Museums in Stockholm

Photo: Michael Cavén

Stockholm is a 700 year old city and it is clear that this time has been well spent building an impressive collection of museums. These museums are an important attraction for tourists and offer such varied themes as biology, ethnography, architecture, dancing, toys and medieval history. Unusually, Stockholm’s museums are not found solely in the centre of the city but are spread throughout, including through the areas of Södermalm, Djurgården, Norrmalm, Östermalm, Skeppsholmen and the archipelago.

A Spectrum of Museums
The Music Museum (Musikmuséet) is absolutely captivating and a very good place to start. Established more than one hundred years ago, it has at least 6,000 instruments housed within several collections and is definitely worth exploring. It also houses a very important Swedish music archive covering traditional music from the 1700′s onwards. In Gamla Stan is the iconic Nobel Museum, which celebrates the history of the Nobel Prize. This museum showcases a vast range of Nobel Prize-related paraphernalia, from nominations to many of Einstein’s theories. Skansen, a large open-air museum, was the first of its kind in the world. It is a life-size, working replica of 1900′s Sweden. Covering a fairly large area, it has mills, farm buildings, shops and a spectacular wooden church. The museum is used to host events, celebrations and festivals. More than 160 buildings can be found here, brought from across the country. There is also an animal park featuring elk, lynx, brown bears and wolves.

The Vasa Museum
The Vasa Museum is constructed around the only surviving pre-18th century ship in the world, the Vasa. The museum captures the dramatic stories of her sinking and her rescue from the depths of a Swedish Lake in exquisite detail. This museum should not be missed.

Art and Crafts Museums
If art is what draws your attention then the Modern Museum (Moderna Muséet) is impressive by any standards. A remarkable collection of pop and contemporary art, with many well-known works permanently displayed including those of Dali, Rauschenberg, Warhol and Picasso. On the way to the Modern Museum you will find the Nationalmuseum. It is not one of Europe’s largest but it does have a magnificent collection of pieces by a number of renowned artists, for example Rubens, Rembrandt, Goya, Gauguin, Renoir and Degas and the Swedish artists CF Hill, Carl Larsson, Anders Zorn and Ernst Josephson. Take a break at the Nationalmuseum’s Atrium restaurant in-between exhibits. Sweden’s Museum of Natural History, Naturhistoriska Muséet, is located in an impressive building in Greater Stockholm near Stockholm University. It houses a number of displays and models that document planetary evolution by means of a series of incredibly exciting “experiences”. It is fantastic for children, with the largest IMAX complex in Sweden and a superb planetarium. The Cosmonova IMAX complex has seats that tilt in synchronisation with the enormous images being projected onto a dome above you. The effect is one of enhanced realism, sharpness and brightness and film titles include “Mummies”, “Cosmic Voyage” and “Dinosaurs Alive”.

No matter which of Stockholm’s museums appeal it is worth bearing in mind that the airport is at least 40 kilometres from Stockholm city centre. If you are considering car hire, Arlanda airport is a good place to pick up your hire vehicle before venturing into Stockholm to discover a world of science, art and culture.

This article is sponsored by 121carhire