difficult in Sweden in the twentieth century when it was built.
Victoriahuset is an absolute must-see. It’s considered a national monument, with a stunning structure made from glass and cast iron. It was restored in the ’80s and sits directly next to the water in the grounds of the beautiful Bergius Botanic Gardens.
Whilst you’re there you can also visit the beautiful Edvard Anderson Conservatory where Mediterranean flowers and herbs imbue the air with their incredible aromas. It’s another heated greenhouse, which will transport you to the balmy Med without you ever having left Stockholm.
It’s free to visit the gardens, and you can visit in any season but Victoriahuset is only open between May 1 and September 30. The entrance fee is 20 SEK but you can’t pay in cash. Instead, visit the website for details on how to pay. Edvard Anderson Conservatory is a little more expensive to visit, at 90 SEK per person but open to visitors year-round.