Celebrated in Stockholm 100 years since the headquarters of the Italian Embassy in Sweden was moved to the prestigious Oakhill Palace on the island of Djurgården, purchased by the Italian State in 1926 from the Swedish Royal House, (it had in fact been the home of Prince William, son of the then King Gustaf).
In the presence of the Vice President of Parliament, Kerstin Lundgren, the Secretary of State for Migration, Anders Hall, the President of the Stockholm City Council, Olle Burell, the Marshal of the Kingdom and former Vice Premier Jan Björklund and selected guests from the world of institutions, culture and economy and the Italian community, the choice of Italy at the time to equip itself with one of the most iconic buildings in the city for its diplomatic representation was highlighted. Now perhaps even more than then – with the building which has also acquired a historical value and Italy and Sweden which in the meantime, as well as solid friends, have also become partners in the European Union and allies in NATO – the Oakhill Palace, clearly visible in the city panorama and considered one of the most beautiful Embassies in Stockholm, testifies to the importance attached to the bilateral relationship with Sweden.
“It is a great honor but also a great responsibility that we feel in being custodians of one of the most architecturally and historically significant buildings in Stockholm” declared Ambassador Michele Pala during the celebratory event which focused precisely on the architectural value of the building, on the figure of its designer, Ferdinand Boberg, and on the dialogue in this sector between Italy and Sweden.
After the piano performance by Maestro Carlo Monticelli Cuggiò, the head of the Administration of the Djurgården park Magnus Andersson recalled how the history of the Embassy and the park that hosts it are interconnected, an aspect then explored in depth by the architectural historian Martin Rörby and the archivist of the City of Stockholm Hampus Busk who evoked the solid bond through the figure of the architect Ferdinand Boberg, author of several royal villas in Djurgården.
Themes that are also explored in depth in the new book on Palazzo Oakhill – presented on the occasion of the celebration – written by the Embassy in collaboration with the Department of Civil, Environmental Engineering and Architecture of the University of Cagliari and the Italian Cultural Institute in Stockholm, which will soon also be available in digital version.
