15th century castle with amazing art park in south Sweden

Wanås Slott / Knislinge / Skåne / Sweden

In south Sweden there is a region called Skåne and in the northeastern part, bordering Småland there is a hotel that has received a lot of recognition lately. Not only in Swedish media but internationally as well. The hotel is called Wanås Restaurant & Hotel, located just outside the small village of Knislinge. The global interest took off when global publication Conde Nast Traveler featured Wanås on their Hot List of 2018. And this happened just one year after they opened their doors in 2017.

Wanås Hotel & Restaurant is situated in two 18th Century barns with a courtyard in between (the hotel in one and the restaurant in the other). The actual castle is the main player in the mix but is off limits since the family who owns it still live here. The history of the castle dates back to medieval times when the Swedish/Danish border was here (first recorded owner of Wanås has been tracked back to 1440) so these woods have seen their fair amount of fighting over the years. Luckily that is a thing of the past. Now it is all about relaxing, eating good food and exploring the amazing sculpture park that is surrounding the castle.

There are only 11 rooms at Wanås so you have to make sure to book well in advance if you want to secure a room. The design of the rooms is all about nordic design where they have sourced as much as possible locally resulting in a great mix of a traditional, clean Scandi look paired with vintage furniture, old oak floors and contemporary art. And a detail worth to mention are the dusty pink tiled bathrooms that I am a huge fan of. In other settings it could be seen as a bold statement, here they just make sense.

And then there is the food… The food almost needs a blog post of its own. The food is amazing! They only serve organic food where the main part is locally sourced from the grounds, the forest and the on-site farm. Luckily there are plenty of walking paths in the surrounding beech forest to walk it off. Before you return for more.

The hotel building at Wanås that is an 18th century barn transformed into a design, boutique hotel.

The sun is setting on the castle grounds.

The entrance to the side building where the hotel rooms are situated.

Welcome in! I love hotels that have plenty of plants and flowers. Makes the whole place come alive.

The rooms are designed with a Scandi chic look. and feel.

I am a huge fan of honesty bars, especially when it looks as good as this one. — I am a huge fan of honesty bars, especially when it looks as good and delicious as this one.

The look in the restaurant build on the Scandinavian heritage. A very clean and paired down look with vintage furniture where the food plays centre stage.

A chilled glass of white on the patio. In the background you can see the actual Wanås Castle.

The hotel provides Hunter wellingtons and Stutterheim rain coats so you can explore the park in all kinds of weather.

This is my favorite from the sculpture park. It is called “Primary Structure” by Jacob Dahlgren.

My friends Mrs W and Mrs B reading up on all the art to look at in the park.

RG inside info

This place is perfect if you…

…like history, art, food, design and relaxation. You’ll get a taste of castle life where all your senses will get a treat.

My favorite thing about this place…

…this is difficult… But I think I will have to say the food. And the sculpture park. But oh! I have to mention the honesty bar. No, this is too difficult.

What not to miss when staying here…

…is to bring some sturdy shoes and explore the surroundings. It is an almost surreal experience to walk around the castle grounds and come across art from some of the world’s most famous artists. Like an old train carriage painted by Caroline Falkholt or one of my favorites, “Primary Structure” by Jacob Dahlgren.

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Location