The Orangery - audio file texted
The building housing the orangeries was initially referred to as the lemon or bitter orange house before being called the orangery, which comes from the French word “orange”. The term has evolved from being a generic term for exotic plants to also including the building in which plants are kept.
Erected in the late 1600s, Lövstabruk’s orangery, or bitter orange house, suffered only partial damage in the Russian invasion of 1719 because the building was made of stone. In the 1730s, the orangery was restored and taken into use again for winter storage of many exotic trees like orange, bitter orange, laurel, myrtle, figs and many others. Four large tiled stoves provided warmth, and shutters were fitted on the large windows to keep the cold out during the winter months. The shutters were however opened in the event of warm, sunny weather.
In the spring, all the plants stored in the orangery were moved to the park so that the building with its large beautiful windows could be used as an assembly room. Today, the Orangery is managed by the National Property Board and used by the Leufsta Foundation for concerts, lectures, exhibitions, weddings, and other events.