Arvfurstens palats (Palace of the Hereditary Prince) is a palace located at Gustav Adolfs Torg in central Stockholm. Designed by Erik Palmstedt, the palace was originally the private residence of Princess Sophia Albertina. It was built 1783-1794 and declared a historical monument (byggnadsminne) in 1935 and subsequently restored by Ivar Tengbom in 1948-52. Since 1906 the palace has served as the seat of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The palace is facing the square Gustav Adolfs torg, with the Royal Swedish Opera on the opposite side. Located near the palace are the Sager Palace, official residence of the prime minister, and Rosenbad, official office of the government. The bridge Norrbro stretches past the building of the Riksdag on Helgeandsholmen and further south to Stockholm Old Town and the Royal Palace. History Lennart Torstensson (1603–51), a successful general, bought the area west of the square and had his palace built there 1646-51. The main entrance of this building was facing Fredsgatan, the street passing north of the site, while the southern part of the site was still occupied by one-story wooden structures. This was a German-Dutch Renaissance palace in brick in a style widely favoured all over Europe at this time. One of the rooms from this era is still preserved; the former kitchen now serving as the office of the Chief of Protocol. Lennart's son Anders, governor of Estland, made unsuccessful attempts to sell the property to save his economy, and the palace was subsequently taken over by the Crown in 1696 but eventually given back to Torstensson's heir. King Gustav III's sister Princess Sophia Albertina bought the property in 1793. The king, who wished to give his sister a residence in accordance to her station, commissioned architect Erik Palmstedt to create a new palace which should include the old and adopt the plans for the area north of the Royal Palace. The architect not only had to create a copy of the building on the opposite side of the square, he was also ordered to ensure the old Renaissance palace would be included into the new, a demand which reflects Gustav III's passion for Gustavus Adolphus and his era. While Sophia Albertina, before her death in 1829, had the palace bequeathed to the Swedish heir presumptive (i.e. the hereditary prince), it was during the ensuing decades used by court officials and as offices for various authorities, a faith which