would eventually prevail. Before Oscar II became king in 1872, he and his wife Sofia used the palace as their residence, where their son, Gustav V, and other members of the royal family, including Prince Eugén, spent parts of their childhood. The ministry for Foreign Affairs moved there in 1906, but had to share the building with several other authorities until 1936. A comprehensive restoration was made 1948–1952, which among other things resulted in the addition of a building on the courtyard. Exterior During the era of the Swedish Empire, Gustav Adolfs torg, the square in front of the palace, was developed into one of the most prominent public spaces in Sweden. It is centred on the equestrian of Gustavus Adolphus by Pierre Hubert L'Archevêques. This project was based on Tessin the Younger's plans for the rebuilt Royal Palace and its immediate surroundings. East of the square, a new opera building was erected in 1782 (demolished in 1892) and the façade on the western side was designed as a copy of the former, echoing its pilasters and the columns of the accentuated central portion. The entire setting was inspired by the Place de la Concorde in Paris. And like in the French capital, several other aristocrat residences were built in the surrounding area. Some of the grand visions Tessin developed were carried through with the construction of the bridge Norrbro, even though the centrepiece in his plans, a royal church on the northern side of the square, remained a dream. A large Renaissance sandstone portico from the original Torestensson Palace on the northern side, was restored in the 20th century, and its present appearance thus reflects the original design of Diedrich Blume from 1647. An identical portico is still found on the courtyard. Interior Matsalen ("Dining Room") or Stora konferensrummet ("Great Conference Room") was originally divided into three separate rooms during Torstensson, but these were united into a single space in the mid-18th century and are since then used for official dinners and conferences. On the walls hang the portraits of past ministers for foreign affairs and a large portrait of Axel Oxenstierna. Stora salongen ("Great Salon") or Blå salongen ("Blue Salon") is a salon designed by the Louis Masreliez in a style called Late Gustavian style. This, the central and largest room in the piano nobile, was used as an archive during WWII and was at the time in