Brahehus

What led Per Brahe the Younger to erect a pavilion on the mountain crest north of Gränna is the magnificent location. Construction began in 1638 but was not entirely completed before the mid-1650s. The location imparted not only a stunning view, but it also made construction difficult because it meant that all of the building materials had to carried up the mountain.

Per Brahe the Younger spent little time here, but for grand visits he and his guests were conveyed up to Brahehus. It was meant to impress visitors, and it certainly did so. The view of the countship was captivating. One could see Visingsborg Castle on Visingsö from here as well as Västanå Castle just south of Gränna. In the middle of this castle triangle, Gränna, the town founded by the count in 1652, was visible.

A while after Per Brahe’s death in 1680, Brahehus was stripped of its furnishings, so it was empty when fire broke out in the village of Uppgränna in the autumn of 1708. Eight of the village’s eleven farms were totally destroyed, and the fire spread all the way up to Brahehus. When the blaze was extinguished, only the ruins of Brahehus remained.