This part of Kungsholmen was a rural and largely undeveloped area in the city's outskirts for a long time. Near Hornsberg, there was Hornsbergs Castle, one of Stockholm's more significant manors, whose lands covered a large part of the area. In the 1750s, a textile factory was established near Hornbergs Castle, which was later converted into a sugar refinery. Both the castle and the sugar refinery were demolished in 1890 when Stora Bryggeriet (the Great Brewery) was built. Some parts of the brewery's buildings still remain today.
The history of Mariedal estate is not entirely clear, and it is uncertain when the first building was constructed. The oldest part of the current building, which constitutes most of today's ground floor, appears to have been built as a small customs house sometime between 1750 and 1770. The house acquired its current appearance with three stories during a renovation and expansion in 1849.
At the location where Mariedal now stands, there was the Western Lake Customs, also known as Karlbergs Tull, established in the 1600s to oversee boat traffic from Ulvsundasjön. The customs inspection took over the property in 1740, and the area was then named Piludden. Sometime after this, the old customs house was likely built. In 1805, the customs was moved to the other side of the water at Rörstrand, and the house was leased to the Military Academy at Karlbergs Castle (see our story here
https://reveal.world/story/the-military-school-and-the-home-of-the-kings).
Later, it housed a foundry owned by the printer Johan Peter Lindh on the premises. The foundry operations were located in the current annex building. After Lindh's death, his wife Maria took over the business, and Mariedal is likely named after her.
Maria Lindh sold the foundry to Per Adolf Norstedt around 1820. P.A. Norstedt retained it at the location until 1835, and with the purchase of Mariedal, he laid the foundation for the printing house and publishing company that bore his name and is today Sweden's oldest publishing house (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norstedts_f%C3%B6rlag)
In 1839, the property came into the ownership of the Scharp merchant family, and ten years later, Johan Scharp undertook renovations and additions to the existing house. Johan and his wife Anna Maria were registered residents in the city at Stora Nygatan 10 and likely intended to use Mariedal solely as a summer residence, much like many other affluent families during this time who acquired country estates outside the city gates. Johan Scharp came from a successful merchant family that had owned, among other properties, the so-called Scharp House at Skeppsbron 10 since 1802. The brothers Johan and Carl Anders grew up in the house and established a trading company with an office at the same address in 1814. The company existed until 1845 and traded in various commodities, including iron ore and pig iron. Both brothers were also avid coin and medal collectors, and in 1847, Johan Scharp sold a significant portion of his collection at auction. It was possible with the proceeds from this sale that he could initiate the extensive renovation of Mariedal two years later, which greatly influenced the appearance of the current house.
In the early 1870s, the tanner and collector Jacob Westin took over the property and lived there for about ten years. Westin had a significant collection of documents, books, and maps related to the history of Stockholm, which he stored at Mariedal for a time. He later donated this collection to Uppsala University.
Westin died in 1880, and Mariedal was acquired by the City of Stockholm. It became a home for lupus patients, serving as a branch of St. Göran's Hospital. Lupus was a form of skin tuberculosis treated with ultraviolet radiation at the hospital while the patients resided at Mariedal. This operation continued until the 1930s when it moved to other facilities.
During World War II, the military used Mariedal as barracks, resulting in significant wear and tear.
In 1952, the so-called Sällskapet Länkarna (organization offering help to alcoholics) took over the property, and it underwent extensive renovations, including the installation of water and sewage systems. In the late 1970s, the building was renovated once again, receiving new surface finishes and flooring. In 2015, the building faced further refurbishment and adaptation for new tenants, with the aim of restoring the two upper floors of the main building for residential use.
Both the exterior and interior are nearly entirely preserved from the mid-18th century, and they hold significant cultural and historical interest as they showcase how a prosperous merchant family could shape their country estate. There are also relatively few environments from this era preserved in present-day Stockholm, making the property particularly valuable. It is classified as "blåvärderad" according to the cultural historical classification by Stockholm City Museum. This means that the property has exceptionally high cultural and historical value.
