Gräfsnäs Castle rose stone by stone during the 16th century.
Its construction involved not only skilled craftsmen – but also local women, often forced into service against their will.

Their task was to mix the mortar.
Barefoot, they tread the thick mixture for hours on end, stirring it with wooden sticks until it reached the right consistency.
It was grueling work – monotonous, physically demanding, and at times carried out in cold and rain.

One bitter night, one of the women slips back to the construction site.
Her anger toward Countess Ebba Månsdotter Lilliehöök – and the powerful family who forced her into years of labor, humiliation, and hardship – has been simmering quietly.

Now, she kneels, hides an object inside the castle’s foundation wall, and utters a curse – one meant to haunt Gräfsnäs for generations to come.

Within these walls, no joy shall ever take root.
Hatred, sorrow, and death shall plague the family for three generations.
In the end, the castle shall be lost.

Future owners won’t escape either – no one shall hold Gräfsnäs for more than three generations.
The castle will burn three times – and after the third fire, it will remain a ruin, abandoned forever.

The curse seems to take hold.
In 1634, the castle burns for the first time.
At the time, it is owned by the Leijonhufvud family – the very bloodline the woman is said to have cursed.

A new castle rises. But exactly one hundred years later, in 1734, Gräfsnäs once again goes up in flames.

A third reconstruction follows in 1814.
The castle now boasts 50 rooms, two towers, and an impressive surrounding park.
It becomes one of the grandest buildings in Västergötland.

Twice, Gräfsnäs has already been devoured by fire.
But the prophecy speaks of three.

Will fate strike one final time?