I’ve been in Stockholm since the beginning of July, and while I do enjoy just walking around and seeing the sites, I absolutely love going to the museums. There’s an island to the south of where the DIS main building is and it is home to a multitude of museums. There’s also a few near Gamla Stan as well. So far, I’ve been to quite a few museums, and I wanted to share my favorites.
- Vasa Museum
The Vasa Museum is located on Djurgården, which is a short bus ride away from the main DIS building. This museum houses a preserved ship from the 17th century, which is so gigantic that it is difficult to get a picture of the whole thing. This exhibit features information about life aboard ships, as well as the inner structure. The ship fills up the space, and there are multiple levels you can go on to see details up close. The Vasa ship sank in 1628, due to it being top-heavy and unstable. After 333 years in the water, it was salvaged and restored. It is really amazing to see a ship from the 17th century that is so complete and huge.
- Nobel Museum
This Museum is located in Gamla Stan. It is very interesting and details the history of the Nobel Prize, as well as all of the laureates. There are artifacts from the laureates, from the beginning of the Nobel Prize to the most recent years. Laureates are invited to Stockholm for the award ceremony in December, and they come to the museum. They donate an item of significance, with a story attached to it. It was really inspiring to read their stories and see the work that they did. They also sign the bottom of the chairs in the museum’s bistro, which is a really cool tradition. This museum was extremely inspiring, and it was a fascinating experience.
- Dance Museum
The Dance Museum is located south of the city center. It is a very enjoyable museum that is centered on movement. The first part has rooms that are titled and have chairs on the walls, which you interact with. There’s a collection by Rolf de Maré that features costumes from around the world, along with paintings and objects used in dance. You can also listen to samples of music from different performances. Currently, there’s an exhibition about Sleeping Beauty. You are taken through the story, with costumes from original performances surrounding you. You can also read about the history of this particular fairy tale, or mainly the fairy tales that preceded Sleeping Beauty. Not only do I love to dance, but I also love the history of how fairy tales were passed on from generation to generation, with no “original” story.
- Medieval Museum
The Medieval Museum is just north of Gamla Stan, and is about a 10-minute walk from the Dance Museum. It is underground and has free admission: which are two great characteristics of a museum. There is a village constructed, as well as walls and stones from the original city that was there. It also dives into a bit of Stockholm’s history, as the city started originally in Gamla Stan. What was really striking about it was that it really felt like you were walking around in the 1530s. It was a lot of fun to explore the museum.
Now, I haven’t been to every single museum in Stockholm, and also everyone’s taste in museums is different. But I would sincerely recommend going to these museums if you happen to be in Stockholm, as they are a lot of fun!