Munthe’s Hildasholm

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Built by Axel Munthe (1857–1949), who served as the Swedish royal physician and wrote the best-selling memoir The Story of San Michele, this sumptuously decorated National Romantic–style mansion is set in beautiful gardens with views over Lake Siljan. Built for Munthe's second wife, an English aristocrat, in 1910–11, the mansion was rarely visited by Munthe as he spent most of his time attending to Queen Viktoria on the island of Capri. Admission is by guided tour only.

Tours (in Swedish) run every hour, with a guided tour in English at 2pm.

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Nearby attractions

1. Japanska Parken

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In recognition of the town's sister-city-hood with Tobetsu, Japan, you'll find this lovely (and authentic) Japanese garden by the shores of Lake Siljan…

2. Leksands Kyrka

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Leksands Kyrka, with its distinctive onion dome, dates from the early 13th century but has been extensively renovated and enlarged. The church contains…

3. Naturum Dalarna

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This visitor centre and nature park, 16km northwest of Leksand, has information about the meteor that hit several million years ago and local flora and…

4. Vidablick Utsiktstorn

10.21 MILES

An enterprising 17-year-old built Vidablick Utsiktstorn, a viewing tower about 5km southeast of town, from where there are great panoramas of the lake. On…

5. Långbryggan

11.01 MILES

Scandinavia’s longest wooden pier, the impressive 628m Långbryggan, runs out into the lake from just behind the train station.

6. Rättviks Kulturhus

11.3 MILES

This local museum complex houses the Rättviks bibliotek (library), art exhibitions and a display describing the Siljan meteor impact. The helpful staff go…

7. Rättviks Kyrka

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The 13th-century church has 87 well-preserved church stables, the oldest dating from 1470. The pseudo-rune memorial beside the church commemorates the…

8. Rättviks Gammelgård

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You can get your open-air-museum fix at Rättviks gammelgård, 500m north of the kyrka – it’s a collection of buildings that were moved here during the…