Johannishus Estate is a vast one, stretching 32 kilometres from north to south and encompasses some 8250 hectares. It is situated in the very south of Sweden in the county of Blekinge.

During the 1670s, Swedish Admiral, Count and Royal Councillor (a form of Privy Councillor) Hans Wachtmeister af Johannishus (1641-1714) worked devotedly in order to find a suitable place for the Swedish Navy, a place of more favorable ice-conditions. This was important since the Swedish Navy risked getting stuck and thus leaving the high seas open not least to the Russians. Early on, the Blekinge-archipelago attracted the young Admiral and on his advice a new naval port was built. This later grew into the Swedish city of Karlskrona.

In 1684, Hans was presented with an opportunity of acquiring a number of farms in central Blekinge – Skunckenberg (the present Johannishus), Edestad, Wambåsa and Tromtö. He also received land in Karlskrona which he built his residence, the so-called Grevagården (The Count’s Residence) which today houses Blekinge Museum.

In 1712, Hans Wachtmeister created the entailed estate of Johannishus which in 1964 was dissolved due to the Law of the Dissolution of Entailed Estates. This prompted the Wachtmeisters to form a listed company instead. Today, the estate is carefully looked after by Hans and Maria Wachtmeister, the 11th generation of Wachtmeister at Johannishus. It is a private estate and palace.