Museums in Stockholm- Focusing on History!

King Charles XII

I write often about the different art museums in Stockholm, mainly because they generally have temporary exhibitions... changing from season to season. Museums with historical content, on the other hand, have mostly permanent exhibitions with few temporary exhibitions. In other words, after I have visited one of these museums and blogged about, there seldom is a reason to reblog... unless the museum does a major change. So, I thought I would put together a list of the top history museums in Stockholm to refresh everyone's memory and to show the wide range of historical themed museums.

Drottningholm Palace.

• Historiska Museet (Swedish History Museum)- a general look at Swedish history from the Stone Age to more recent history. A permanent exhibit on Swedish Vikings as well as the Gold Room (collection of Viking gold & silver finds).
• Medeltidsmuseum (Museum of Medieval Stockholm)- as the name suggests, this museum looks at life in Stockholm during the medieval era and how the city looked and grew during this time (Stockholm was first mentioned in texts during this period. 1252 to be exact).
• Stadsmuseet (Stockholm City Museum)- a museum dedicated to Stockholm: the architecture, life, art and... history! They also organize themed city walks, like the Millennium Trilogy and ABBA. 
• Vasamuseet (The Vasa Museum)- museum built around the salvaged wreck of the royal warship Vasa (sank 1628). Besides the ship, an extensive look at Stockholm and Sweden during the 1600's as well as life of sailors/soldiers onboard a warship. Recent blog article. 
• Armémuseum (Army Museum)- a look at Swedish history from a military perspective. Sweden's warlike past comes as a surprise for many visitors! Recent blog article. 
• Sjöhistoriska Museet (Maritime Museum)- a look at naval and maritime history... everything from Swedish naval history to commerce to sailor tattoos. 
• Judiska Museet (Jewish Museum)- museum on Jewish culture in Sweden and the history of the Swedish Jews. Interesting temporary exhibits from time to time...
• Skansen- park, zoo and open air museum that looks at historic Swedish traditions as well as rural culture. Farm houses, manors and churches have been transported to Skansen from counties all over Sweden. 
• Birka- the main town in Sweden during the Viking Age. Nothing is left of the settlement today, instead you have a museum there as well as a walking tour which describes the town's history as well as points out the archeological excavations. Open only during the summer and requires a full day with a boat trip. Blog article.
• Livrustkammaren (The Royal Armoury)- a collection of the armour, clothes and carriages belonging to the kings & queens of Sweden. The museum often has temporary exhibitions regarding Swedish royal history. A part of the Royal Palace.
• Skattkammaren (The Treasury)- The Swedish royal family's collection of crowns, swords, scepters and orbs. A part of the Royal Palace.
• Tre Kronor- A museum dedicated to the original royal castle in Stockholm, Tre Kronor, which burned down in 1697. A part of the Royal Palace.

At the Army Museum.

The Royal Palace (Kungliga Slottet) itself is definitely worth a visit for history buffs. Not only does it contain the three last named museums (listed above), the Royal Apartments are also open to visitors. While this is the main palace, there are several other castles and palaces in the Stockholm region that are open for visitors... Drottningholm Palace, Gripsholm Castle and Skokloster Castle are the most popular.  

Part of the Royal Apartments... Gustav III's Bedchamber, photo by Alexis Daflos, Kungliga Hovstaterna

Certain historical Swedes are important enough to get museums dedicated to themselves. Learn more about inventor/philanthropist Alfred Nobel at the Nobelmuseet (Nobel Museum) and author/playwright August Strindberg at the Strindbergsmuseet (the Strindberg Museum). 

Click here for more Viking themed activities in Stockholm and nearby areas...

You can always experience living history
by wandering the streets of Gamla Stan.

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AN history, Museums, royal, viking

The Museum of History

Historiska Museet (The Museum of History) is a fascinating museum dedicated to Swedish history. Located in the Östermalm neighborhood, it's just a short 10 minute walk from other tourist attractions on Djurgården (like the Vasa Museum). I visited the museum today to see their new exhibition focusing on the past 1,000 years of Swedish history... from the end of the Viking era to today. It was very well presented as you walk through rooms dedicated to each century, learning about people both famous and unknown. A very hands-on exhibition!

Besides this new exhibtion, the Museum of History has several great permanent exhibitons. Two of my favorites are the Gold Room and the Viking exhibition. The Gold Room contains treasures found throughout Sweden dating from the Iron Age to the Viking Age. Over 100 lbs of gold and 400 lbs of silver. Treasures such as reliquaries, torques and collars can be seen. In the Viking exhibition you learn everything about the Swedes famous ancestors... not only about their raids, but also about their daily life and trade routes.

Great for kids! Open fron 10am to 5pm every day during the summer.

Entrance fee is 70 SEK for adults and 50 SEK for kids and seniors. Free entrance with the Stockholm Card.

How to get there: Bus 47, 69 or 76 to Djurgårdsbron, or subway to Karlaplan.

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Viking Restaurant Aifur

As promised...

Entrance...

I recently visited Aifur, a restaurant dedicated to "the gastronomic heritage from the Viking Age", for a dinner with relatives. To be honest, I was a little sceptical before the visit. Themed restaurants aren't really my thing and I thought it might be "too touristy". I am happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, there were many tourists there, but hey... it is located in Gamla Stan! Aifur is owned by Swedish pop-star Martin Eriksson, who is a real Viking aficianado, so it does feel more serious than other history themed restaurants. The restaurant is quite dark and fitted with long tables with the benches covered with sheep skins. Hanging on the walls were tapestries, shields and weapons. When we first arrived, we had one long table to ourselves. But as the restaurant filled up, we soon had company from other diners and it was part of the fun to see how others reacted to their surroundings. 

Dinner! Note the utensils.

I was also sceptical about the food... how good can Viking cuisine actually be? But it was good (Viking cuisine modernized?)! The ingredients are mainly from the Viking Age- items that could be found in Scandinavia or brought in through trade. They have a nice explanation of each dish on the menu that ties it in with the Viking history. We had the honey and garlic marinated rack of lamb which was delicious. We did try some mead before dinner. A little sweet, not really my taste but they had some nice non-Viking wine that went well with the lamb. Click here for the menu, scroll down for the English version. A word of warning: they do announce you to the other diners as you enter the restaurant. A little embarassing but lots of fun after you have a drink and can cheer and laugh at the discomfort of other patrons as they arrive. So, all in all, a good experience. I wouldn't go there for a romatic dinner... but fun for a family or people interested in history. 
Other Viking experiences in Stockholm!

Shields along the wall.

Other restaurant recommendations...

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Vikings, Vikings and... More Vikings!

Guided tour through grave field at Birka

The most famous era of Swedish history is the Viking Age (approx 800-1100 AD) and Vikings have become somewhat of a symbol for Sweden... even if they are most often portrayed incorrectly with horned helmets! There are plenty of museums, tours and activities to do in the Stockholm area tied in to Viking history. I have already written about most of them here in this blog, but in the past week I have re-visited Birka and dined at Aifur and I had the idea to collect all Viking "experiences" in one post.

• Historiska Museet (the history museum)- This museum has a great exhibition on Vikings including artifacts such as weapons and jewelry. The Gold Room is of special interest, showing the gold and silver hoards found throughout Sweden. During the summer (12 to 4:30pm until August 26th) the Vikings take over the inner courtyard with crafts, sports and games... great for children!
• Birka (day trip-summer)- Birka was a town and important trading center during the Viking Age and is today a UNESCO World Heritage site. Located on the island of Björkö in Lake Mälaren, the Strömma company offers a day trip to Birka by boat which includes a great guided tour and entrance to the on-site museum. They also have a reconstruction of part of a Viking Age village and have many events through the summer (like market and games).
• Aifur (restaurant)- located in Gamla Stan, this restaurant concentrates on the gastronomic heritage from the Viking Age. I was here last week for the first time and it was quite fun and the food was good. I will write a more comprehensive review next week.
• Viking Walk- nothing authentic... more of a guided tour of Stockholm (history & culture) with a "Viking Guide"!
• Souvenirs- on the street Västerlånggatan, located in Gamla Stan, you will find a large variety of Viking souvenirs... from fun to tacky. On the fun side, you have Handfaste (the Viking Shop) where you can get some good quality t-shirts, jewelry and books.
• Uppsala (town)- just 40 minutes by train from Stockholm you have the town of Uppsala which is a great place to visit if you are interested in Vikings. The surrounding area is filled with Viking Age artifacts like runestones, monuments and grave fields. Click here for a list of tours, sites and museums.
• Viking Day Tour- a full day tour that takes you from Stockholm to Sigtuna and Uppsala to visit Viking Age sites. I haven't done the tour myself, but I have sent guests and they have all returned with favorable reports.
• Storholmen Viking Village- (day trip-summer) north of Stockholm (approx 1½ hours by bus), in the Norrtälje area, you will find the Viking village of Storholmen... an experimental open air museum.

Entrance to Aifur

This should keep Viking aficionados occupied! Keep your eyes open while walking about Stockholm... you can see runestones in the city as well. Besides the aforementioned history museum, you can see them in Skansen park as well as the corner of Prästgatan and Kåkbrinken in Gamla Stan.

Runestone in Gamla Stan

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AN history, Museums, sightseeing, strömma, tours, viking