Runsa Castle

Runsa is a historic estate situated in Upplands Väsby Municipality within Stockholm County, Sweden. The site is renowned for its layered history, featuring the ruins of an ancient hillfort known as Runsa fornborg and the later Runsa Manor. The prehistoric fortification is strategically located on a thirty-meter-high rock promontory overlooking Lake Mälaren with views toward Sigtuna. Covering an area of 200 by 100 meters, the fort was first excavated in 1902 with the participation of the future King Gustaf VI Adolf and investigated again by archaeologists in 1992. Below these ruins lies a significant stone ship burial ground containing approximately thirty graves. Constructed from round stones dating between 400 and 500 AD, this burial site spans fifty-six feet from bow to stern and stands as one of the most famous stone circles in the country.

The manor house, or Runsa slott, dates from the mid-17th century and is surrounded by these ancient monuments. The estate has a rich ownership history, having been sold to the Archbishop of Uppsala in 1313 before being suppressed by King Gustav Vasa during the Reformation. It was subsequently acquired by Jacob De la Gardie, the Lord High Constable of Sweden. The main building was most likely constructed by his widow, Ebba Brahe, in the 1600s. Brahe later willed the property to her daughter, Christina Catharine De la Gardie, who was married to Gustaf Otto Stenbock. Today, the location serves as a cultural heritage site where visitors can explore the juxtaposition of Iron Age burial customs, medieval strategic defense, and aristocratic residential history.