Visit the Skansen museum to understand the customary ways of lifeembraced in rural Sweden for more than 500 years, to come face to face withlocal wildlife or to celebrate traditional Swedish celebrations like Christmasand Midsummer. Over the course of the 19th century, Artur Hazelius purchasedand relocated 150 historical buildings from around Sweden to Djurgården Islandin the centre of Stockholm. In 1891, he opened the doors to what wouldeventually be among the oldest outdoor museums in the world.
Walk through the buildings on the island to see the range of socialconditions experienced in Sweden between the 16th and 20th centuries. See themuseum’s 18th-century Stave church, a glass-blowing workshop, a factory onceused to make pottery, a bakery and historic farmhouses. Guides dressed incostume will lead you through the museum, telling stories of yesteryear anddemonstrating traditional farming techniques.
Meet approximately 75 species of animal native to Scandinavia at themuseum’s zoo. See brown bears, wolves, elk and Swedish varieties of horse andsheep. There are nearly 200 foreign species of animal at the zoo and aquariumas well, including snakes, crocodiles, monkeys and tropical birds.
Skansen hosts many cultural events within the museum. Listen to livemusic or storytelling sessions and watch Maypole dancing as you celebrateMidsummer at Skansen. A colourful Christmas market is a favourite of thefestive season and a great place to pick up handcrafted Christmas decorationsor to try local delicacies. Families will love dancing beneath the Christmastree or learning to make traditional decorations.
There’s a restaurant and café onsite for those wanting more of the localcuisine. Pull up a seat in the 18th-century tavern for some local beer, or headto a coffeehouse to try a platter of cured and fresh meats, cheeses and pickledfish, known as a smorgasbord.
Skansen is located on Djurgården, just a half-hour walk from the centreof Stockholm. There is some pay-and-display parking on site, but why not makethe most of the bus, tram and ferry services that frequent the museum? Skansenis open daily and an admission fee applies.
