Charlotte Heijkenskjölds Fonds (1809–1835)

Charlotte Heijkenskjöld (1781–1834) was a wealthy Swedish aristocrat who spent her final years on an extended tour of the Middle East after travelling extensively within Europe. She applied for and gained control of her possessions in 1824 at the age of 43, following her father’s death. Her travels in Europe and beyond began after her mother’s death in 1827. Heijkenskjöld was a passenger on the steamship “Francesco Primo” on the first guided tour of the Eastern Mediterranean for European tourists in 1833, but she intensely disliked her fellow travellers. Despite being advised to return to Italy, she decided to begin her own self-guided travels. She died on 29 July 1834 in Ramla (Ramallah), shortly after visiting Jerusalem. Her belongings were returned to her family in Sweden. Her surviving papers include travel documents, a detailed travel diary, an expense notebook, receipts and letters.