HRH Prince Daniel's speech at the inauguration of Monika Sosnowskas sculpture in The Princess Estelle Sculpture Park
Rosendal, Royal Djurgården, Stockholm
(The spoken word shall take precedence)
Minister,
Dear Monika Sosnowska,
Dear friends of Princess Estelle’s Culture Foundation,
Ladies and gentlemen,
We are standing on historic ground:
Nearly two centuries ago, the idea was born to make Rosendal a place for art. King Karl XIV Johan, the first monarch of the Bernadotte dynasty, wanted to create a space to delight and inspire the people of Stockholm.
The area was opened up, gates and fences were removed, and Djurgården and Rosendal became accessible to everyone.
This was not just an act of generosity. It was an act of faith. Faith in art as a public good and faith in culture as a shared heritage. And he knew that culture brings meaning to our lives and can inspire hope even in the darkest of times.
The King also dreamed of building an art museum. Right here, where we are standing.
The museum was to be a magnificent building, 80 meters long and 16 meters wide – designed by Fredrik Blom, one of Sweden’s most esteemed architects at that time.
Hundreds of marble components were made and delivered.
But then, time took a turn and the museum was never built. The stones were left behind, to sleep in silence for nearly two hundred years.
Until now. Today, eleven of those marble fragments rise again – embedded into a new form, a new voice:
the raw, bold language of Monika Sosnowska.
Thank you, Monika! It has been a privilege for us to work with you and thank you for making this incredible piece of art.
Thank you, Elin and Karl, and everyone supporting us.
Dear friends of culture,
What began nearly two centuries ago continues – with you, with us, with generations to come.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I hereby declare the sculpture Museum inaugurated.
Thank you.
