An avenue lined with apple trees. Grazing horses. A 12th-century church right next door. It is hard to believe that this $3.46M yellow manor just outside of Stockholm, Sweden, was once the setting for a murder and arson. According to the Eric Chronicles, which is the oldest Swedish history still in existence, Russian pirates swooped in and executed a Swedish Earl there, and then set fire to his house. That was over 800 years ago, and even though this wooden house is still on the shore of Lake Mälaren, the area is currently safe from pirate landings. The 11-bedroom manor with a private beach and landing stage for boats was rebuilt in 1880, and is currently a bed and breakfast. The inn underwent a full renovation in 2010, and its boathouse with a veranda was renovated last year, apparently thanks to the largesse of a TV show called Room Service. "The road down to the manor house is the oldest and longest avenue lined with fruit trees in Sweden," the listing claims. The photos are rather extraordinary, too.
· Asknäs Manor [Sotheby's Realty]
· Asknäs Gård Hotel [official website]
· October International Estates for Sale [Architectural Digest]
· All Globe-trotting posts [Curbed National]
· All Hotel posts [Curbed National]