Millesgården, the former home and sculpture garden of Sweden's most prominent sculptor, Carl Milles (1875-1955), is located northeast of Stockholm, on the island of Lidingo. Carl Milles bought the land on the Herserud cliff above Lake Vardan in 1906 immediately after his wedding. The young couple's goal was to build a house with enough space for an art studio.
The house was designed by architect Carl M. Bengtsson in 1908. Within half a century, the estate was extended, designed by Carl's half-brother, architect Evert Milles. Between 1911 and 1913, an open-air studio was erected to improve Carl Milles' working conditions, as the sculptor suffered from a serious form of silicosis caused by inhaling stone dust while working. Between 1920 and 1930, additional land on the southern slope of the cliff was acquired, further extending the property. During the couple's absence from the country from 1931 to 1950, when Charles was a professor in Michigan, USA, the development of Millesgården came to a halt, but Evert Milles continued to draw up blueprints for future building projects.
In 1936, Millesgården was transformed into a foundation that was donated to the Swedish people, and it was first opened to the public in the late 1930s.
In anticipation of Carl and Olga Milles' return to the country in 1950, a spacious lower terrace and sculpture fountain were built to house replicas of monuments from various parts of Sweden and the United States. Carl Milles died on 19 September 1955 and was buried in the park.
Millesgården can rightly be called a true work of art due to the beautiful balance of terraces, fountains, staircases, sculptures and columns combined with a variety of vegetation and the view of the waters of Lake Vardan.
