Savvy Sightseer - tips and insights for seasoned travelers!
The Vasamuseet is a museum devoted to the massive Vasa warship, commissioned in 1623 by King Gustav II Adolphus to be the most powerful warship of the 17th century.
Sweden’s history from the 16th century to modern day is on display in the Nordiska museum. Construction on the building, purpose-built for its exhibits, began in 1888 and took 20 years to complete.
Founded in 1891,Skansen, the world’s oldest outdoor folk museum, is a great place to learn about Sweden and its people. About 150 farms and dwellings from different parts of the country were disassembled and transported here.
Part of the vast sculpture garden at Swedish sculptor Carl Milles's home, these "floating" statues appear suspended in air.
Magnificent Museums
Whether your tastes run toward history, society, science, art, or any other number of topics, Stockholm has a museum for you! The Stockholm Pass provides entry to many, and is a good investment if you plan to squeeze in some of the most popular during your stay in Stockholm.
The Vasa embarked on her maiden voyage in 1628 only to hit a gust of wind and heel over to the port, sinking to the seabed in less than 40 minutes.
The Vasa is decorated with 700 sculptures and ornaments.
A scale model of the Vasa, built by four model builders at the Maritime Museum in Stockholm, gives visitors an idea of how the ship looked when she set sail. The work took 12,000 hours to create.
The Vasa embarked on her maiden voyage in 1628 only to hit a gust of wind and heel over to the port, sinking to the seabed in less than 40 minutes.
Vasa Museum
Although a military powerhouse during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war for two centuries. An armed neutrality was preserved in both world wars. In fact, it has not been in a war since 1814. But in the 1600s, Sweden was a force to be reckoned with under King Gustav II Adolphus, known as the warrior king and nicknamed the Lion of the North. In successive defeats of neighboring Denmark, he made Sweden a Great Power and was compared to Alexander the Great. He preferred though to compare himself to Roman Emperors; his name can be considered a reflection of this: Gustavus is a close anagram of Augustus.
The Vasa was to be the crown jewel in Gustav’s naval fleet. It headed out of its shipyard as the most powerful warship of the 17th century – only to sink moments later! For 333 years it rested on the harbor floor. Remarkably intact, the mighty Vasa is a time capsule of Swedish workmanship.
Click the Vasa above for a slideshow of the mighty warship and additional information.
Millesgården
On Lindingö, an island about three miles northwest of Stockholm’s old town, Gamla Stan, is one of the region’s more unique museums. Millesgården celebrates the work of Carl Milles, widely viewed as Sweden’s greatest sculptor. The grand home and grounds he designed comprise a five-acre museum park, where more than 200 sculptures are on display. Considered its best feature is the “garden” – a sensational mix of columns and terraces, and Milles’s cleverly displayed sculptures that appear almost suspended in air. One of his most famous pieces, the Hand of God, epitomizes the artist’s talent and insights. Milles reportedly said it represents mankind “looking skyward and precariously balanced, with an ability to rise or fall based in large part upon our own decisions."
Coincidentally his mentor, Auguste Rodin, used the same title for one of his works, although the two pieces are markedly different. Milles studied at Rodin’s Paris studio before moving in 1931 to the United States as a sculptor-in-residence at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. Carl and his artist wife Olga returned to Sweden in 1951, splitting their time between winters in Italy and summers in Lindingö until his death in 1955.
If you want to view some of Milles’s work up close, you don’t have to travel all the way to Sweden. His sculptures can be found worldwide, with several in the United States, such as the three-piece Man and Nature wooden sculptures on the west wall of the lobby of One Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. Other Milles' works are in South Carolina, Texas and Michigan.
Carl Milles sculpted in heavy, hard materials such as granite and bronze and paired the sculptures with the lightest of materials, water and air, by placing them in fountains and raising them up so that they interacted with the sky.
Versions of these angels are in many sculpture gardens around the world. Milles reportedly once wrote: "May you ... often play for pleasure that you may joyfully report to Heaven and God will smile when He hears you."
In Greek mythology, the god Zeus transforms himself into a bull to carry away the beautiful princess. Milles often drew on Greek, Roman and Christian mythology, as well as Swedish history, as sources of inspiration.
Carl Milles sculpted in heavy, hard materials such as granite and bronze and paired the sculptures with the lightest of materials, water and air, by placing them in fountains and raising them up so that they interacted with the sky.
Click Carl Milles's sculpture pool above for a slideshow of his massive works and additional information.
Skansen
The ancient buildings of this farmstead, originally in northwest Sweden, show what farms were like at the end of the 18th century.
A popular way to celebrate Midsummer - the summer solstice - is to bind birch wreaths into a leafy maypole‚ then raise it in the center field, dance and play games around it.
Lively music for folk dancers is provided by the Skansen Folk Band.
The ancient buildings of this farmstead, originally in northwest Sweden, show what farms were like at the end of the 18th century.
Step back in time by clicking the photo above for a Skansen slideshow, or the video at the right to watch the lively folk dancers celebrate summer.
Skansen, the world’s oldest outdoor folk museum, founded in 1891, would be a fun place to visit any time to learn about life in Sweden in a pre-technology age, but nothing beats being at Skansen for one of the country’s most celebrated holidays – Midsummer. On the weekend of the summer solstice, the longest day of the year is celebrated by people whose winter includes 32 straight days of 24-hour darkness.
A leafy Maypole is hoisted into position, merchants along Market Street hawk their wares, and Living History guides explain life and times in bygone eras. Definitely a fun celebration of the solstice is the traditional folklore dance. Music, colorful costumes and smiling dancers spread joy for the longest day of sunshine.
Nordiska Museet
Sweden’s history from the 16th century to modern day is on display in the Nordiska museum. There’s full-size Swedish dwellings from various eras, including a 1940s "modern" apartment.
Changing styles are depicted through table settings over the years, from over the top elaborate (with a swan meat server) to more modern, streamlined tables. Holidays and other customs are exquisitely detailed, and of course no collection would be complete without an extensive display of jewelry and crowns over the years. Carvings and handmade textiles showcase the talents of the Sami, inhabitants of the harsh northern regions beyond the polar circle. The Sami have been recognized by the United Nations as an indigenous people, giving them the right to preserve and develop their crafts, language, education, reindeer husbandry, traditions and identity. There is no census for the Sami, but the population is estimated at between 80,000 and 100,000 people, spread over four countries: Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia.
This is Sweden’s largest museum of cultural history, and has over 1.5 million items on display. A mixture of permanent and temporary exhibits fill the grand Renaissance-style palace.
In this Renaissance-style castle, purpose-built in 1873 to house displays, the story of Nordic lifestyles and traditions from 1523 to today is told through 1.5 million exhibits.
This nearly two-story tall oak statue of Sweden's first king was sculpted by Sweden's own artist, Carl Milles.
This Nordiska Nativity, featuring Dala-style animals, is part of a display of festivals.
In this Renaissance-style castle, purpose-built in 1873 to house displays, the story of Nordic lifestyles and traditions from 1523 to today is told through 1.5 million exhibits.
Click Nordiska Museum above to open a slideshow to Sweden's changing history and lifestyles.
Modeled on Café Museum in Vienna, the bistro in the Nobel Museum aptly reflects cafés that were informal meeting places of intellectuals at the turn of the century.
A popular tradition since 2001, Nobel laureates sign the underside of a chair in the bistro. Signatures are specially treated for preservation.
The Queen of Lake Målaron (Stockholm’s old nickname) is sitting in the center of the universe, with Stockholm and its city hall in her lap; the signs of the zodiac above, the Eastern World to her left and the Western to her right. The massive artwork illustrates the idea of Stockholm and Sweden being a link between the East and West.
Modeled on Café Museum in Vienna, the bistro in the Nobel Museum aptly reflects cafés that were informal meeting places of intellectuals at the turn of the century.
Wander the Nobel Museum by clicking the Bistro picture above.
Nobel Museum
The Nobelmusset in Gamla Stan is a one-of-a-kind museum that tells the stories of people who have been awarded the prestigious Nobel prizes. Despite having more than 300 patents, it is Alfred Nobel’s invention of dynamite that brought him great fame & wealth. Wishing to leave a benevolent legacy, he established a fund in his will to be awarded to those who “conferred the greatest benefit to mankind in the fields of physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and peace.” An addtional award is sponsored by Sweden’s central bank, which established the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel in 1869. Recipients can come from any country.
Nobelmusset is one of Stockholm’s newer museums, opened in 2001. Biographic videos feature more than 900 recipients of the awards. Annual winners are presented their medals on December 10 – the day Nobel died. All the prizes are awarded in Stockholm, except the Peace prize, which is presented in Oslo. Award recipients enjoy a week of workshops, lectures, roundtable discussions before the official presentation of awards at the Stockholm Concert Center, followed by a banquet and dancing at City Hall.
The Alt-Nobel: The Right Livelihood Award
Lesser known, but no less prestigious, is Sweden’s other international award. The Right Livelihood Award is “given out to people who offer solutions to the most urgent calls humanity currently faces.” Monetary as well as Honorary Awards are given, depending on whether financial support is needed to carry on the work. Since the organization’s inception in 1980, 170 Laureates from 69 countries have been recognized. Jakob von Uexkull, a native of Uppsala, Sweden, started the so-called “Alternative Nobel Prize” when his proposal to the Nobel Foundation to add a category for ecology, and another related to the lives of the poor, was turned down. He felt the Nobel Prize focused on categories too narrow to address new challenges facing humanity. The Right Livelihood Award has no categories and can be won by farmer, concerned citizen … anyone with solutions to today’s global issues!
Continue your trip through Stockholm with a visit to the Stockholm Home Page, Capital City or Royal Residences pages.
For a taste of Stockholm, try the delicious Cardamom Rice Pudding recipe on the Recipes Tab (under More).
