A long story short about Merlo Castle

Fredrik Bünsow came from Kiel in Germany to Stockholm at the age of 21 and started working in Bonnier's bookshop on Norrbro in Stockholm in 1845. Fredrik was very interested in languages and spoke several languages fluently.
His uncle Hans Friedrich Postel lived in Sundsvall and ran a timber trade at Mon, now Skönsmon.
In 1846, Fredrik came to visit his uncle, who had a business dispute in the Netherlands and asked his nephew Fredrik for help. Fredrik accepted the task, went down to the Netherlands and solved the business dispute. Grateful for the help, Fredrik was offered work in his uncle's business, which he accepted.
Shortly after Fredrik moved up to Sundsvall, his uncle Postel died and, with the help of family and bank contacts, Fredrik was able to continue the timber trade on his own.

This is where Fredrik's success story starts.

Fredrik continues in the timber business and starts buying forest on the ground and not just felling rights. He wanted to own the forest. He also buys several water saws in Medelpad and starts the Sundsvall area's second steam saw at Mon. He continuously makes big deals. But like all successful businessmen, he also makes bad deals and mistakes, but Fredrik doesn't bury his head in the sand and keeps on working, and his successes outweigh his mistakes.
Fredrik starts up a steam saw down in Skönvik and starts Skönviks Aktiebolag, after which he acquires the Merlo property with a fine old manor house where he and his family spend their summers. In the winters, they live in Sundsvall in Uncle Postel's villa at what is later named Bünsowska tjärnen,

In the early 1880s, Fredrik found himself in a favorable economic situation, which would last until his death, and he decided to build a new summer resort in Timrå on Merlo.

Architects Isac Gustaf Clason and Fritz Eckert design the villa in a German knightly romantic style. Bricks and labor are imported from Germany. No expense is spared on materials such as oak and marble, and beautiful carvings, ceiling paintings and other decorations are made. Villa Merlo was built in just 2 years, 1883-1885.
An impressive building that will soon be popularly known as Merlo Castle.

When Villa Merlo is completed, they also decide to build a house on Strandvägen in Stockholm to be closer to the children. The house on Strandvägen is called Bünsowska huset and is designed by the same architects. These architects also designed the Natural History Museum in Stockholm.
The house on Strandvägen was completed in 1888, the same year as the Sundsvall fire, and the Bünsow family's house in Sundsvall had already been sold. Fredrik, who survived the fire, donates a large sum of money to the fundraising campaign for the survivors, the largest private contributor to people's ability to rebuild their lost homes.

In September 1897, Fredrik, aged 73, died at Merlo and only seven months later his wife Allona died. Both are buried at Norra kyrkogården in Stockholm.

After the Bünsows' death, their daughter Alma and her husband Claes take over the property and continue to use it as a summer resort until the mid-1920s when they decide to sell the property to Skönviks Aktiebolag.

Since then, Villa Merlo is used as a manager's residence for Skönviks Aktiebolag. For the first time ever, the villa will serve as a year-round residence. Three managers and their families can live here during this time. Unfortunately, many wall and ceiling paintings are painted over during the house's time as a private residence.

In the 1950s, the last family moves out and SCA does not really know what to do with the property. It stands empty for a while before it is decided that Villa Merlo will become SCA's new central archive. Slowly but surely, SCA's archives begin to take up space at Merlo. In the mid-1960s, an extension was built at the back to make room for more archive material and offices for employees. Until 2022, 4 people work on-site in the archive.

From the 1990s onwards, the SCA has carried out several restoration efforts to recreate old lost paintings and decorations, which has given Merlo back some of its character. The property is well maintained and in good condition even though no one has lived in the property for over 70 years.

Now we in the Olert family have taken on the task and we do it with excitement and great respect for history. We hope we can create an accommodation where we will thrive and find a good balance with the rental of the Service Residence and the Corner Room at the castle to your guests. Unfortunately, we will not keep the castle open to visitors, beyond the units we rent out as accommodation. 

A warm welcome to Villa Merlo and its beautiful park with trees and plants from the glory days of bygone wooden patrons.
We have chosen to keep the park open to the public but please respect the area about 100 m closest to the castle as private. We hope that we can all get along in a good way and show respect for each other.
As the operation of the park requires large resources, we appreciate if our visitors can swish a small contribution that goes in full to the operation, maintenance and replanting. Signage is in place in the park.

Slottsträdgården opened its business (tenant of the Olert family) in the former gardener's residence in July 2024. Here, commercial gardening and café activities are conducted. The ambitions are high & the development potential great, will be exciting to follow their journey.
Visit Per, Helén & Markus in their lush paradise.