John III built a stone palace here in 1580, replacing a mansion called Torvesund, and Willem Boy designed the original Renaissance building. After a fire in December 1661, reconstruction began in 1662 under Nicodemus Tessin the Elder, who died in 1681. His son, Nicodemus Tessin the Younger, continued the work and completed the interior designs. The article gives no completion date.
The Tessins laid out the Baroque garden. French Rococo interiors came with Louisa Ulrika's ownership, and Gustav III started the English landscape garden. The Chinese Pavilion was built from 1763 to 1770. The Palace Theatre was rebuilt after the original burned in 1762.
The palace was the summer residence of the Swedish court for much of the 18th century. King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia have lived in the southern wing since 1981. UNESCO listed the Royal Domain of Drottningholm in 1991, and the parts not used by the royal family are open to visitors.
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