The Swedish History Museum is one of the top sights to see in Stockholm. Exhibitions include the Vikings and a lot of treasure – all seen for free.
The Swedish National History Museum (Historiska Museet) in Stockholm covers the period from pre-history to the present. The Vikings section is arguably the most interesting to foreign visitors but it is worth strolling through the whole museum and at least glance at the other exhibitions too. The vast collection of gold and silver items in the treasury in the cellars is one of the largest in Europe with some astonishing craftsmanship on display. Admission is free making it sensible to see the various exhibitions on separate visits if time allows.
The main permanent exhibitions are prehistory and the Vikings on the ground floor and on the upper floor the History of Sweden (from the 11th century onwards) with separate large medieval exhibitions of art, music and an infamous massacre. The impressive treasury is in the cellar – easily overlooked.
The History Museum is simply too big to take all in one visit. Ideally, see separate sections on different visits – admission is free after all – but if time is limited, concentrate on one or two sections and at least have a quick walk through the rest.
Top Tip: See the gold and silver treasures first – some of these items have incredible details that the tired eye easily overlooks.
The woman from Barum is one of the oldest known women in Sweden. Her 9,000-year-old grave was discovered in 1939. For much of the 20th century she was considered to have been a man as she was buried with hunting weapons. Modern research revealed women commonly hunted and fished in Sweden millennia ago.
In addition to grave goods, the museum also exhibits iron and bronze artefacts, rock carvings that Sweden is rightly famous for (see also: Prehistoric Rock Art in Tanum for more rock art still in place) and explains Old Norse mythology and religion.
An interesting second part is arranged a bit like an airport departure lounge – visitors enter different rooms where a variety of themes are considered. Here smaller items including for example weapons, artifacts, masks, religious and ritual objects are displayed thematically.
An interesting final room also asked the question who creates history and with what agenda? Archaeological finds have been exploited for political and race-biological purposes in the past and certainly will also again in the future. Also, will plastic brushes have to explain our society thousands of years from now?
The museum explains that the Vikings were mostly peaceful traders, farmers, hunters and craftsmen but certainly does not ignore the more popular warring, raiding and rampaging activities.
Displays include rune stones, period dress and jewelry, artifacts, and weapons – both for ceremonial and war use. A large model shows the development of Birka on Lake Mälaren – one of the first quasi-urban Viking communities and a major source of archaeological finds.
Other Scandinavian museums with top prehistory and Viking exhibitions include the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen and the superb Moesgaard Museum outside Aarhus.
The History of Sweden exhibition covers a thousand years of Swedish history from the 11th century to the present. A strip of dates on the floor leads visitors through the exhibition with each century having its own room with highlights and main events from the period.
Highlight include amongst others:
The Swedish National History Museum has three special exhibitions on medieval history – all worth at least a glance but very rewarding in detail too:
This exhibition tells in gory detail with many archaeological finds the gruesome event when 1,800 protesting Gotland farmers were brutally mowed down by the Danish soldiers of King Valdemar Atterdag.
The large collection of armor, weapons and remains of the dead is unique in the world for its state of preservation. Visitors may try some weaponry and chainmail. A large amount of information on this event is available in electronic form on touchscreens in the museum (or via any internet link).
Byzantine influences are clear in some early works confirming the trading links that the Vikings had with the eastern part of the former Roman Empire. German, French and Flemish influences are more obvious in later works that link to the church in Rome.
Two of the oldest organ casings in the world are in the museum:
A modern bellows and an organ pipe allow visitors to play few notes and explore how a pipe organ functions.
The Gold Room in the cellars of the history museum is filled with 52 kg gold and more than 200 kg of silver treasure. The oldest items date from around 1500 BC while the success of Sweden during the Thirty Years War also contributed a large number of medieval items from Germany.
Many items are of religious importance, whether Nordic mythology or Christianity. Others are symbols of political power and wealth. Coins and jewelry are also on display, as are big clunks of precious metals that could also be used as currency and storage of wealth.
To fully appreciate the fine details in many of these works, see the Gold Room first; or even better, see it alone on a separate visit.
Rather surprisingly, the Swedish History Museum is open on most public holidays including New Year’s Day
Admission is free to all exhibitions but charges may apply to concerts, events and some tours.
English guided tours are offered mostly in summer while the audio guide is cheap and available in various languages.
Most items are described in both English and Swedish.
Bus 67 stop directly in front of the museum at stop Historiska museet but the Djurgårdsbron stop on bus 69 and 76, as well as tram 7 is often more convenient. Most Hop-on Hop-Off buses also stop here.
Karlaplan and bus 76 are both very convenient for travelers on mini-cruises or taking the Tallink Silja ferries to Helsinki, Tallinn and Riga, or the St Peter Line boats to St Petersburg.
Several further top sights are within easy walking distance from the Swedish History Museum. Most of these are on Djurgården Island – walk or use bus 67 – such as the Nordic Museum, the very impressive Vasa Museum, Skansen open-air museum, ABBA The Museum, Gröna Lund fun fair park and the free boats of the maritime museum.