The area contains traces of old settlements, including a hillfort and a pre-Christian burial site.
Its more recent history starts with it being part of a royal estate belonging to nearby Gripsholm Castle, supplying the court with foodstuffs.
The estate farm has existed since the 13th century, and since the 17th century the estate has used the area that is today Gripsholms hjorthage as pasture.
In the 1860s, King Charles XV of Sweden decided to transform the area into an English landscape garden.
Winding paths were laid out, some of which still remain.
They led to points of interest in the landscape, such as the cross of iron erected by the fraternal order Coldinuorden.
Around 1890 the park was transformed into a deer park, from where its current name derives ("hjorthage" in Swedish means deer park).
It was converted into a deer park in order to accommodate deer which were moved from the royal deer park Hjorthagen in Stockholm, which was being built up and transformed into a part of the city.

At the turn of the century, orchards were planted in the area and greenhouses built.
Fruit production, mainly apples but also plums and cherries, continued until 1971.
It was then considered unprofitable, production ceased and the orchards were cut down.

In 1997, the castellan and another official from Gripsholm Castle informed the County Governor Bo Holmberg that the deer park had financial difficulties.
In the following years, the county together with the National Property Board of Sweden and the Swedish National Heritage Board tried to find a solution for the park which would maintain its high natural values and keep the deer in the park.
In 2001, the area was declared as a nature reserve, which means it is protected against exploitation and should be maintained to preserve its natural values.
The immediate and main reason behind the decision to declare the area a nature reserve was the discovery of hermit beetles in the area; the species is red-listed in Sweden and is a prioritised species according to the European Union's Habitats Directive.
The area contains traces of old settlements, including a hillfort and a pre-Christian burial site. Its more recent history starts with it being part of a royal estate belonging to nearby Gripsholm Castle, supplying the court with foodstuffs. The estate farm has existed since the 13th century, and since the 17th century the estate has used the area that is today Gripsholms hjorthage as pasture. In the 1860s, King Charles XV of Sweden decided to transform the area into an English landscape garden. Winding paths were laid out, some of which still remain. They led to points of interest in the landscape, such as the cross of iron erected by the fraternal order Coldinuorden. Around 1890 the park was transformed into a deer park, from where its current name derives ("hjorthage" in Swedish means deer park). It was converted into a deer park in order to accommodate deer which were moved from the royal deer park Hjorthagen in Stockholm, which was being built up and transformed into a part of the city.
At the turn of the century, orchards were planted in the area and greenhouses built. Fruit production, mainly apples but also plums and cherries, continued until 1971. It was then considered unprofitable, production ceased and the orchards were cut down.
In 1997, the castellan and another official from Gripsholm Castle informed the County Governor Bo Holmberg that the deer park had financial difficulties. In the following years, the county together with the National Property Board of Sweden and the Swedish National Heritage Board tried to find a solution for the park which would maintain its high natural values and keep the deer in the park. In 2001, the area was declared as a nature reserve, which means it is protected against exploitation and should be maintained to preserve its natural values. The immediate and main reason behind the decision to declare the area a nature reserve was the discovery of hermit beetles in the area; the species is red-listed in Sweden and is a prioritised species according to the European Union's Habitats Directive.
Gripsholms hjorthage