The late 19th century
When Nääs’ last private owner, August Abrahamson, acquired Nääs in the spring of 1868, he had the entire estate modernized – both the residential building and the surrounding park. He commissioned Knut Malte Forsberg, who was the fashionable landscape architect at the time. It was he who designed the “Map of Nääs Garden Layout,” according to which the park was redesigned. A copy of the plan can be viewed at the Nääs reception. The new layout was a combination of different styles. The natural style, with winding paths, predominated but was combined with a formal “French” style featuring built-up terraces and floral arrangements with an architectural design language. Behind the main building, an exceptionally magnificent planting was created. In the middle of an artificial hill, which is still visible today, an iron stand for large floral arrangements was placed. Today, paths and many old trees from the 19th century remain, but most of the original park has disappeared. In the early 2000s, the magnificent planting behind the castle was partially recreated.
History since the 17th century
A park, or rather a garden, has probably existed at Nääs since the early 17th century when the estate became a manor under the ownership of the Ulfsparre family. A lease agreement from 1677 mentions a garden with a herb garden and a hop garden. It included, among other things, apple and cherry trees, carrots, cabbage, and turnips. At that time, there was also a full-time gardener.
In the mid-18th century, von Utvall, who was a director at the Swedish East India Company, purchased Nääs. He made significant changes, and a beautiful park must have been added. Much of his preserved literature deals with gardening and landscaping. On the area between the wings and in the area down towards the avenue, there was probably a layout with parterres and rococo floral arrangements.
The Berg family, who bought Nääs in 1824, created an English-style park with winding pathways, groves of vegetation between open spaces, viewpoints, and seating areas. Many of the trees that still exist today were probably planted during the Bergs’ time. This includes the giant tree, a beech, directly behind the main building, which was partially felled by a storm in January 2020.
In June 2025, we launched a digital guided tour of the park. You can find it here: Castle Plan – StoryGo. It works perfectly to listen wherever you want. Both on-site at Nääs, where you can walk around the park and listen at the various locations mentioned in the guide, or at any other chosen location.
